Aug 12, 2009

SHOWS, DEADLINES, AND PICTURES of HOUSES

I think I'm finally 'equalizing' to working 4 days a week on top of making photographs, applying to shows, retouching files, and preparing for exhibitions. Throw on top of that grant deadlines and you've pretty much got the life of a working Brooklyn artist. Right now I have been thinking about what to show in a group exhibition upstate with my colleagues from grad school. Ultimately I have decided to show a bunch of my pictures of houses---lived in, not lived in, strangely inhabited by trees and grass. They're not new pictures but they're pictures that I love and that I"ve never shown before.

Aug 2, 2009

1901 World's Fair shoot in Buffalo NY

This past week I photographed the 1901 world's fair site in Buffalo's Delaware Park. Unfortunately I cannot post any digital previews as my digital camera bit the dust (after getting drenched in Niagara Falls!). It was a strange city to work in, and I realized I definitely absorb a very subjective, intuitive feeling about an entire city during and before I shoot a world's fair site. For example, in Chicago I already had an inkling of the mystique and splendor involved in this event. Prior to the shoot I met with a staff member of the photography department of the Art Institute of Chicago, and together we pored over boxes and boxes of original photographs of the construction of the 1893 world's fair structures and site design. We were staying in the north side of the city, and every day would drive through and past all of the wonderful buildings throughout the loop and the rest of Chicago. It was cold but not freezing, the air sharp and clear and the leaves still changing color. All of these elements combined to make an extremely productive week of shooting; all elements meshed physically, mentally, technically, and research-wise. This was an Olmstead designed park, as was Buffalo.


However, while I feel I absorbed the sophistication, nuance, and mystique of Chicago 1893, Buffalo was a harder read. The downtown was packed with impressive architecture, but had a vacant, desolate feeling. Sprawling around were decrepit neighorhoods full of rambling, boarded up wooden turn-of-the-century houses and closed stores. The park had the typical Olmsteadian elements---lagoons, promenades, a beaux-arts pavilion---but was smaller, and had shrunken since the time of the fair, which was a difference from most of the sites I have been to. Around the park was an Olmstead-organized idyllic suburbia, with huge, sprawling beautiful old homes nestled upon one another, but just far enough apart to create an illusion of privacy and spaciousness. This was the first time I photographed a large part of the fair site that had been turned residential. It was a good challenge. Other parts of the site were industrial lots and strip malls, definitely offering the opportunity to use a variety of conceptual and visual approaches.


I will post some photographs once processed; we shall see how this odd city affected my way of thinking and seeing the fair site.

PROJECT 5 : Portfolio Review and more!

Five NYC galleries---all of whom represent exciting emerging photographers and artists---have teamed up to offer some limited edition portfolios, and portfolio reviews. Information as follows:

PROJECT FIVE

Amador Gallery, ClampArt, Daniel Cooney Fine Art, Foley Gallery and Sasha Wolf Gallery are proud to announce their collaboration on a series of projects.

This unique cooperation between gallerists has grown from years of friendships and shared ambitions in the photography market. Reaching out to one another to create these new initiatives seemed like the next step for these 5 to collectively grow their shared ideals while maintaining their own distinguished programming.

The galleries, referred to here as, Project 5, will begin their collaboration with a portfolio of 5 images by 5 artists, one from each of the participating Project 5 galleries to be released on September 15.

All images will be unique to the portfolio—made specifically by the participating artists for this project. The artists included are: Olaf Otto Becker from Amador, Jill Greenberg from ClampArt, Stuart O’Sullivan from Daniel Cooney, Thomas Allen from Foley Gallery and Guido Castagnoli from Sasha Wolf Gallery.

The portfolios will be released in an edition of 30, priced with new collectors in mind at $2500. Each print will be signed and numbered by the artist and the portfolio will be enclosed in a custom made clothbound case. The portfolio offers collectors the unique opportunity of starting a relationship with five different artists and galleries at the same time.

Additionally, Project 5 is introducing a series of Portfolio Reviews for artists who feel they would benefit from the valuable input of these gallerists’ expertise. The first Portfolio review will be Sunday, September 20th. Project 5 asks that artists send ten jpgs to info@project5group.com for consideration. Artists can contact any of the participating galleries for more information.

Another exciting collaboration will be a monthly series of Artist’s Salons that will alternate between Project 5’s galleries. The first Salon will be held at Daniel Cooney Fine Art on Saturday, September 26th at 3:00 p.m. and will feature four emerging artists presenting their latest bodies of work for a half hour each. Participating artists are Timothy Briner, Yola Monakhov, Jessica Dimmock, and Cara Phillips.

Please contact any of the Project 5 galleries for more information.

Amador Gallery 212 759 6740 info@amadorgallery.com
ClampArt 646 230 0020 brian@clampart.com
Daniel Cooney Fine Art 212 255 8158 dan@danielcooneyfineart.com
Foley Gallery 212 244 9081 michael@foleygallery.com
Sasha Wolf Gallery 212 925 0025 info@sashawolf.com

Guidelines for applying to Project 5’s Portfolio Review


Date of Review: Sunday, September 20th

Project 5 is proud to announce our first group Portfolio Review in New York City. Project 5 is a unique collaboration between Amador Gallery, ClampArt, Daniel Cooney Fine Art, Foley Gallery and Sasha Wolf Gallery that has grown out of years of friendship and shared ambitions in the photography market.

Project 5 hopes to foster a supportive environment for artists to receive constructive criticism and build an ongoing dialogue about their work with art world professionals.

After the formal reviews conclude we will have a short one hour meet and greet so that all the artists and reviewers will have an opportunity to meet each other and share contacts, ideas, etc.

To apply for Project 5’s Portfolio Review please send:
-A written description of your work
- A biography that outlines your education and professional experience.
- A link to your website, if you have one.
- 10 jpegs sent either in a zip file or attached to an email (or series of emails). The jpgs should be 100 dpi and 6 inches at the largest dimension.

Project 5’s Portfolio Review will consist of three 20-minute reviews with three of Project 5’s gallerists. Great consideration will be given to the matching of gallery owners and artists based on the strengths and experience of each.

Deadline for receipt of materials for this review will be September 6th and the artists will be notified of acceptance by September 9th. A $250 check made out to Project 5 will be due by September 12th.

Please direct any questions to info@project5group.com or to any of the galleries involved.