WHITNEY BRADSHAW

In conjunction with the 2026 Filter Photo Festival, Filter Photo is pleased to present a special screening of "OUTCRY: Alchemists of Rage," directed by Clare Major an impactful short documentary film that highlights the power of art to drive social change. Following the screening of the 30-minute film, Whitney Bradshaw—the film subject's and producer, and the creator of OUTCRY—will be in conversation with Filter Photo's Executive Director, Erin Hoyt.

"OUTCRY: Alchemists of Rage" follows artist and former social worker Whitney Bradshaw as she photographs women, non-binary, and genderqueer people mid-scream in cathartic group sessions where long-silenced stories conjure rage, sorrow, and joy. An activist and sexual abuse survivor, Whitney uses art to fuel action for feminist and queer rights, culminating in a grassroots fight for abortion access in Ohio. The film offers a visceral rallying cry for the revolutionary power of women, non-binary, and genderqueer voices.

The film is directed by Clare Major and produced by Whitney Bradshaw and Frankly Speaking Films. The score was composed by Paris Hurley of "Object as Subject". "OUTCRY: Alchemists of Rage" was shortlisted for the International Documentary Association's (IDA) Best Short Film Award of 2024.

Whitney Bradshaw is an artist, activist, educator, curator, former social worker, and documentary film producer whose practice is dedicated to healing and empowerment while boldly confronting systems that marginalize and oppress. She is the creator of OUTCRY, an ongoing social practice project that has been exhibited widely across the United States, with solo shows at Atlanta Contemporary, the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, the DePaul Art Museum, Villanova University Art Gallery, Moreau Galleries at St. Mary’s College, the 21c Museum Hotel Louisville, Wavepool Contemporary Art Fulfillment Center and more. Her photographs are held in prominent collections, including the Museum of Contemporary Photography, the DePaul Art Museum, the Northwestern Pritzker School of Law, the Hall Art and Technology Foundation, the Sara M. and Michelle Vance Waddell Collection, and have been featured in Ms. Magazine, the New York Times, The Chicago Tribune, NewCity Magazine, the LA Times, and Vogue. In Fall 2023, Whitney was named one of NewCity Magazine’s “50 Chicago Artists’ Artists.”

Whitney and OUTCRY are the subject of a short documentary film titled "OUTCRY: Alchemists of Rage" directed by Clare Major and produced by Frankly Speaking Films. The film premiered at the Frameline Film Festival in San Francisco in June 2024 and was shortlisted for the International Documentary Association's Best Short Film Award of 2024.

Whitney currently serves as curator at the Lubeznik Center for the Arts in Michigan City, Indiana, following earlier roles as chair of the visual arts conservatory at the Chicago High School for the Arts, curator of the esteemed LaSalle Bank Photography Collection, later the Bank of America Collection, and adjunct professor of photography at Columbia College Chicago. Before her curatorial career, she worked as a social worker supporting survivors of sexual abuse and assault, families of children with disabilities, and adults with disabilities.