Stephen DiRado, A Documentarian of Our Time
The opening of Stephen DiRado, Better Together: Four Decades of Photographs took place Saturday @fitchburgartmuseum. Stephen's exhibition includes 75 black-and white photographs, over 1,000 projected color images, and three video presentations about the artist and his work process.
Stephen DiRado’s work is so relevant today for his deeply personal, documentary-style approach, often rooted in long-term simultaneous projects that capture the passage of time, true intimacy, and abundant human connection. In contrast to the fast-paced digital documentation we experience coming at us like a rapid firing shutter, we were gifted with a calmness and methodical engagement of meaningful moments, friends, family, and recurring characters as well as iconic imagery like bridge jumpers on Martha’s Vineyard and meals shared among friends in the most intimate diptychs purposely positioned at the corner of the gallery. His commitment to analog photography—particularly large-format film—distinguishes Stephen in an era completely dominated by digital immediacy.
Stephen DiRado is a photographer documenting our cultural history, serving as our visual historian. With patience and planning, he captures pivotal moments, traditions, and everyday life to preserve the very essence of a time and place with clarity and sometimes grit. Stephen's work not only provides future generations with an authentic record of our neighborhood changes societal shifts but also shapes collective memory by highlighting stories that might otherwise be overlooked.
In contemporary fine art and documentary photography, Stephen DiRado is an exceptional figure and has been recognized internationally. His dedication to large-format film photography has resulted in deeply personal and socially resonant projects. His work, including series like Mall Series, JUMP, and With Dad, documents the passage of time, human connections, and the everyday with his profound sensitivity. His committed long-term approach to storytelling, particularly in his documentation of his father’s battle with Alzheimer's, has made a lasting impact on both fine art and documentary photography.
Stephen DiRado, Dinner Series: Monday Night Salon with Pedro Abascal, Worcester, MA, September 24, 2000, pigment print, printed 2024, 40” x 50.”
With Dad is a series, a deeply moving photographic documentation of his father’s journey, captured over two decades using a large-format camera. The series, covered by PBS, offers an unflinching yet tender portrayal of illness, aging, and pure love for his Dad. Through his meticulous and intimate approach, Stephen allows us into his family and transforms personal grief into a universally resonant narrative about memory, aging and loss. This work preserves and celebrates his father’s dignity and also serves as a powerful meditation on the human condition, cementing his status as one of the most important documentarians of our time.
Stephen DiRado has been a friend and an impactful mentor to hundreds of students at Clark University since 1982. He has been a consultant for Juniper Rag and a mentor to me on this journey with Juniper Rag. Stephen is highly regarded and loved by so many and his influence extends beyond his own work—helping to shape the next generation of artists and thinkers in contemporary photography.
Please visit this exhibition and allow time to take it all in. This is one experience that should not be rushed.
Stephen DiRado
Martha's Vineyard Beach People: Abigail, Aquinnah, MA, July 13, 2014, Silver Gelatin Print, printed 2014, 8" x 10," Frame 19" x 16." Courtesy of the Artist.
Stephen DiRado, Better Together: Four Decades of Photographs
February 1 – June 1, 2025
Opening Reception: Saturday, February 8, 2:00 – 4:00 pm
Stephen DiRado Gallery Talk: Saturday, March 22, 2:00 pm
Read the full Press Release from FITCHBURG ART MUSEUM.
