My work stems from a complex history of both witnessing trauma and experiencing it and searching for answers. At its roots, it is very personal. The heart of it is to get the viewer to think about a reality that might be different from their own… or to understand that there are others who have similar experiences.
Recent documentaries include Mujeres en Común / Women in Common: Latin America and the US, a photography project focused on women whose language, appearance, customs, socio-economic levels, and education are very different from my own. Women in Common includes The Ladies’ Guild portfolio, photography depicting twenty sex workers and their families with photographs and interviews. Women in Common, also, includes a book and educational materials on teen pregnancy: Entre querés y quisieras: el embarazo de las niñas / Between Wishing and Needing: the pregnancy of children, depicting the lives and stories of 17 young women and girls. All photos were taken in Latin America. Recent exhibitions include None, La Paloma Fine Art, Superior, AZ (2021); The Wild Cow Gallery Presents Local Artist Michaele Cozzi, Wild Cow Gallery, Superior, AZ (2019); and Fourth Creative Portrait Exhibit, Los Angeles Center of Photography, CA (2018). Her work has been published in Mujeres Latinoamericanas, Revista D, Prensa Libre, magazine photography, Guatemala (2006) and International Planned Parenthood Federation, Annual Report, New York, NY (1996).
Cozzi received her B.A. in Anthropology and Sociology from the Eckerd College and continued her studies at the Universidad de las Américas, Cholula, México. Her studio is located in Superior, AZ.