Bio

Frish Brandt is President Emerita of the internationally recognized Fraenkel Gallery. For over 45 years, she played an integral role in the evolution of photography from craft to ‘art.’ Working with artists, curators, collectors, and the public, she engaged in deep and purposeful conversation, finding art to be a medium for exchange rooted in life, love, loss, wonder, relationships, and mortality.

Art was the medium of meaningful conversations. Then, in 2014, while still deeply engaged with the gallery, Brandt created her practice as a letter midwife. Initially working with people in palliative care and hospice, the audience grew. While a diagnosis is a catalyst, sharing what is most meaningful can benefit everyone. 

Brandt graduated from the gallery in 2024 and turned her attention entirely to her practice as a Letter Midwife. She currently teaches Lasting Letters and the Art of Deep Listening at Stanford Medical School and has brought her practice to places such as the Harvard Divinity School, Zen Hospice Project, Stanford Hospital, Commonweal, Sun Valley Center for the Arts, and the Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco.