Barbara Hammer

Barbara Hammer was born in California in 1939. After studying psychology at the University of California in Los Angeles, she obtained a master's degree in English literature and another one in Film studies. Married at the time, she taught at a community college in Santa Rosa before coming out as a lesbian after frequenting feminist groups. She began making experimental short films in the 1970s, then became interested in video art in the 1980s. She made some of the first lesbian films, including Dyketactics (1974). In 1992 she made her first feature film, Nitrate Kisses, the first part of a trilogy devoted to lesbianism and the history of the gay movement, which also includes _Tender Fiction_s (1996) and History Lessons (2000). With a career spanning fifty years, Barbara Hammer is recognized as a pioneer of queer cinema. A visual artist working primarily in film and video, Hammer has created a body of innovative experimental work that illuminates lesbian history, life and representation. Her work has received numerous accolades, including the Shirley Clarke Avant-Garde Filmmaker Award in 2006 and a Teddy Award in 2009. She lived and worked in New York until her death in 2019.  Photo credit: Eric McNatt