Iran: Images From Beneath a Chador is a photography exhibit that reflects on a pivotal event in the history of US-Iran relations: the November 4, 1979, storming of the US Embassy in Iran and the ensuing hostage crisis. Photojournalist Randy Hope Goodman shares her images and discusses her work on the 30th anniversary of the crisis at the Center for International Studies at MIT.

Wednesday, November 4, 2009
4:30 PM - 6:00 PM
MIT Center for International Studies, MIT Bldg E40-400
Lucian Pye Conference Room
1 Amherst Street, Cambridge (Map)

Please RSVP to nhuch@mit.edu to attend the Nov. 4 opening.

The exhibit will be on view at CIS for ~two weeks. Viewings are by appointment only. Contact nhuch@mit.edu to schedule a visit.

About the artist: Randy Hope Goodman began her photojournalism career in Iran just months after the takeover of the US Embassy (1979) by Iranian students. While covering a grassroots delegation of Americans working to resolve the crisis, she photographed the delegates’ interviews with top ranking political and religious leaders, their dialogues with the students inside the US Embassy, and their visit to Evin Prison to meet with former members of SAVAK, the Shah’s secret police.

In 1981, when all journalists with US media credentials were banned from Iran, she returned on an exclusive assignment for CBS-TV News as a videographer. She also took still photographs during her two-month long assignment. In 1983, using her war footage, she co-produced a special television news report for WBZ-TV on the second anniversary of the release of the hostages.

During her third visit to Iran (1983), she worked under contract for Time magazine and was given exclusive access to photograph Ayatollah Khomeini. She also served as a correspondent for Satellite News Channel (a former competitor to CNN).

Her Iran photographs have been published in newspapers and magazines throughout the world including The New York Times, The Boston Globe, The LA Times, The Washington Post and in publications in Egypt, France, Hong Kong, Great Britain, Libya, Italy and Spain. In addition to her Iran assignments, she has photographed in Nicaragua (1982) and Grenada (1987).

In the early ‘90s, Randy was a freelance photographer for United Press International (Boston) and later started her freelance business for corporate and non-profit clients. She is a member of the Boston Press Photographers Association and the National Press Photographers Association. Her traveling exhibit, “Iran: Images From Beneath a Chador”, showcases her exclusive photographs.

Sponsored by the Center for International Studies | For more info, contact starrforum@mit.edu.