MILLS COLLEGE EXHIBITS POWERFUL PHOTOS OF WOMEN SENATORS  

Oakland, CA - “Changing the Face of Power: Women in the U.S. Senate,” a pioneering photographic exhibit by acclaimed photojournalist Melina Mara, is on display at Mills College through Monday, June 19, 2006.

The black-and-white lambda prints document the nation’s powerful women senators legislating behind the scenes, attending hearings, meeting the press, and sharing private moments with colleagues and family members. They depict all 14 women senators, from the longest serving woman, Barbara Mikulski (D-MD), to the more junior Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-NY).

Located on the second floor of the campus’ Mills Hall, 5000 MacArthur Blvd., Oakland, CA 94613, the exhibit is open to the public weekdays from 9 am to 5 pm.

The photographs are drawn from the book Changing the Face of Power: Women in the U.S. Senate published by the University of Texas’ Center for American History and the University of Texas Press (2005).

Mara said the abrupt increase in the number of women in Congress since 1992 inspired her to document the dramatic change. Approximately 12 years ago, only two women served in the Senate.

The photographs provide resources to students and researchers interested in women’s history and the changing nature of leadership in the U.S.

The exhibit has also been featured at the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C. and the Women’s Museum in Dallas, among other locations.

Mara currently covers national and international politics for the Washington Post.  Her photographs have appeared in publications including Newsweek, People, and the Seattle Post-Intelligencer.

Mills College is a nationally renowned, independent liberal arts college offering innovative degree programs for undergraduate women, and graduate degree and certificate programs for women and men. Consistently ranked among the top 75 liberal arts colleges in the nation by U.S. News & World Report, Mills is also recognized as one of the country’s 20 most diverse liberal arts colleges. The Princeton Review selected Mills as one of 11 colleges for first-time inclusion in its Best 361 Colleges in 2005. Nestled in the foothills of Oakland, California on 135 lush acres, Mills provides a dynamic liberal arts education fostering women’s leadership, social responsibility, and creativity.

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