The Glass Between Us

Rebecca Norris Webb

On view: September 2 – 29, 2006

Rebecca Norris Webb was born in Rushville, Indiana and moved to Hot Springs, South Dakota when she was 16. Originally a poet, Rebecca graduated from Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism in 1989.

The Glass Between Us is a photo exploration of the complex and vulnerable relationship that exists between people and animals in cities. Seven years ago, Rebecca Norris Webb wandered into the Coney Island Aquarium and spotted a white beluga whale soaring high above the heads of visitors, who were reflected in the glass. Since then, Webb has photographed urban animals in New York, Chicago, Havana, Istanbul, New Delhi, Paris, and other cities around the world, often viewing the animals between some sort of transparent barrier. In a certain light, the glass between us can be a window, a wall, and a mirror.

Her Project, The Glass Between Us, was awarded sponsorship by the Blue Earth Alliance and was featured in the Griffin Museum of Photography in 2005. In May 2006, a book of these photographs and writings will be published by Channel Photographics, the same month that Webb will have her first New York City solo exhibition at Ricco Maresca Gallery. Her work will also be included in several other exhibitions in 2006, including “Why Look at Animals?’ at the George Eastman House and PCNW. Webb lives in Brooklyn and teaches photography around the world with her husband, Alex Webb. Her website is www.theglassbetweenus.com