Identity area
Type of entity
Person
Authorized form of name
Kirkley, Alison
Parallel form(s) of name
Standardized form(s) of name according to other rules
Other form(s) of name
Identifiers for corporate bodies
Description area
Dates of existence
26 February 1953 - 24 July 2020
History
Alison Kirkley was a photographer and Special Education teacher based in the Metro Vancouver area.
Kirkley was born on February 26, 1953 in Ayr, Scotland. She completed high school in Victoria, British Columbia in 1969, and went on to study at Simon Fraser University, where she obtained a Bachelor of Education degree. From there, she went on to become a teacher of Special Education for the Surrey School District for thirty-three years, retiring in 2009. She passed away on July 24, 2020 in New Westminster, British Columbia, and is survived by her husband, Rick Carswell.
Kirkley was a lifelong student of photographic methods and techniques. She took classes at the Focal Point Photography School in Vancouver, British Columbia, and was an avid reader of new developments in black and white processes. Her artistic influences include the American photographers Ansel Adams and Imogen Cunningham; the dancers and choreographers Martha Graham and Merce Cunningham; and the New York based dance photographer Barbara Morgan.