'The Mystery & Moments of Vivian Maier' Opens Today in Oak Park

The Oak Park Arms hosts a special presentation that is open to the public starting today of the work of former Oak Park resident and photographer Vivian Maier.

The Mystery & Moments of Vivian Maier opens at 1 p.m. Thursday, Nov. 29 with several short films made with the use of Maier's photographs and 8mm footage.

Maier was born in New York City in 1926 and grew up in France. She came to Chicago in the 1950s, where she would work as a nanny for 40 years. As she walked the streets of the city during that time, she photographed the people and places she came across, eventually building an archive of more than 100,000 negatives, mostly of the city and the people in it.

Her work was largely unknown during her life; saved in a storage unit until she stopped making payments and the contents were sold at auction in 2007. Chicago historian John Maloof bought the work, but did not know the photographer who had taken the striking images of Chicago and its citizens.

Maloof tracked Maier down in 2009, just days after she passed away. In the year's since, her work has been praised by critics, and has led to numerous articles in Chicago publications about her talent as a photographer.

Mike Bullis, technical consultant with Vivian Maier Photography, will present her work though film at the event.