Terry Gydesen

(b.1955; resides Minneapolis, MN)

I spent a lot of time with Paul [Wellstone] during his first two campaigns, but I had not been out with him this year. I was clearing my schedule so I could do so during the last week of the campaign. That’s where I ended up, but I was not photographing what I thought I would be.  - Terry Gydesen

Working as a documentarian, Terry Gydesen photographed two successful campaigns for Paul Wellstone, former U.S. Senator from Minnesota, before Wellstone’s untimely death in a plane crash during his second bid for re-election in 2002. Gydesen went on to photograph the aftermath, providing a reminder of the broad reach of a man who touched many people in their everyday lives.

Gydesen has photographed numerous political campaigns, both local and national, since 1988, when she was invited onto Jesse Jackson’s presidential campaign as a staff photographer. In 1995, she was commissioned by Prince to document his European tour. The photographs from this tour were later collected in a book. Her work has appeared in the New York Times,Newsweek, and Ms. Magazine. Gydesen has also received several fellowships, including the McKnight Foundation Fellowship and fellowships from the Minnesota State Arts Board. Her recent shows include Minnesota 2000 at the Minnesota Historical Society and The Belong Project at the pARTs Gallery in Minneapolis.