Focus: Friends of Photography
Launched in January 2009, The Friends of Alfred Stieglitz Center has officially changed its name to Focus: Friends of Photography, but its mission remains the same — to "expand the experience of photography" and to support and promote photography acquisitions and programming.
Peter Barberie
PMA Curator of Photographs
Focus brings together collectors, artists, enthusiasts, or photography admirers to celebrate PMA's internationally acclaimed collection of more than 33,000 photographs, dating from the invention of the camera to the present. Throughout the year, members are invited to attend engaging programs, conversations and intellectual camaraderie.
Members enjoy a lively slate of events, including access to private collections, artists, curators, insightful lectures, gallery talks, and receptions. Focus even helps to shape the Museum's renowned collections. Every December, at the annual Purchase Party, Focus members vote on the use of contributions to purchase a work of photography.
"Many art collectors begin with photography to start building their collection, but ultimately fall in love with the art form and stay with it," says Peter Barberie. "We designed this group with photography collectors in mind. We wanted to create a community for them to get to know each other and to learn about the Museum's collection."