Over 90 photographs. More than 50 women. Nearly three decades of story, solidarity, and seeing differently.
WOMEN OF BACKBONE is a powerful collection of participatory art that blends fine art photography, literary journalism, collaborative truth-telling, and research. Created by photographer Bren Kleinfelder in partnership with her subjects, this project reveals how the unclothed female form, when claimed and framed by women themselves, becomes a rite of resistance, reflection, and reclamation.
Originating on a remote Alaskan island—and reignited in a post-Roe world—this book is both archive and action. It is for artists, scholars, and changemakers who believe in the power of self-representation, shared authorship, and radical visibility.
It's for anyone who has ever questioned how they’re seen and how they want to be seen.
It is for you.
A note from the artist
“WOMEN OF BACKBONE began, quite honestly, as a way to make sense of things—about myself, about the women around me, about what it means to live in a small, remote place and still feel expansive and alive in your own skin. I didn’t set out to make a book. I set out to make something true. And it could only happen with the women in these photographs—not about them, not for them, but with them.
The project is rooted in participatory art, which at its core means the boundaries between artist and subject dissolve. This was never about me taking pictures of women. It was about building something in the space between us—through mutual trust, vulnerability, laughter, fear, and quiet strength. What we made could only exist because each woman chose it.”
— Bren Kleinfelder
The making of backbone
WOMEN OF BACKBONE began as a response—a quiet act of resistance that became a bold celebration of choice, visibility, and collective strength. First photographed by artist Bren Kleinfelder in 1998 and revisited decades later, the project threads together voices across generations, reclaiming the body as a site of story, protest, and joy.
This work is still unfolding. Explore interviews with the WOMEN OF BACKBONE, reflections from the artist, and the making of the original photo series.
Every purchase helps sustain this ongoing work and amplifies the voices behind it.
Visit the shop to explore hardcover and softcover editions of the WOMEN OF BACKBONE book, fine-art posters of select images, and thoughtfully designed merchandise that carries the spirit of this project into the world.
Support the work. Share the Message.
Upcoming Readings & Events
Check out what’s ahead! Our new calendar is just getting started, highlighting upcoming artist talks, author events, and community gatherings connected to Women of BACKBONE. We’ll be adding more as things unfold, so stop by often to see what’s new. We’d love for you to join us along the way.
Be Part of the Work
Seen / Unseen is a visual experiment in digital self-representation—an anonymous, image-based poll that invites women and girls to reflect on what we choose to share online, and what we keep just for ourselves. Your quiet choices become part of a collective act of agency, reflection, and resistance.
The poll takes just 2–3 minutes, and you’ll also have the chance to ask questions or leave comments for me, as the artist, and for the women of BACKBONE. Your participation will help shape future BACKBONE work, with results shared in 2026.