Photographer Andrea Modica celebrated in concurrent NYC exhibitions
The Alice Austen House (Staten Island) and AMR Art DUMBO (Brooklyn) present two concurrent solo exhibitions of acclaimed American photographer Andrea Modica (b. 1960) from this September, bringing together complementary bodies of work exploring womanhood, identity, and Italian American heritage through the traditions and expectations that have shaped generations of girls and women.
A professor of photography at Drexel University, whose career spans more than four decades, Modica is known for her intimate black-and-white portraiture and longstanding commitment to traditional photographic techniques. Working primarily with a large-format 8×10 camera and hand-printing her photographs using traditional processes, Modica creates tonal images characterized by a close and often deeply personal engagement with her subjects.
Opening September 10, “Andrea Modica: Catholic Girl” at AMR Art DUMBO presents 19 photographs from Modica’s 1984 series portraying students at all-girls Catholic high schools in South Brooklyn and New Haven. Made early in Modica’s career, the photographs focus on young women navigating adolescence within the structures of Catholic education, capturing moments of intimacy, friendship, self-expression, and transition.
On September 12, “Andrea Modica: Italian Story” at the Alice Austen House brings together 39 platinum prints created over more than four decades of Modica’s travels across Italy, beginning in the mid-1980s. The exhibition marks the first U.S. presentation of the series and Modica’s first solo exhibition at the museum. Rooted in Modica’s Italian American heritage and her experience of returning to the culture that shaped her upbringing, Italian Story traces her encounters with Italy through portraits of its people alongside photographs of landscapes, interiors, rituals, and everyday life.
Together, the photographs form a deeply personal visual record of Modica’s evolving relationship with Italy.
“Working with Andrea Modica has been a long-term aspiration for the Alice Austen House. Over the years, Andrea has generously participated in artist talks and public programs, but this exhibition marks the first time we have had the opportunity to present her work in a solo exhibition,” Victoria Munro, Executive Director and Curator Alice Austen House, said. “It has been an extraordinary privilege to collaborate with Andrea in selecting this remarkable group of photographs. The exhibition features 39 hand-printed platinum prints; each produced specifically for this presentation. Their luminous quality and meticulous craftsmanship underscore Andrea’s unwavering commitment to the photographic print as a work of art. Andrea’s unique vision—her profound sensitivity to people, place, and memory—resonates deeply with Alice Austen’s own legacy. Both artists share an exceptional ability to reveal the humanity of their subjects through masterful composition and an unwavering dedication to traditional photographic printing techniques.”
This collaboration reflects the shared commitment of both institutions to championing the work of women artists and expanding opportunities for audiences to engage with significant voices in contemporary photography. By presenting these complementary exhibitions simultaneously, visitors are invited to experience two interconnected series across two distinct cultural spaces, offering a richer understanding of Modica’s extraordinary artistic practice. Together, Alice Austen House and AMR Art Dumbo celebrate the enduring power of photography to explore identity, memory, family, and place while reinforcing the importance of collaboration in advancing the visibility and recognition of women artists.
“As a gallery dedicated to championing women and queer artists, AMR Art Dumbo naturally aligns with the Alice Austen House’s mission to celebrate the contributions of women photographers and LGBTQ+ histories through the lens of one of photography’s pioneering figures,” Annabelle Rinehart, AMR Art Dumbo Founder and Director, said. “Modica’s photographs are captivating. Her artistic mastery and attunement to her subjects inspire us to look closely and recognize the timeless qualities of human existence. By presenting complementary exhibitions across two venues, we hope to illuminate the breadth of Modica’s practice while expanding the visibility of artists whose work shapes the history of photography.”
VENUES AND DATES
Alice Austen House Museum (September 12, 2026 – February 15, 2027)
Opening reception 12th 1-4 PM
Alice Austen House | 2 Hylan Blvd, Staten Island, NY 10305 | Museum Hours:
Wednesday–Friday, 12pm–5pm | Saturday, 11am–5pm www.aliceausten.org | 718-816-4506
AMR Art DUMBO (September 10 – October 22, 2026)
Opening reception September 10th 6.30 PM
AMR Art DUMBO
53 Bridge Street, Suite 706, Brooklyn, NY 11201
Gallery Hours: Tuesday–Friday: 12pm-6pm, Saturday: 12pm-3pm | https://www.amrartdumbo.com
About the Artist
Andrea Modica is an acclaimed American photographer based in Philadelphia, where she teaches photography at Drexel University. A graduate of the Yale School of Art, she is a Guggenheim Fellow, Fulbright Scholar, and recipient of the Knight Award.
Her photographs have appeared in leading publications including The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, and American Photo.
Modica has presented solo exhibitions at major institutions including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Cleveland Museum of Art, and the Museum of Photographic Arts in San Diego. Her work is held in the permanent collections of many of the world’s leading museums, including the Museum of Modern Art, the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art, the Brooklyn Museum, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the International Center of Photography, the Smithsonian American Art Museum, the George Eastman Museum, and the Bibliothèque nationale de France.
About AMR Art DUMBO
AMR Art Dumbo is a contemporary art gallery representing women and queer artists. Located in Brooklyn’s DUMBO arts district, the gallery presents a dynamic program of exhibitions and conversations featuring both emerging and established artists in painting, photography, video and sculpture.
About Alice Austen House Museum
The Alice Austen House Museum advances the interpretation of American art, historic places and public parks through the life and work of Alice Austen (1866–1952). Situated within Austen’s historic home and its surrounding waterfront landscape, the museum contextualizes her photographic practice within the social, cultural, and domestic environments that shaped her vision. Through exhibitions, research, and public programs, the museum positions Austen’s work within broader histories of photography, modernity, and self-representation.
The Alice Austen House operates as a site of ongoing curatorial and artistic inquiry. Engaging contemporary artists, scholars, and cultural practitioners, the museum fosters dialogue between historical material and present-day perspectives, using the house as both an artifact and a framework for interpretation. This approach underscores the continued relevance of Austen’s work while activating the site as a space for critical reflection and creative production. The house and its adjacent waterfront park are nationally designated as a site of LGBTQ+ history.
A core interpretive focus of the museum is the 55-year partnership between Alice Austen and her life partner, Gertrude Tate. This relationship serves as an essential lens for examining Austen’s photographic archive and lived experience, offering insight into pre-Stonewall LGBTQ+ life and expanding scholarly understandings of intimacy, domesticity, and authorship within American visual culture.
