(images from Cherel Winett’s 1967 untitled artists’ book, [aka: the mouse and ziz zag papers])

Cherel Winett Ito arrived at SFAI in 1966 to study photography, filmmaking, printmaking, ceramics, and also enrolled in a class titled, “Media as a Verb.”

During this period the school reflected the City’s social climate---exemplified by the blossoming of hippie “flower power.”  Winett immersed herself in this world of youth culture and creativity.  Her projects at SFAI included portrait and fashion photography with friends.  Of particular note is a set of photos of the extraordinary fashion designer, Kaisik Wong.

Winett’s teachers included Jerry Burchard and her fellow students included Norman Stone, Steven Arnold, Ingeborg Gerdes, Michael Wiese, Lew Baltz, Dennis Hearne, Peter deLory, Ken Graves, and Annie Leibovitz.

Michael Wiese has written that Cherel was “the spitting image of Penelope Tree… big eyes with black eyeliner, and a very well put together thrift shop look… lots of fun besides being a very committed and fearless photographer.”  She continued her “committed and fearless” photography for the rest of her life while also immersing herself in the avant-garde film world, most notably editing, along with her husband Teiji Ito, Maya Deren’s 1947-1951 film footage of Haiti that would become the film, Divine Horseman: The Living Gods of Haiti (1985).

With permission, SFAA is re-posting the emails Jeff Gunderson Librarian/Archivist Anne Bremer Memorial Library has been sending out since March 2020. Please enjoy this magnificent archive.