How does one move through life with the scars of the past? When I was ten, my mother died unexpectedly from a heart attack. I couldn't understand where she went or when she would return. Just as I began to comprehend this loss, my father died. I was without support from my family and community. I was lost. My series Without a Map re-imagines this period deeply rooted in my memories. Visiting my childhood home, synagogue and family plot provided an entry into my personal retelling. Working with family photos, creating new images from my past and turning the camera on myself, I found the means to evoke, reinterpret and address unanswered questions born from early imprints buried long ago.

About

Marsha Guggenheim is a San Francisco fine art photographer and 2022 and 2021 Critical Mass finalist. Storytelling is a guiding influence in her work. Marsha is deeply interested in photographing people and draws on her diverse city to capture their stories. Complementing her street photography, Marsha spent years working as a photographer with formerly homeless women. This work resulted in the monograph, "Facing Forward," highlighting these hard-working, proud women through portraits and stories of their life experiences. Currently, Marsha is working on a personal series, "Without a Map." Through the use of family photos, creating pictures from her memories and by turning the camera on herself, she has found the means to evoke, reinterpret and address unanswered questions that were buried long ago. Marsha's work has been shown in over 50 galleries and exhibitions. She has been published in both domestic and international publications and is included in numerous private collections.