LECTURE - A Cuckoo's Nest: The context and legacy of Mary Ellen Mark's "Ward 81"

A Cuckoo’s Nest: The context and legacy of Mary Ellen Mark’s “Ward 81”
May 14, 2026 | Thursday, 6-7:30 pm
Free w/ RSVP

Lecture with Jennifer L. Stoots, AAA, art appraiser and photo historian, on Mary Ellen Mark’s 1976 project “Ward 81”

Join us for a lecture with Jennifer L. Stoots, AAA, art appraiser and photo historian, on Mary Ellen Mark’s 1976 project “Ward 81”. In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month and the 50th anniversary of Mark’s Ward 81 photographic project, this presentation will illuminate how photographs of mentally ill women were used historically and will establish the cultural context for the project, when she and Dr. Karen Folger Jacobs lived on the women’s secure ward at the Oregon State Hospital — the same facility where “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” had been filmed the year before. While Mark’s project is unique, it is part of a long legacy of popular interest in mental illness, as reflected in literature, philosophy, feature films and documentaries, not to mention the work of other photographers, plus independent advocacy and public policy.

Bio:
Jennifer Stoots has been working in the museum and gallery industry for over 30 years, in the photography marketplace for 28 years, and has been appraising documentary & fine art photographs, photographic archives, and contemporary art for 24 years. In addition to her art appraisal work, she lectures on the economic history of fine art & the photography market and participates in public presentations centered around legacy and estate planning strategies for artists & photographers. Stoots is also a photo historian, earning her Master’s degree in the History of Art & Design from Pratt Institute (2013) and her Bachelor’s in Art History from the University of Oregon (1994). She acquired her appraising credentials in 2002 from NYU’s Appraisal Studies Program for Fine and Decorative Arts and is a Certified Member of the Appraisers Association of America (AAA).

Image credit: Mary Ellen Mark (American, 1940-2015) Ward 81 / Oregon State Hospital, Salem, Oregon, 1976 300B-037-004 ©Mary Ellen Mark, Courtesy of The Mary Ellen Mark Foundation