TUCSON, Ariz. — The University of Arizona Center for Creative Photography (CCP) will open "Animality: 100 Years of Photographs" on Aug. 8, an exhibition exploring the many kinds of relationships between humans and animals across a century of picture-making. 

 

Drawing on more than 100 photographs and archival objects from CCP's permanent collection, "Animality" features nearly 300 animals across 30 species — plus hundreds of bats — captured in a wide range of photographic formats by a diverse group of photographers.  

“Animality" was created in collaboration with seven University of Arizona honors students—Dylan Brown, Maya Cervantes, Emma Charles, Charles Elliott, Emily Hogg, Emma Mireles, and Shay Parchem—who participated in professors Netzin and Dieter Steklis’s Fall 2025 course, Human and Animal Interrelationships in the School of Animal and Comparative Biomedical Sciences. The interdisciplinary exhibition is organized around 11 thematic groupings, which together address human-animal interactions, human and animal expressions, and animal welfare. 
 

Among the photographers represented in "Animality" are several of the most significant figures in 20th-century American photography, including Garry Winogrand, W. Eugene Smith, Andreas Feininger, John Gutmann, Louise Dahl-Wolfe, Rosalind Fox Solomon and more. The exhibition also features a dedicated presentation on Ylla (Camilla Koffler, 1911-1955), the defining animal photographer of the mid-20th century, whose work for magazines including Life brought a new warmth and intimacy to the genre. Ylla's archive is held by CCP, and the exhibition includes a slideshow of 100 of her photographs alongside archival material from her career.

 

Animals Everywhere

The public is also invited to take part: CCP is inviting visitors to submit their own favorite animal photographs for "Animals Everywhere," a rotating community exhibition displayed on a monitor outside the gallery.

 

"Animality" is accompanied by a slate of ancillary programming, including:

 

·                     SNAP (Social Night of Art and Photography) … Sept. 3, 5-7p, including a conversation with CCP’s Rebecca Senf and professors H. Dieter Steklis and Netzin Steklis from the School of Animal & Comparative Biomedical Sciences

·                     Community Day … Oct. 10, 10a-4p, including a lecture by Pryor Dodge, author of “YLLA, The Birth of Modern Animal Photography” 

·                     Artist Talk … Nov. 6, 5:30-6:30p, with Chicago-based photographer and interdisciplinary artist Colleen Plumb

·                     Book Club Discussion with Colleen Plumb … Nov. 7, 11a-noon

 

The exhibition runs through Dec. 12 and is free and open to the public for visitors of all ages. Gallery hours are Tuesday through Saturday, 10a-4:30p.

 

###