Time(s) - 10:00 am - 4:00 pm
Location
Atlanta Photography Group
Stephanie Hanlon:
The Lost Family:
Summoning the Courage, Making the Cobbler
The Atlanta Photography Group is excited to present
Stephanie Hanlon’s The Lost Family: Summoning the Courage, Making the Cobbler
as our seventh solo exhibition in the Maloof Gallery.
Artist Statement
Our world has progressed in many ways, yet we continue to regress in fostering community and well-being. Families today face profound challenges: rising rates of youth suicide, school violence, and pervasive loneliness. These struggles expose the fractures in a society that often prioritizes individualism over the collective.
In this series, I worked with over 20 families in Atlanta, capturing their stories through long-exposure photographs and candid moments that reveal the raw, emotional realities of modern parenthood. The long exposures highlight the unpredictable, vibrant movements of children while reflecting the turbulent storms many parents navigate daily.
This project is deeply personal. As a single mother who left the U.S. Virgin Islands—a place where community was integral—for the isolation of Atlanta, I felt the profound loss of a “village.” That contrast informs every frame, exploring resilience and longing across families of diverse backgrounds.
The exhibition immerses viewers in this exploration, presenting fine art photographic prints as a modern take on a traditional family portrait but with current realities represented. These patterns symbolize our current fragmented reality, isolated from community and the natural world. Printed textiles hint at the project’s next iteration: a vision that reconciles this fragmentation by reconnecting to our indigenous rhythms and the cycles of the planet that bring us toward connection.
Inspired by works like Carrie Mae Weems’ Kitchen Table Series and Aracelis Girmay’s You Are Who I Love, this series reflects on legacy—what we carry forward and how cultural shifts shape the stories we tell. By inviting viewers to engage with the tactile elements of family life and contribute to a communal scrapbook, the exhibition calls for dialogue and action.
How can we rebuild the villages that nurture us all? And how can art shape a culture that fosters connection and well-being? At its core, this project is a meditation on our shared humanity and the transformative power of connection.
Additional Reading and References:
Carrie Mae Weems “Kitchen Table Series”
Aracelis Girmay “You Are Who I Love”
Tiphanie Yanique “Home”
Jericho Brown “Tradition”
Bell Hooks “All About Love”
“Parents Under Pressure: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Mental Health and Wellness of Parents” 2024
“Firearm Violence: A Public Health Crisis in America,” 2024, the U.S. Surgeon General
“Our Epidemic of Loneliness and Isolation: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory on the Healing Effects of Social Connection and Community” 2023
“Protecting Youth Mental Health: The U.S. Surgeon General’s Advisory” 2021
“The State of Mental Health in America,” 2023 Mental Health America
“State of Homelessness: 2024 Edition,” 2024, National Alliance to End Homelessness
“State of Suicide by State,” 2022, Centers of Disease Control
Stephanie Hanlon
Stephanie Hanlon is an Atlanta-based photographer whose evocative work explores the intersections of family, memory, and the impact of modern society on human connection. With nearly 20 years of experience as a photographer and journalist, she began her career documenting protests, government, and business in the U.S. Virgin Islands and New York. Now, she uses her lens to capture the nuanced stories of American families, drawing from her own experiences as a single mother raising her daughter without a traditional support system.
Her work was awarded First Prize in the Narrative Power of Black and White exhibit juried by Shots Magazine editor Elizabeth Flinsch and was a 2024 Photo Lucida Critical Mass finalist. She has exhibited at the Atlanta Photography Group and has been featured in Shots Magazine and the Atlanta Center for Photography’s photobook New South.
Stephanie’s current project, The Lost Family, is a powerful exploration of family structures and the growing mental health crisis among today’s youth. Through film-based photography, she examines the isolation felt by both parents and children, connecting these struggles to urgent issues such as rising youth depression and suicide rates. Her work not only sheds light on these challenges but also fosters community and advocacy. During this project, she has helped families share their stories and connect with critical resources.
Using a Rolleiflex medium-format camera gifted by her father, Stephanie embraces the timeless artistry of analog photography to explore themes of legacy, intergenerational connection, and cultural shifts. Her images ask urgent questions about the toll of individualism on families, offering a moving testament to resilience, vulnerability, and the power of storytelling. Her use of long exposures and blur replicate the real storm modern American families are experiencing in isolation.
Website: https://stephaniehanlon.com
Event Dates
Exhibition:
March 18 – April 12, 2025
In-Person Open House/Reception
March 20, 2025, 7-9pm ET
In-Person, Roundtable Discussion with Tiphanie Yanique, Susan Ross & Nasim Fluker
Saturday, March 22, 2025 – 2-4pm ET
APG Gallery at Ansley Mall
1544 Piedmont Ave NE, #107, Atlanta, GA 30324
Located between LA Fitness and CVS Pharmacy
