Diana Walker grew up in Washington, D.C., and began covering the White House as a freelance photographer for newspapers and magazines in the mid-1970s. She started working for Time magazine and eventually photographed White House life from the Ford to Clinton administrations. In 1992, Walker and Time were granted occasional behind-the-scenes access to life in the White House; this special relationship lasted through the last day of the Clinton administration. Diana Walker: Photojournalist comprises 82 color and black-and-white photographs of Walker’s White House work as well as wonderful portraits of other noteworthy people and events. Time and other magazine covers and page layouts accompany the photographs, documenting the transformation of individual photographs into iconic publishing moments. The exhibition reveals Walker as a talented photographer and shrewd journalist. Her images will be familiar to many viewers: President Ronald and Nancy Reagan waving from windows at Bethesda Naval Hospital; President Nelson Mandela of South Africa showing the Clintons the cell he occupied for years at the Robben Island Prison; and Tipper and Al Gore kissing at the 2000 Democratic National Convention. Other images depict intimate moments in the White House and on the campaign trail, including a revealing photograph of Nancy Reagan and Raisa Gorbachev having tea in 1985, and poignant candid images of the Clintons’ last week in the White House. The exhibition concludes with portraits of key figures of the past 25 years, including Washington Post publisher Katharine Graham and activist Jesse Jackson. Diana Walker: Photojournalist originated as a collaboration between Walker and the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History. A version of the exhibition was on view at the museum in 2003. Programming possibilities include personal appearances by Walker discussing her career as one of the most successful women in the White House press corps and/or book-signings of Public and Private: Twenty Years of Photographing the Presidency (National Geographic, 2002; introduction by Michael Beschloss).

 

Contents	82 black-and-white and color photographs, 9 mounted magazine covers/layouts, text panels, labels
Supplemental	Companion Book
Participation Fee	$5,000 for a 12-week booking period
Size	250 running feet (75 running meters)
Crates	4
Weight	860 lbs.
Category	Art/History & Culture
Security	Moderate
Shipping	Outgoing; host museum arranges shipping and pays carrier directly
SITES Contacts	Ed Liskey, 202.633.3142 (Scheduling) Jeff Thompson, 202.633.3115 (Content)
Tour Through	3/15/09

 

Dates		Host Institution	Status
11/13/04	2/27/05	The Arkansas Arts Center, Little Rock, AR	Booked
4/30/2005	6/12/05	Brimstone Historical Museum, Sulphur, LA	Booked
7/2/05	9/25/05	William Howard Taft National Historic Site, Cincinnati, OH	Booked
10/15/05	1/08/06	D.H. Hill Library, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC	Booked
1/28/06	4/23/06	Barrington Area Historical Society, Barrington, IL	Booked
5/13/06	8/06/06	William McKinley Presidential Library and Museum, Canton, OH	Booked
8/26/06	11/26/06	Jimmy Carter Presidential Library and Museum, Atlanta, GA	Booked
12/16/06	3/4/07	Frazier International History Museum, Louisville, KY	Booked
3/24/07	6/17/07	Southern Museum of Civil War & Locomotive History, Kennesaw, GA	Booked
7/7/07	9/30/07		Call for Availability
10/20/07	1/13/08	Spartanburg County Public Library, Spartanburg, SC	Booked
2/2/08	4/27/08	Gerald R. Ford Museum, Grand Rapids, MI	Booked
5/17/08	8/10/08	Gerald R. Ford Museum, Grand Rapids, MI	Booked
8/30/08	11/30/08	Southern Vermont Art Center, Manchester, VT	Booked
12/20/08	3/15/09		Call for Availability

 

 

Public and Private: Twenty Years of Photographing the Presidency by Diana Walker, National Geographic, 2002, Hard cover, 200 pp, $40.00. >>Order this book

 

10/1/2004 Diana Walker: Photojournalist Exhibition Premiers at The Arkansas Arts Center Amid a comprehensive collection of photographs spanning 25 years, photographer Diana Walker has captured the essence of historic moments, bringing the public face to face with such important notable figures as American presidents, foreign dignitaries and political activists. Now the public has an opportunity to view 83 selected photographs and nine magazine covers in a traveling exhibition, Diana Walker: Photojournalist, when it premiers at The Arkansas Arts Center in Little Rock on November 19, launching a three-year national tour. The exhibition will remain on view at the Center until Feb. 27. 2005. Produced by the Smithsonian’s National Museum of American History and organized for travel by the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES), the exhibition takes a look at candid moments in the lives of five American presidents; foreign dignitaries and their relationship to America; political activists and boxing champion Muhammed Ali. An award-winning photographer, Diana Walker began her career as a freelancer before joining the ranks of Time Magazine’s staff, assigned to cover the White House. Her journey in pictures led to trips on the campaign trail with presidential hopefuls, behind the scenes with the presidents and their families, domestic and foreign trips, and exclusive access into the First Family’s private quarters. The exhibition is divided into 11 sections and is accompanied by Walker’s own descriptions of the circumstances surrounding the events she photographed and her impressions of her subjects. The sections are aptly titled: “Access to History,” “Public and Private Moments,” “Campaigns and Conventions,” “First Ladies,” “The White House,” “Travel with Presidents,” “Clinton’s Last Week,” “Presidents in Private,” “Diana Walker/Favorite Photographs,” “Tracking Business and Politics” and “Portraits.” Each picture tells its own story whether it’s President Bill Clinton speaking with King Hussein of Jordan while Arafat and Netanyahu listen in the background; First Lady Nancy Reagan and Raisa Gorbachev having tea in Geneva, Switzerland; or heavyweight champion Muhammed Ali after a workout in suburban Maryland. Walker’s pioneering efforts and success in a historically male-dominated field enabled her to document some of the most important events in American history. Always on the pulse of the political action, Walker has established herself as one of the most celebrated and talented photographers covering American political history in the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s. The National Museum of American History traces American heritage through exhibitions of social, cultural, scientific and technological history. Collections are displayed in exhibitions that interpret the American experience from Colonial times to the present. For more information, visit the museum’s Web site at http://americanhistory.si.edu. The Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) has been sharing the wealth of Smithsonian collections and research programs with millions of people outside Washington, D.C. for more than 50 years. SITES connects Americans to their shared cultural heritage through a wide range of exhibitions about art, science and history, which are shown wherever people live, work and play, including museums, libraries, science centers, historical societies, community centers, botanical gardens, schools and shopping malls. Exhibition descriptions and tour schedules are available at www.sites.si.edu.