Exploring Documentary Photography and Social History with Arthur Rothstein

In conjunction with the Museum at Eldridge Street's current photography exhibition, Lower East Side, 1975: Portrait of a Changing Jewish Neighborhood, join Dr. Ann Rothstein-Segan—daughter of celebrated photographer and photojournalist Arthur Rothstein (1915–1985)—and her husband, Brodie Hefner, on Zoom, Wednesday, November 19th at 6pm ET, to explore photography and memory through the lens of Arthur Rothstein's incredible life and career.

Join us for an exploration of documentary photography as a record of collective memory and a call for social action. Dr. Ann Rothstein-Segan draws on her father's enduring legacy to examine how the camera becomes a tool for preserving the stories of immigrants, the marginalized, and the displaced. Presenting with her husband, Brodie Hefner, Dr. Rothstein-Segan will share many of her father’s images that helped shape the twentieth-century visual landscape in the United States.

They’ll also reveal how Arthur Rothstein's family’s immigrant history helped inspire his iconic New Deal-era work documenting the dispossessed during the Great Depression, and his rare images of Jewish refugees who found sanctuary in Shanghai during World War II. Their talk will connect historical narrative with personal history, offering reflections on the power of photography to inform and to elicit public support for government action.

Please see the Zoom link in your order confirmation email. This program is entirely virtual.

Registration for this Zoom program is pay-what-you-wish. The following are suggested amounts for each ticket type: Adults $12 Seniors $10 Students $8

REGISTER HERE

This virtual program is in conjunction with Lower East Side, 1975: Portrait of a Changing Jewish Neighborhood, an exhibition featuring the evocative photographs of Richard Marc Sakols. The exhibition is on view through Sunday, November 23, 2025. Come see it before it closes!

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About Dr. Ann Rothstein-Segan and Brodie Hefner: Dr. Segan and her husband Brodie Hefner manage the Arthur Rothstein Legacy Project. Together, they develop publications, educational programs, and exhibitions on the life and career of Ann’s father, renowned social documentary photographer and photojournalist Arthur Rothstein (1915–1985). Dr. Segan’s academic studies focused on fine arts, the history of photography, and the application of creative arts for healing and social change. Her earlier career focused on visual storytelling and photographs in oral history projects. Her work was celebrated at the Center for the Book at the Library of Congress. Mr. Hefner is a retired urban planner and affordable-housing specialist. For twenty years he has been a diligent student of topics related to photography and cultural heritage archive management. These include digital and traditional photographic processes, exhibition design, and digital asset management. Dr. Segan and Mr. Hefner are active members and contributors to the work of American Photography Archive Group and The Living New Deal.

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About the Museum at Eldridge Street: The Museum at Eldridge Street is housed in the Eldridge Street Synagogue, a magnificent National Historic Landmark that has been meticulously restored. Opened in 1887, the synagogue is the first great house of worship built in America by Jewish immigrants from Eastern Europe. Today, it is the only remaining marker of the great wave of Jewish migration to the Lower East Side that is open to a broad public who wishes to visit Jewish New York. Exhibits, tours, public programs, and education initiatives tell the story of Jewish immigrant life, explore architecture and historic preservation, inspire reflection on cultural continuity, and foster collaboration and exchange between people of all faiths, heritages, and interests.

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Image Credit: "Arthur Rothstein," July, 1938. Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Division.