Brandeis Alumni, Family and Friends

Powerful portraits by Eric Neudel ’69 anchor new art exhibit

April 14, 2026

Alumni Art Gallery showcases alum creativity

When photographer Eric Neudel ’69 was traveling through rural regions of Asia, Africa, and Latin America, he sought to connect with people while taking their portraits. The result is a collection of intimate, striking images, such as a man in Bolivia slowly crossing a cobblestone street on his hands and knees pulling his only possession: a cardboard box.

That photo is one of several eye-catching candids from Neudel on display in the “Only Us” exhibit at Brandeis’ Alumni Art Gallery. The exhibit opened on April 18 during the university's 2026 Leonard Bernstein Festival of the Creative Arts. Neudel, known for his documentary work for PBS, is the latest alum to have their work spotlighted in the gallery. 

The Alumni Art Gallery launched through a grassroots effort in conjunction with the university’s 75th anniversary celebrations in 2023, said Andrea Molod Soloway ’89, gallery chair and curator. “We wanted to do something on campus that would not just make the alumni feel supported,” she said, “but would also show students what could come next after they graduate.”

Each year, Soloway and a committee of alumni connected to the art world — Diony Elias ’04, Alison B. Judd ’04, PB’05 and Jenna Weiss ’07, PB’08 — seek to spotlight alumni artists doing unique, interesting, and important work.

When Soloway saw Neudel’s photographs, she was amazed by their poignancy and power.  The committee felt that his work was strong enough to become the gallery’s first solo photo exhibition. “He’s a very good storyteller,” she said. “He remembers the details of all the moments he captured, and each photo is like a story in itself.”

Neudel said he was ecstatic to return to campus and showcase the photos at his alma mater. He credits Brandeis with expanding his worldview and giving him the intellectual foundation to venture out and capture the moments now on display.

“Brandeis was the key to my realizing that there was a bigger world out there,” he said, noting his exposure to international students and professors who encouraged him to journey beyond his New England hometown. “It was so liberating to be here.”

Though Neudel’s work took him to many cities, he found himself especially drawn to rural villages, where many of the portraits were taken. With each subject he took care to establish a relationship — an approach whose value he learned while shooting documentaries. However, photography is quicker than filming a documentary, he said, and based far more on split-second intuition. Neudel rarely took a second photo.

He hopes his work leaves visitors with the same message that he gained from his travels: People across the world share a common humanity. “What I'd like viewers to take away is almost like what an astronaut sees when they look down on the Earth — that there's no other. It's just us,” Neudel said.

Now in its fourth year, the Alumni Art Gallery has gained wide acclaim among both alumni and students involved in the arts. Soloway noted that watching alumni like Neudel interact with students has been a highlight of the gallery project. “I am so proud that this has had an effect not just on the alumni who are participating,” she said, “but on the students who see this and see a little bit of their future.”

Experience “Only Us” in person at the Wien Faculty Center at Brandeis through June 2026. This fall, celebrate the next gallery opening during Alumni and Family Weekend from Oct. 23-25.