Photographer and conservationist Tom Zetterstrom (1945- ) lives and works in Canaan, Connecticut. He is known for his photographic series, The Moving Point of View and Portraits of Trees, the latter project spans nearly forty years and is a visual documentation of his passion for trees.
Born in Canaan, Connecticut, Zetterstrom studied botany then sculpture and photography at Colorado College and later at Pratt Institute. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in 1967, shortly thereafter, he moved to Washington, D.C. , to serve as director of photography at the New Thing Art and Architectural Center in the Adams Morgan neighborhood. Zetterstrom taught photography to inner-city youth at the arts space, which was founded by John Topper Carew with the aim to make art widely accessible to District residents by providing a place for local children to create and display their art.
Tom Zetterstrom has exhibited his work in more than thirty solo exhibitions and participated in group shows at The International Center of Photography in New York, the Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Museum of New Mexico, Sante Fe. His photographs are in the collections of various museums and libraries, including the Baltimore Museum of Art, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, Smithsonian American Art Museum, New York Public Library, and the Library of Congress.
His work has been supported by the Trolland and Lee Link Fund, the Art Resources Trust, the Robin Tost Fund, and the Connecticut Commission on the Arts. Zetterstrom's photographs appeared in several publications including the New York Times, Aperture, and the New England Journal of Photography.
Zetterstrom has successfully combined his photography career with his passion for sustainability and environmental justice. In 1999, he and other conservationists founded Elm Watch, a forestry organization dedicated to preserving American elms. He augments his photography of trees with lectures at schools and community organizations which allows him to use multiple mediums to reach and educate audiences about the natural world.
Untitled
Young black girl blowing gum bubble in front of "New Thing" art and dance workshop, Washington, D.C.
Anacostia Community Museum Archives, Smithsonian Institution, Anonymous gift to the Corcoran Gallery of Art.
Use of the materials requires an appointment. Please contact the archivist at acmarchives@si.edu.
Collection items available for reproduction, but the Archives makes no guarantees concerning copyright restrictions. Other intellectual property rights may apply. Archives cost-recovery and use fees may apply when requesting reproductions.