Public Programs:
May 9, 2–4 PM
Recording Something of Note: A Reading Celebrating Robert Giard’s Literary Portraits
A salon-style reading featuring selections from the writings of Giard’s portrait subjects, presented by New Mexico artists and writers Kelley Gemmill, Nick Larsen, Erin Jane Nelson, Kimmy Rohrs, and Chris Philpot. Keynote reader Margaret Randall—herself a Giard subject—will share selections from her forthcoming book, The Calendar’s Whim. Organized by PRROBLEM Press, Santa Fe.
May 14, 5–7 PM
Reception in Honor of Alison Bechdel
Held in association with the Santa Fe International Literary Festival, this special reception welcomes acclaimed cartoonist and author Alison Bechdel to Santa Fe. Giard’s 1995 portrait of Bechdel is included in the exhibition.
May 23, 3–5 PM
Afternoon Reading
Writers James Thomas Stevens, Jordan Eddy, and Austin Eichelberger present readings of their work. Organized by Curate, Santa Fe.
All events are free and open to the public.
Santa Fe, NM — Daniel Cooney Fine Art is pleased to announce its fourth solo exhibition of photographs by Robert Giard, Particular Voices: Portraits of LGBTQ+ Writers & Artists, 1985–2002. This exhibition, on view from May 9 through June 6, 2026, marks Giard’s first presentation in New Mexico and is organized in conjunction with the Santa Fe International Literary Festival.
The exhibition will feature approximately 40 photographs selected from Giard’s extensive series of more than 600 portraits of writers, artists, and activists created between 1985 and 2002. Curated with attention to Giard’s commitment to representing underrecognized creative communities, the exhibition includes writers with deep connections to the region, such as Margaret Randall, Judy Grahn, and Gloria Anzaldúa.
In 1985, after attending a performance of Larry Kramer’s The Normal Heart, Giard dedicated himself to photographing LGBTQ+ writers—ranging from celebrated playwrights to emerging novelists, poets, and performance artists. Particular Voices stands as a vital visual record of the flourishing of queer voices in the years following Stonewall and during the AIDS crisis, while also honoring earlier 20th-century figures who helped articulate and shape a shared cultural identity.
The book Particular Voices was published in 1997 by The MIT Press and received the Lambda Literary Foundation Award for Best Photography Book. It accompanied a major exhibition at the New York Public Library, which now holds the largest institutional collection of Giard’s work. In 2004, the Beinecke Rare Book & Manuscript Library at Yale University acquired Giard’s complete archive as part of the Yale Collection of American Literature, comprising more than 1,500 vintage prints and 7,800 related work prints, along with landscapes, still lifes, and nudes spanning his career.
Robert Giard (1939–2002) was born in Hartford, Connecticut, and lived in Amagansett, New York. He earned a B.A. in English Literature from Yale University and an M.A. in Comparative Literature from Boston University. A self-taught photographer, Giard exhibited his work internationally throughout his career.
Media Contact:
Daniel Cooney Fine Art
dan@danielcooneyfineart.com
505-416-5452