Jade Doskow: Art and Life, A Rambling Blog

Rooftop in Red Hook

2011-12-15T18:58:00.001-05:00

World's Fair on Huff Post!

2011-11-16T15:23:00.002-05:00

Special installments of my larger project on the remaining sites and structures of world's fair sites begin today on the Huffington Post---enjoy!

Live today on the Huffington Post!

2011-11-04T12:28:00.004-04:00

I'm pleased to announce that I have been invited to join the Huffington Post's brand new Photography Blog! You can find my first slideshow which includes select images from my Structure Americana Series.

Join us in ARCHITECTURE AND PHOTOGRAPHY at the School of Visual Arts

2011-09-16T14:18:00.000-04:00

If you have been enjoying this blog and are in the NYC area, join me in the classroom at the School of Visual Arts for my favorite class of all time to teach, ARCHITECTURE & PHOTOGRAPHY at the School of Visual Arts. Combining lecture, in-class shooting time, special assignments, and critique, this class will give you a solid basis from which to appreciate and create architectural pictures. We look at lots of amazing fine art and commercial photographers such as Ezra Stoller, Julius Shulman, Edouard Baldus, Andrew Moore, Richard Pare, and Robert Polidori. Sign up now as class begins next Friday September 23. Hope to see you there!

© Julius Shulman

Yours truly now represented by the wonderful Wall Space Gallery in Santa Barbara, CA

2011-09-16T12:41:00.004-04:00

I am pleased to announce that I am now represented by Wall Space Gallery in Santa Barbara, CA, under the direction of the stellar Crista Dix. I am honored to be part of this phenomenal group of artists.

And we're off! First opening night in Chelsea

2011-09-16T12:27:00.006-04:00

September 8 marked the official beginning of gallery season---dealers back from the Hamptons, artists back from their residencies, and art lovers back from the beach all showed up for the openings. One fun show was Nick Cave's blond yeti-creatures at Jack Shainman Gallery. At Yancey Richardson Gallery Helen Van Meene turned her lens from children and adolescents to dogs and Amy Elkins showed portraits of slightly bloodied rugby players. Over at Yossi Milo Gallery Pieter Hugo opened the season with large, post- apocalyptic portraits of trash-pickers at the giant technology dumps in Ghana. Shen Wei's captivating landscapes at Julie Saul showed a wonderful contrast between the Israeli desert scenery and the sites of politically charged events.

© Shai Kremer Zaura 2008

New Red Hook featured in 'Flak Photo!'

2011-08-05T11:11:00.002-04:00

New Photograph: 'Paris Burlesque' from the Red Hook series

2011-08-04T11:20:00.001-04:00

Revisiting Red Hook

2011-07-23T10:33:00.004-04:00

Recently I have returned to photographing Red Hook, Brooklyn, a neighborhood I have been exploring visually since 2003. In 2006 suddenly the neighborhood became very trendy, thanks to an Ikea and a Fairway supermarket, and suddenly folks from other areas began popping up everywhere---there were even boatloads of tourists descending upon the waterfront! Disgusted by the sudden popularity of the area, I put away my camera, for the most part, for a year or two.

This past year, I started seeing the old buildings and weed-filled lots with fresh eyes, in part thanks to the photography course I am teaching at the School of Visual Arts, Modern Ruins: Photographing Brooklyn's Industrial Landscapes. In the heat of the summer I took out the 4x5 and with the help of my assistant Alex began, once again, to photograph the neighborhood.

Seeing a project through over a long period of time is a challenge on many levels. It is not the same as making singular images, and it goes against the whole idea of trend in the art world. Something I have struggled with since finishing graduate school in 2008 is regaining a sense of 'poetic innocence' while picture-making---making photographs that are both spiritually and conceptually fulfilling. Finally I feel I am regaining that ground. It has been a struggle---this year I am a new mom, teaching a lot, and really thinking about my life's goals---but finally, I am remembering and re-appreciating what first made me love shooting architecture and its connection to the urban environment in the first place.

FAMILY VALUE at MICHAEL MAZZEO

2011-07-11T11:56:00.009-04:00

© Jess T. Dugan
Self-Portrait with Mom,
Mirror, 2010

One gem out of the summer groups shows is FAMILY VALUE at Michael Mazzeo Gallery, open until August 5th. Mostly photography with a spattering of drawings, collage, hand embroidery, and installation, the work in this exhibition was dynamic, disturbing, and beautifully crafted. Rather than stick with traditional notions of the nuclear or extended family, the artists in this show touched upon transgender identity within family (Jess T. Dugan), siamese twins (Katharina Lepik), the fatigue of motherhood (Juliana Gamino), lost photographs from homes in New Orleans (Will Steacy), and the fragility of the aging family member (Justine Reyes).

The artists in the show:
Jacqueline Bates
Juliana Beasley
Annabel Clark
Kristen Dorata
Jess T. Dugan
Juliana Gamino
Jessica Hines
Katharina Lepik
Carlos Loret de Mola
Brigitte Lustenberger
Stacy Renee Morrison
Rachelle Mozman
Josh Quigley
Justine Reyes
Kerri Rosenstein
Chris Sellas
Paul Mpagi Sepuya
Paul Shore
Gerald Slot & Neil LaBute
Hrvoje Slovenc
Will Steacy
Amanda Tiller

Special Blog Link Posting!

2011-07-08T16:49:00.028-04:00

I recently put a shout out for blog links on Flak Photo Network, and received an overwhelming response of wonderful, thoughtful visual media and culture sites. In no particular order, here they are:

Neil Chowdbury
James Luckett
Janice La Mere Hackney
Photo Arts Magazine
Lauren Henkin
Dru Stefan Stone
Philip Welding
Joni Sternbach
Michael Werner
Michael Werner
Andy Greaves
Troy Paiva
New Landscape Photography
Tanja Hollander
Leo Novel
Matthew Walden
Cicely Robin Laing
Heidi Romano
Mark Page
Shit Photojournalists Like
Karin Crona
DeadPorcupine Photos
Sylvia de Swaan
Patricio Padua
Steve Bisson
Kathleen Clark
John Toohey
Barbara Levine
Przemek Wajerowicz
Alfie Goodrich
Wesley Brown
Elizabeth Avedon
Stella Kramer
Lauren Henkin
Jasmin DeFoore
James Wyman
imageT90
Dag Thrane
Jennifer Kaczmarek

Bruchstücke by Alexandra Knospe

2011-07-05T12:55:00.001-04:00

Show to see: Bruchstücke by Alexandra Knospe at Pratt Institute Gallery

Opening: July 7th from 6-8pm
Where: Pratt CCPS Gallery, 144 West 14th street (between 6th and 7th Avenue, second floor

Bruchstück (German)
- fragment: a small piece of a whole
- remainder: a part that is left after use or passage of time

In "Bruchstücke", Alexandra Knospe presents a selection of images from her recent body of work. While the subject matter varies from abandoned industrial structures, battered furniture as well as architectural motifs, the focus lies on worn out objects that usually go unnoticed. Their imperfections, scratches and shattered pieces are all hallmarks of human use that connect each image with its neighbor.

As the absence of something signifies its presence, Alexandra Knospe creates her photographs without the actual appearance of an human being that could interfere with the aura of solitude & segregation. Using a large format view camera her compositions are carefully weighed and considered. In mashing the art of photography and drawing, several images feature etchings with a small piece of metal that makes them unique in their existence.

"Bruchstücke" is on display at the Pratt CCPS Gallery from July 7th through August 26th 2011 with an opening reception on July 7th from 6 - 8 p.m. Further details about the show are available at http://www.akpunkt.com/bruchstuecke.html & https://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=132613710146108.

CV: Alexandra Knospe was born in Germany and grew up in Europe. After spending almost a decade working within the consumer marketing world, Alexandra left both, the corporate career and Europe to follow her life-long calling of photography full time in 2009. She studied photography and digital imaging at the Pratt Institute and now lives and works in New York City.

Pratt CCPS Gallery is located at 144 West 14th street (between 6th and 7th Avenue, on the second floor. The gallery hours are: Mon-Thu 10 am - 8 pm, and Fri - Sun 10 am- 4 pm.

Summer Art Sale!

2011-06-24T16:27:00.014-04:00

To celebrate summer in the city and nice long days at the beach, I am having a special summer art sale. Please write me at the studio at jade.doskow@gmail.com if you would like to arrange a studio visit. All works are simply framed with 3/4" white frames and anti-UV plexiglass.

The pieces available:

Chicago 1893 World's Fair, "The Columbian Exposition," Site of Manufacture Liberal Arts Building, Grand Peristyle, and Agriculture Building, View 2
2009
Digital C-Print
30"x40"
Edition of 5
$2800

Treehouse
2010
Digital C-Print
20"x25"
Edition of 5
$1400

Shimmer
2006
Chromogenic Print
16"x20"
Edition of 5
$900

Pool, Poconos, PA
2010
Digital C-Print
20"x25"
Edition of 5
$1200

April Auctions

2011-03-31T07:35:00.005-04:00

I am pleased to announce the inclusion of my work in two auctions next week that support two amazing organizations, in New York and Seattle.

The first auction is Thursday April 7th and benefits the inMotion organization, who “provides free legal services to low-income women in New York City. ” You can get tickets here for inMotion. It’s a wonderful opportunity to own amazing artwork and support a very important cause.

The second auction supports Youth in Focus, a Seattle-based organization that uses intensive photography training as a tool to help disadvantaged teens develop personal voice, positive identity, social skills and artistic skills.

The Seattle auction is Saturday April 9th; if you’re in the area, hope you can attend. Tickets may be purchased here.

Stay tuned for more Spring news!

Best regards,

Jade Doskow

© Jade Doskow Paris 1889 / 1937 World's Fairs, "Exposition Universelle / La Vie Moderne,"
Eiffel Tower, Trocadero, and Palais de Chaillot, 2007
*Available at 20”x25” at inMotion auction

SWIPE Magazine and Opening, Featuring my talented partner Lambert Fernando

2011-02-05T10:42:00.003-05:00

Have you seen the hundreds of guards at the Met? Most of them are artists. They stand guarding the world's masterpieces for hours, absorbing the aura of these priceless works, absorbing the zeitgeist of the museum before going home and making their own work! Pretty cool, right? Well, these museum professionals and other Met employees have put out the second edition of SWIPE magazine, featuring the work of these artists. Along with the magazine will be an awesome group show at 25CPW, a gallery on Central Park. And I am pleased to announce that my significant other, Lambert Fernando, has an amazing installation piece which is part of the show and magazine.

Tiny Vices

2011-01-19T18:07:00.004-05:00

It's always fun to see how different curators and bloggers curate my work; discovered a fun mix on Tim Barber's excellent website Tiny Vices.

EZRA STOLLER at YOSSI MILO

2011-01-09T10:19:00.005-05:00

As some of you may know, there's not much more I love than a great architectural photograph. I even teach on the subject at the School of Visual Arts here in New York. This said, what a pleasure to experience Ezra Stoller's work in flesh and blood at Yossi Milo Gallery this past Thursday. Debating on a daily basis whose work is speaking to me more on that particular day---Ezra Stoller or Julius Shulman---Stoller definitely took my breath away with this excellently curated collection of black and white prints. With extreme rigor and precision, Stoller created crisp, abstract renderings of important modernist architecture. The resulting photos are a pleasure to meditate upon, and it is obvious why Stoller is considered one of the greatest of the century.

In addition to the transcendent experience the exhibition provided, I had the pleasure of meeting Erica Stoller, the head of ESTO, the prestigious architectural photography agency to which I contribute some of my own work. It was great to meet the woman who controls Ezra's all important legacy. For any lovers of architecture this is a must-see.

© Ezra Stoller TWA Terminal at Idlewild (now JFK) Airport, Eero Saarinen, New York, NY
Gelatin Silver Print
1962

PAMELA PECCHIO AT DANIEL COONEY FINE ARTS

2011-01-09T10:07:00.013-05:00

On Longing Distance and Heavy Metal, Pamela Pecchio's second solo show at Daniel Cooney Fine Arts, is comprised of a series of meditative, moody photographs of branches, bushes, dark forests, and other such flora. Shot as large-format, full color, and often long exposures, the color palette is both muted and supernatural, creating here a feeling of peacefulness, there a feeling of horror and unease. A spattering of forsythia flowers becomes gothic when bathed in a dusky blue light; snow beneath dead logs is nearly iridescent. Up through February 12.

© 2010 Pamela Pecchio Rainbow in the Dark

HOLIDAY PRINT SALE: Something for every budget through January 3rd!

2010-12-14T13:30:00.013-05:00

What better gift for loved ones than a beautiful new photograph to begin the New Year with! Available straight from my studio, these limited edition prints are available in affordable sizes and prices for even the beginning collector:

Buffalo 1901 World's Fair, "Pan Am Exposition," Fine Arts Building with Mirror Lake
2009
Digital C-Print
Edition of 15
16"x20" - $650
11"x14" - $400

New York 1964 World's Fair, "Peace Through Understanding," Unisphere at Dusk
2010
Digital C-Print
Edition of 15
16"x20" - $650
11"x14" - $400

Chicago 1933 World's Fair, "Century of Progress International Exposition," Site of North Lagoon, View 2
2008
Digital C-Print
Edition of 15
16"x20" - $650
11"x14" - $400

White Sands
2008
Digital C-Print
Edition of 15
11"x14" - $100
16"x20" - $250

Additional sizes upon request. To place an order write the studio at jade.doskow@gmail.com

A Bit Belatedly, the opening of Urban Utopia, April 24th at 32 Greene Street

2010-05-19T23:04:00.012-04:00

On the 24th was the opening for 'Urban Utopia,' a show I had work in at 32 Greene Street in Soho, and put together by Kipton Art. Lots of my friends and family showed up and I forced them to pose with my work! Here they are....

From left to right:
Aimai Reporter
Brandon Geist
Cat & David Del Buono
Charlotte Canner
David Leventi
Erin Gleeson
Myself with Brandon Geist
Jared Bunde
The siblings: Vivian & Gerald
Steve Mallon
Peiheng Tsai
Penny White & Stephanie Bok
Maya Geist
Sean Eno
Me + Pablo Ravazanni
Me + My hubby, Lamb Fernando!

Thanks to everyone who went to the show.

Upcoming Show Gets Great Article in the Washington Post

2010-05-07T21:27:00.004-04:00

There's a great article about the upcoming 'One Hour Photo Show in the Washington Post.

I Heart Architectural Photography, a Lecture at CUNY Graduate School for Journalism

2010-04-26T21:55:00.003-04:00

Today I had the pleasure of giving a guest lecture to the photo club at CUNY's Graduate School of Journalism on 41st street. It was really fun, and the students were smart and excited about learning the work of such masters as Walker Evans, Julius Shulman, Robert Polidori, Alec Soth, Andrew Moore, Robert Frank, Diane Arbus, and my own project. It was a very positive experience, especially as it caused me to re-appreciate these amazing artists' work all over again for myself. Inspiration is always a beautiful thing.

© Julius Shulman

RIP my beloved companion

2010-04-15T18:34:00.004-04:00

I spend a lot of hours working in my studio, and pretty much all of them I spent with my beloved tabby cat, Elijah. Unfortunately it turned out Elijah had a brain tumor, and this past week he had a violent fit of seizures. Today, we had to put him to sleep. I am incredibly, incredibly sad, and will always miss my little friend. At 16 he lived a good and long life (the human equivalent of 84!), filled with terrorizing guests, trying to steal our Chinese food, and lots of love. This is a portrait by my husband.

Work Featured: Acurator.com

2010-04-14T10:17:00.001-04:00

First Museum Show!

2010-04-10T21:30:00.004-04:00

Things keep flowing and flowing along....I am going to be included in a conceptual photo exhibition, One Hour Photo. First thing exciting about this show is that will be held at the American University Museum at the Katzen Art Center in Washington DC---my first museum exposure! Secondly, I am proud to have my work in the show with some of my esteemed colleagues and some straight-up fabulous artists, including Penelope Umbrico, Ruben Natal-San Miguel, Clayton Cotterell, Brian Ulrich, Megan Cump, Tim Davis, and many others. The concept of the show is:

The premise of One Hour Photo is simple: project a photograph for one hour, then ensure that it will never be seen again.

The experience of One Hour Photo is also, on the surface, simple, almost programmatic: project one work per hour, each by a different artist, for the duration of the exhibition; provide a simple, meditative space for viewers; finally, document the exhibition on this web site with release forms signed by the artists.

From this simple concept, a range of themes emerge, some of which we present below, many of which we leave to the viewer to discover and experience.

In One Hour Photo, photography’s original impulse to capture a moment, to freeze and frame it, is turned outward, to the experience of viewing itself. The hour is the exposure, the moment that is captured in the frame of a temporary, provisional observation. Each work ceases to be a photograph: it erases its medium, its status as art object, as it becomes a pure moment of perception to be experienced, framed, and captured by the viewer. In this sense, the viewer becomes the camera, recording the moment on the unreliable format of memory. The viewer also becomes photography itself, as it feels its familiar constructs slip away: permanence, reproduction, ownership, control.

One Hour Photo is also a collective exercise in giving up control, of letting go. The release forms signed by the artists and curators serve as literal testament to this release.

One Hour Photo also raises an updated version of a popular paradox: if a photograph shows for one hour in an empty room, and no one sees it, can it be said to exist at all? The role of the viewer is critical—without her, the work does not exist at all. As the viewer becomes the camera, the task of seeing, of framing, of honoring the perception and the image shifts to her.

Ultimately, we hope that the show both reflects and problematizes our experience of the present conditions, which are marked both by dizzying increase (more, faster, and smaller bits of information swarming by in constant streams) and also by seemingly irreparable loss (of time and attention, of community, of the natural world).

Better luck next time!

2010-04-06T10:34:00.008-04:00

This year I applied for several huge grants to get my world's fair project rolling along, including the Guggenheim Fellowship, the most prestigious of the bunch, which awards $47000 to make work and do research. Today I received the sad news that this year, I did not receive it. I knew that you have to be a bit more established with your career than I currently am---but still, I had a glimmer of hope that they would love my project and see the enormous potential in it. What have I learned? Keep making work, and try again next year!

© 2009 Jade Doskow

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T10:48:00.006-04:00

Happy Easter and Passover to my readers. In celebration of the egg festivities, I bring you this photograph I shot in my building: a pigeon nest! Contrary to popular belief that pigeons are always big, nasty vermin-birds on the sidewalk, they do actually begin as cute little eggs.

From Blogger to Professor! Join me at my class at ICP

2010-04-02T11:40:00.004-04:00

One of the things I have been busiest with is designing a course for the International Center of Photography on...blogging! It's going to be a really fun course, where we will create blogs, submit to online photography competitions, and work on all other aspects of entering the contemporary new media photography world. Please join me for this exciting class! You can enroll here.

Hope to see you in the digital lab!

Dillon DeWaters 'Prominent American Ghosts' in Long Island City

2010-03-27T12:51:00.005-04:00

Last night was the opening for the solo show of Dillon Dewaters' Prominent American Ghosts, at the ICP-Bard studio buildings in Long Island City, NY. The brief duration of this show (a mere four days) was a good enticement to get a healthy crowd of people to the opening, and the work reflected an ethereal, timeless quality. Opening the show were two vibrantly hued reddish-magenta photographs; upon close examination it became apparent they were images of oceans that had been doused in a fiery field of color. In one room was an installation video piece with several TV monitors; the 20+ minute work held a Lynchian oddness but also a very specific way of seeing, blips and blurps of fire, static, and other ghostly apparitions. Also in this room was the Rauschenbergian piece which from afar respresented beautiful color bars; upon closer inspection, they were composed of hundreds of tiny images---from pop culture, from life---carefully compressed into these stripes of gray, yellow, aqua, green, magenta, cyan, white, dark gray, and cerulean. This piece was fascinating and immaculately put together, referencing TV color bars, the photographic color wheel, a painterly sensibility, and the inundation of images we are constantly barraged with. The last room of the show contained several elegant black and white pieces reminiscent of black windows; in these windows were seeming rayographs of darkroom objects, an elegant commentary on the history of photography and a love for the darkroom. While this show will not be up for long, Dewaters will have a piece at the International Center of Photography; stay tuned!

© 2010 Dillon Dewaters, from Ocean Ocean

A Success: Looking Out Seeing In at South Oxford Space

2010-03-27T12:25:00.010-04:00

This past Wednesday the 24th was the opening for Looking Out/ Seeing In, a group photography show at South Oxford Space in Fort Greene, Brooklyn. The work looked fabulous together and people responded very well at the opening. All of the photographs represented some kind of intervention either by nature or by human, or the clash between the two, be it humorous, strange, or merely observational. Here are portraits of the artists with their work.

Chris Rodriguez

Sarah Palmer

Matt Schenning

And last but not least, here is yours truly, with my photograph Treehouse.

Home Grown Art Show

2010-03-23T22:38:00.003-04:00

This past week I was in a 3 person show in Pennsylvania, alongside my close friend Beth Ferraro and a metal sculptor, Robert Koch. The element in common joining our rather disparate work was the fact that we had all gone to the same high school in PA, and this exhibition was an effort to bring culture to the community, as well as reconnect us, the long-fled alumni, with the locals. Beth and I spent quite a lot of time giving informal artist talks to local teachers and students, and then had quite a nice turn out at the opening. While it was definitely a different scene than the shows I'm used to in Brooklyn and NYC, it was a good vibe, and I got to catch up with my beloved art teacher from elementary school! Here's a pic of myself and the other artists (photo courtesy of Allison Usavage).

New Orlean's World's Fair Featured on Flak Photo

2010-03-19T07:57:00.002-04:00

I am pleased to announce that one of my winning images from the Photolucida competition has been featured on the Flak Photo site. Check it out! More news soon---today I have 3 artist talks and an opening in Boyertown, Pennsylvania!

Upcoming Exhibition Information

2010-03-13T10:55:00.009-05:00

I want to share some exhibition updates, as I have work in several
exciting shows in March and April in Seattle, Pennsylvania and New York.
If you're in any of these areas, join us for the opening or just to see the show!
Here's a sample of the work that I will be showing in each exhibition:

EXPOSED: Critical Mass 2009 / Photolucida Competition Finalists
Opening: March 5, 2010 6-9 p.m.
Photographic Center Northwest, Seattle, WA
900 Twelfth Avenue
Seattle, Washington 98122
Curated by Andy Adams of Flak Photo

© 2008 Jade Doskow
New Orleans 1884 World's Fair, "World Cotton Centennial," Audubon Park

NATURAL TALENTS: JADE DOSKOW, ROBERT KOCH, BETH FERRARO
Opening: March 19, 2010 5-8 p.m.
Artist Talks: March 19, 2010 10:00 a.m. and 2:00 p.m.
Studio B
39A East Philadelphia Avenue,
Boyertown, PA 19512

© 2007 Jade Doskow
Seattle 1962 World's Fair, "Century 21 Exposition," Universal Fountain

THE IDES OF MARCH
Opening: March 19, 2010 7-10 p.m.
ABC No Rio, New York, NY
156 Rivington Street
(between Clinton & Suffolk)
New York, NY

In this building-wide exhibition, returning artists take the
wonderful, dilapidated and charismatic structure that is the
ABC No Rio community center and transform it into a
mini-museum.This year the Ides of March is especially
exciting as the building will be demolished and rebuilt
following the show; this is the last major exhibition in the
100-year-+-old structure.

© 2009 Jade Doskow Chicago 1893 World's Fair, "Columbian Exposition," Site of Manufacture Liberal Arts Building

LOOKING OUT/ SEEING IN
Opening: March 24, 2010 6-9 p.m.
South Oxford Space
138 South Oxford Street
Brooklyn, New York 11217

Featuring:
Matthew Schenning
Chris Rodriguez
Sarah Palmer
Jade Doskow

These four photographers take the idea of utopian nature and the
landscape and upend it, questioning and examining
our relationship to both nature and the markings humans
leave on the environment.

© 2009 Jade Doskow Treehouse

inMotion Auction
(Clink link to purchase tickets)
Auction & Dinner: April 19th, 2010
Host: Denise Bethel of Sotheby's
Sheraton Hotel & Towers
811 Seventh Avenue, 2nd floor,
(between 52nd and 53rd Street)
New York, NY

Through this auction, I have the privilege of helping women
to avoid abusive partners and home situations. I am honored to
have my work alongside such masters as Joel Meyerowitz,
Richard Misrach, Diane Arbus, Tina Barney, Sze Tsung Leong,
and Andrew Moore. This is a great opportunity to own an amazing
piece of artwork and support a really wonderful organization.

© 2009 Jade Doskow
New York 1964 World's Fair, "Peace Through Understanding," Unisphere

Rather Belated Art Fair Notes: Armory, Volta, Pool

2010-03-10T19:38:00.022-05:00

Okay, I'm a bad blogger; I went to 3 more art fairs and didn't report until now. Truth be told, I became a little over-arted after the intensive week of art fairs and opening, but here I am with some notes!

At the Armory fair at Piers 92 and 94, there were no huge surprises, and as usual with this one I was overwhelmed by the feeling that I was at a huge mall at Bal Harbour or something, rather than seeing objects made by bohemian artistes. I did really appreciate one small piece there by the artist Patrick Jacobs of Pierogi Gallery in NYC: it appeared as a small plexi porthole, and when I peered in, there was a secret world, complete with rolling hills and glittering lakes receding off into the distance. I'm not sure if it was a hologram or what, but it really was precious, fantastical, and fun.

Volta was enjoyable, as it provided a much needed break, as it consisted of solo projects instead of 50 artists crammed into each booth. Being the large format narcissist that I am, of course I gravitated toward the work of Heather Cantrell of John Kinkead Temporary; Heather had set up a fun studio set reminiscent of a plastic-treed jungle, and was taking large format portraits of fair-goers, patrons, and gallerists, to add to the work she had already made in LA. I appreciated the kind of non-didactic archive she was creating. Here's a picture of Heather at the fair.

Last but certainly not least, I went to the opening of the Pool Art Fair at the Gershwin Hotel. This was a blast; Pool is comprised of artists representing themselves, and without the barrier of gallery representation, this was an anything-goes party. Each hotel room on 3 floors had been turned into a mini-gallery or installation, and there was everything from abstract paintings to crocheted pillows of scenes from S & M porn films!

I specifically was there to see my good friend and colleague Cat Del Buono. Cat is a very cool lady who is always examining the myriad facets of what it means to be a lady, or an Italian-American, or symmetrically featured---as a few of her investigations have looked at. As Cat had been in Miami for a while as part of an artist residency, she became fixated on the large fake breasts prominent on much of the population. Playing with the idea of boob job and femininity, Cat staged a performance piece with 2 other artists blowing up balloon 'breasts' and then once about a million balloons were inflated, the crowd got to help her pop them; destroy those fake boobs! Here's a picture of Cat with her performance troupe.

And very last, here's a picture of my little sis at the Volta Fair. Thanks for humoring me, Vivi!

Launch Event for SCOPE Art Fair at the Standard, NYC: Written by Guest Correspondent Aimai Reporter

2010-03-05T10:05:00.005-05:00

The scene at the Opening Night Party for the Scope art fair at the Standard hotel had a young edgy vibe. Emerging artist and up and coming gallerist’s squeezed into the sleek bar overlooking the High Line. The band Junk Yard Gamelon made great sounds with pots and pans while the while folks showed off their outfits, drank cocktails, and most importantly, got to know each other. All a part of the super packed art week that has sprung up around the Armory show, with more art fairs and art parties than ever!

Armory Fair /Kipton Art Launch Event at THE BOX

2010-03-03T15:49:00.015-05:00

Well, it is art fair week and everybody's crazy with parties! Last night I went to the Armory Fair party at the Box on Christie Street, hosted by Kipton Cronkite of Kipton Art. It was a blast, with tons of art lovers, artists, and all other fabulous folks crammed in to sip cocktails and watch performances; a singer/ songwriter in a large dress, a beautifully singing too-handsome man with piano backup, and several others.

One of the performers, in a beautiful sequinned mini-dress and matching moustache.

Some of the crowd in The Box.

The singer songwriter Paula Valstein.

The back of my head as I bid farewell to Kipton Cronkite, the host.

Pioneers of Color: Stephen Shore, Joel Meyerowitz, and William Eggleston at Edwynn Houk Gallery

2010-02-26T12:02:00.004-05:00

This was a phenomenal photography show, and a must-see for anybody who is a photographer, who appreciates photography, or who just likes good and important art. It was inspiring to see the work of these three masters together. The prints were beautifully presented and in a variety of sizes---reflecting the thoughts and attitudes toward color photography at the time they were made, in the '70's---and a fascinating reflection of America during this time. The opening was exciting, as all three of the artists were there (plus Mitch Epstein!), and despite the blizzard outside, was packed with people thrilled to see this work.

© Edwynn Houk Gallery: Joel Meyerowitz TRURO, 1976

Kiki Smith "Sojourn" at the Brooklyn Museum

2010-02-26T12:00:00.002-05:00

Sometimes there are shows that just make me feel good about art in general. That make me feel, some people are just gifted with a beautiful, creative spirit and don't let anything stop them from making beautiful, transcendental objects and experiences, who continually proliferate amazing ideas and things. Kiki Smith at the Brooklyn Museum is one of those shows. Consisting of about 5 rooms of installation, drawing, and sculpture, Smith presented themes of birth, life, and death, and specifically, these ideas as a woman. Drawing upon Prudence Punderson's The First, Second and Last Scene of Mortality, an 18th century needlepoint work depicting birth, life, and death of a woman, Smith examined the strength of our gender through her drawings and sculptural forms. In a sculpture of a woman in an ethereal nightgown, the body is powerful, beautiful, and positioned in a way that causes the figure to appear as if floating. Her strong thighs and thick arms are beautifully formed, sensual, and powerful. I think anybody with daughters would benefit greatly from these pieces. In addition to the main installation rooms, Smith also created site specific installations in several of the period rooms, including a sculpture of two women holding a needlepoint piece, together in a darkened Victorian parlor, a ghostly but dynamic project playing upon them, of leaves, of flowers, of lace, of time passing both by and through them.

Lastly, I highly recommend the film that accompanies the exhibition. Following Smith's installation and process for a house museum in Venice, it is a truly inspiring portrait of a thoughtful, unique artist who works reactively to the space she is exhibiting in, as well as her own flow of thoughts and poetry.

Amy Stein & Brian Ulrich at Caption Gallery, and 'Wendy and Lucy' Film

2010-02-21T14:49:00.008-05:00

I finally had the opportunity to see 'Instruments of Empire' at Caption Gallery in DUMBO, Brooklyn, featuring the work of Amy Stein and Brian Ulrich. First, as one who has curated, I have to commend the extremely catchy name of the show. It just sounds impressive. Secondly, I was fortunate to catch Amy giving an artist talk with Lyle Rexer in conjunction with the screening of the indy film Wendy and Lucy.

© Brian Ulrich

©Amy Stein

First, the photographs: in light of the current economic situation, Stein and Ulrich's photos---of stranded motorists along the highway and abandoned and shut down big-box stores, respectively---were very timely, and printed at a modest scale.

At Amy's talk, she described the increase in break-downs she has witnessed during this recession, the desperate nature of many people along the highways.

Secondly, the film in conjunction with Stein's photographs.

The film was extremely intimate, closed in, nearly claustrophobic in its portrayal of the main character, Wendy, played by Michelle Williams. In contrast, Stein's photographs are quick glimpses of people in incredibly vulnerable states. In the film, we become completely immersed in Wendy's highly concentrated, stressful existence, mostly as a result of her car breaking down. In the photographs, the viewer is not given any clues beyond the visual as to the circumstances surrounding the pictorial protagonist. For me, the contrast worked, and I recommend both the exhibit and the movie.

Art show reviews: The Revered German, The Gothic Hipster, and the happy Danish Rainbow Guy

2010-02-17T19:44:00.012-05:00

THE REVERED GERMAN: Thomas Ruff at David Zwirner
I have always had an interest in Ruff's work, specifically his blurry shot of the Mies Van der Rohe Pavilion in Spain. Immaculately printed geometric abstractions based on photographic captures taken in space, there is an intrinsic mystery to the source of these images. Some of them evoke ghostly moons, while others more varied geometric forms. The crowd at Ruff's opening included a lot of well-heeled, glamourous Europeans, who were having a much better hair day than me.

Image "cassini 10" courtesy David Zwirner Gallery

THE GOTHIC HIPSTER: Banks Violette at Gladstone Gallery
Violette's work once again references hipster rock n' roll while referencing Minimalist and Conceptual Sculptors such as Donald Judd and Dan Flavin. At Violette's opening, scores of pencil thin hipsters dressed in black clustered around his large scale black sculptures. I was much too colorful in my purple socks so I left quickly.

THE HAPPY RAINBOW DANISH GUY: Olafur Eliasson at Tanya Bonakdar Gallery
My favorite of these three shows was Eliasson's 'Multiple Shadow House' in Tanya Bonakdar's gorgeous space on 21st street. Eliasson created multiple white rooms and hallways with old looking wood plank floors, and illuminated with multi-color light projections. The result? When lots of people were at the opening, psychadelic rainbow silhouettes followed everyone around the show. IT WAS FUN! Openings should be more fun, and this was definitely it. Upstairs in a darkened projection room, different colored bright shapes spilled out in the center of a wall, like a never ending kaleidoscope. It was both soothing and very '80's at the same time. At this opening, the crowd was more relaxed, a variety of folks drinking beer and enjoying the rainbow hues around them.

New Film for Large Format Geeks!

2010-02-17T19:41:00.002-05:00

My darling sister alerted me to the exciting news that Kodak will begin putting out Ektar 100 speed negative film for OCD large format shooters such as myself. It will be available starting April 2010. Yay Kodak for realizing that a lot of the best pictures are still made on film.

The Waiting List: vote to help some folks...

2010-02-16T13:40:00.002-05:00

The Waiting List is a project by photojournalist David Lee, who has been documenting the wait for organ transplants for over a year with the hope to bring awareness to being a donor. With this funding he'll start a photography program for children who are on the waiting list for a transplant. (Currently there are over 100,000 people waiting for an organs.)

VOTE: www.refresheverything.com/thewaitinglist

For more information about the waiting list:

Website: www.thewaitinglist.org
Trailer: www.thewaitinglist.org/trailer.mov
Vision: www.thewaitinglist.org/thevision.pdf
Support: www.southerndocumentaryfund.org/projects/the-waiting-list
Twitter: www.twitter.com/the_waitinglist

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T18:02:00.004-05:00

A romantic Red Hook, Brooklyn sky for my lovely readers.

Happy valentine's day!

A Dreamlike Sensibility to Inspire

2010-02-11T10:28:00.004-05:00

2010 has been going incredibly well so far. I believe this is in large part to my renewed focus and concentration in all aspects of life; however, the biggest missing piece was my music. I've been a classically trained pianist since I was 5, and only just got a piano to resume my music. Playing every day for an hour has contributed hugely to other parts of life as an artist working out, I feel, and additionally, I think most artists have a few mediums in which to express and balance themselves. One of the pieces I am studying is Debussy's Pagodes. I love this piece because of its relationship to my world's fair pictures; Debussy first heard Japanese and Chinese music at the 1937 Exposition Internationale des Arts et Techniques dans la Vie Moderne in Paris, and this led to the creation of some of his most beautiful and ethereal music. Here is an amazingly dreamlike performance of Pagodes.

Reality TV: Untitled Art Project, on Bravo

2010-02-09T18:24:00.003-05:00

Today was very fun for this 'emerging artist/ professor.' I was invited through Kipton Cronkite to attend a private taping of a new Bravo reality show on emerging artists! I cannot disclose what the art is like, but it was an incredibly fun reception at Philips de Pury on 15th street, hosted by Sarah Jessica Parker and with a huge array of fabulous gallerists, artists, and everyone who falls in between! So stay tuned; I may be making my tv debut as an art reception shmoozer in a few months.....

Fine art vs. Editorial: Is There Really a Difference in 2010?

2010-02-05T11:50:00.006-05:00

In this economy, I have been struggling---like many people---with making ends meet, especially as I have made the decisions in life that: 1. I am a photographer. 2. I am an artist---not necessarily in that order. In fact, these 2 sentences are one and the same, as I have an MFA in photography and am a photographer. However, I have been coming across an attitude lately that these are not in fact one and the same, that a photograph is either editorial / commercial OR fine art. This seems like a curiously antiquated view, but I have been giving it some thought. For my own work, I look both to the high and mighty art-photography gods and goddesses as well as photographs considered more 'editorial.' As I photograph mostly architecture and architectural subjects, I have spent a lot of time researching such creative masters ad Ezra Stoller and Julius Shulman. I feel through their technical execution and passion for the subjects they photograph, the work is both fine art and editorial. It is a document and it is concept, as well as being exemplary of certain schools of thought on modern architecture and the built environment.

© Robert Polidori

Other photographers whose work I greatly respect are Robert Polidori and Andrew Moore---they also execute extreme technical precision while alluding to contemporary topics through their choice of subject. I guess ultimately for me, one must master technique in order to show concept; otherwise a photograph can be a sloppy snapshot with a whole lot of theory and photography history lumped onto it. And I just don't buy into that. I feel that ultimately, if passion, knowledge, and technical ability all come together in a photograph, it is a success, and can therefore be labelled editorial or fine art or whatever, but it works as an image. Isn't that what is most important? Interested to hear your thoughts on this one, my dear readers.

(Here is a new picture I photographed of Erie Basin, a beautifully curated little shop in Red Hook, Brooklyn. Is it art? Or is it editorial?)

Chicago 1893 World's Fair Site (a picture from the archives for your viewing pleasure)

2010-02-01T11:38:00.007-05:00

Iannis Xenakis at the Drawing Center

2010-01-14T21:55:00.007-05:00

Okay---it's 2010---and I've already had two extremely inspiring art experiences! First James Turrell, and now, Iannis Xenakis at the Drawing Center. Iannis Xenakis, for those of you who haven't heard of him, was an architect, musician, engineer, and amazingly inventive individual. In the way that Buckminster Fuller was a mad genius with geodesic domes, Xenakis's specialty was a parabolic shape, out of which emerged abstract sound pulses based upon mathematical formulas, as well as actual structures. I first learned about Xenakis doing research for my world's fair project; in 1958, he designed the Philips Pavilion for the 1958 world's fair in Brussels, Belgium, collaborating with Le Corbusier and the composer Edgar Varese. Essentially the first video installation piece, one can only imagine how blown away people in 1958 must have been. The Drawing Center will be hosting a curatorial discussion this Saturday the 16th, as well as a performance of Edgar Varese's Poeme Electronique.

JAMES TURRELL'S MEETING AT PS1

2010-01-14T21:39:00.007-05:00

James Turrell's Meeting at PS1 was one of the most transcendental art experiences I have had in quite a while. Imagine: you enter a small, simple squarish room. There is a wooden bench built around the perimeter, leading into simple wood paneling about 1/3 up the wall. The rest of the wall is white, and curves gently toward the ceiling. However, the ceiling is actually a square cut out of the roof, framed by a bit of white wall. The sky is the canvas. The room is the frame. It is perfect. Upon entering, one could see people lying on their back on the floor, looking up. People on the benches, looking up. When people look up, there is a beauty and innocence about their gaze. They appear meditative, in another realm.

The work itself was, quite simply, a wonderful experience. I gazed upon that blue sky just before dusk, and the first hues were of a gradually deepening cyan, until finally any traces of green were replace with a richer, more magenta hue in the blue. At one point, it was the exact shade of Yves Klein blue. EXACT shade. And the effect of the slight golden cast on the white walls from the subdued lighting and the Yves Klein blue sky was that of an actual canvas protruding from above. Space and time collided in that simple installation. It was magic. No matter how carefully you studied that opening into space, it was impossible to visually grasp the exact hue for more than a moment. Then----it was gone.

MUSIC MAKES ME LOSE CONTROL

2010-01-14T21:21:00.006-05:00

I have always felt there to be an integral connection between my photography and music---prior to shooting large format architecture and landscape, I studied classical piano for a mere 23 years. For the holidays, my darling esposo bequeathed upon me a piano. Every day, I play exercises rigorously, then get to work on two pieces: Debussy's Pagodes and Franz Liszt's Hungarian Rhapsody No. 13. No, it is nothing like Bohemian Rhapsody---although I'm sure Liszt was an arena rocker for his time.

2010

2010-01-14T21:19:00.003-05:00

Okay---this is a bit belated, I admit it. I'm a bad blogger. However, onwards and upwards. 2009 was a struggle. It was not a light-hearted year. My life mirrored that of the doomed art-economy, and the many ups and downs involved with such a thing. But through it all, I keep making work, staying in touch with my friends and colleagues who also keep making work, and hope for the best.

Winter

2009-12-20T15:20:00.002-05:00

Upcoming March Show

2009-12-16T18:41:00.003-05:00

I'm putting together a small group show at Gallery Three in South Oxford Space in Fort Greene, Brooklyn, a non-for-profit organization---The Alliance of Resident Theatres/New York or, A.R.T./New York---committed to theatrical production. The show thus far will include my work, plus Matt Schenning, Chris Rodriguez, and Sarah Palmer. I'm looking forwards to this small, collaborative exhibition. Stay tuned...

MORE INTERIOR WORK

2009-12-16T18:34:00.004-05:00

Things have been moving along---I've photographed several more interiors which have come out really great.

Happy holidays to my readers, and here's another new picture for your viewing enjoyment.

INTERIORS

2009-11-29T11:10:00.008-05:00

These last few months have been a struggle, as art sales have been very, very slow and I've had to give massive discounts to even sell anything---my life has been basically a perfect mirror of the economy lately. I console myself with the thought that Edgar Allen Poe was found dead a pauper in a gutter and Dickens was often quite broke. However, this situation has been giving me time to assess what I should focus on in my art and photography career and be ultra-productive: shooting, grantwriting, etc. Specifically I have been photographing architectural interiors to beef up my commercial portfolio, and studying my Julius Shulman books like crazy. Here's one of my favorites so far, of a kitchen in a charming Fort Greene brownstone.

Fast Chelsea Gallery Hop Update

2009-11-29T10:54:00.007-05:00

A blow-through of some art I have seen recently that made an impression:

David Hockney: Recent Paintings at Pace Wildenstein in Chelsea--
These paintings were great fun for me, giant, vividly hued canvases of landscapes and trees that fell somewhere in between Dr.Suess and Pissaro.

Yao Lu's New Landscapes at Bruce Silverstein:
These elegant digital paintings depict mounds of garbage covered in delicate green nets; the effect from afar is to experience an ancient imperialistic dynasty painting; up close, the digital work and contemporary subject matter come into view, including construction waste, polluted water, and other environmental catastrophes. I quite liked the concept and the shapes of these works. However, the digital 'crunchiness' of the garbage mounds I found detrimental to the feeling of the work.

The Big Wait

2009-11-29T10:47:00.002-05:00

At this point, I have submitted work to approximately 8 grants and competitions over the last few months. A week and a half ago, I delivered my portfolio to the Guggenheim Foundation (previous recipients including Alec Soth, Brian Ulrich, etc and so on) on Park Avenue. I'm proud to have even made it past the first tiny intermediate level, which consisted of submitting a proposal, artist CV, and references; it was upon receiving and approving these that the Foundation requested work samples. I delivered to their office 16 16x20 world's fair photographs and one 30x36: I feel confident about my portfolio and for now....must patiently wait, and wait, and wait...

Knoxville World's Fair Site: New Work Preview

2009-11-28T16:46:00.002-05:00

Photolucida Critical Mass Top 50 --- including yours truly!

2009-11-12T19:19:00.003-05:00

There is a huge photo competition, Photolucida Critical Mass, in which about 600 photographers enter, there are 50 finalists, and then one winner who gets a book published and lots of other wonderful things. The jurors' list includes an impressive array of professionals in the fields, including gallerists, photo editors, fellow pro photographers, and curators. I am proud to announce I was one of the 50 finalists. Congrats to all! Here is the winners' list:

Jenn Ackerman
Jody Ake
Leslie Alsheimer
Jane Fulton Alt
Carl Bower
Andrea Camuto
Manuel Capurso
Alejandro Cartagena
Pelle Cass
Edmund Clark
Victor Cobo
Caleb Cole
Scott Dalton
Dorothee Deiss
Mitch Dobrowner
Jade Doskow
Ed Freeman
Lucia Ganieva
Judy Gelles
N W Gibbons
Toni Greaves
Alexander Gronsky
Jessica Todd Harper
Jessica Ingram
Samar Jodha
Mary Shannon Johnstone
Jimmy Lam
Laurie Lambrecht
David Leventi
Larry Louie
Benjamin Lowy
Simone Lueck
David Maisel
Sarah Malakoff
Rania Matar
Tim Matsui
Mark Menjivar
Brad Moore
Kate Orne
Ara Oshagan
Rachel Papo
Bradley Peters
Alexis Pike
Birthe Piontek
Ellen Rennard
Betsy Schneider
Peter Sibbald
Christopher Sims
David Taylor
Phillip Toledano
Will Steacy
Serkan Taycan

ERICA ALLEN is on fire!

2009-11-12T19:08:00.003-05:00

One of my good friends from graduate school, Erica Allen, has been getting much-deserved attention and exhibitions for her Untitled Gentlemen series. I feel quite proud, as I first curated Erica while were still in school at SVA in two shows at the Broadway Gallery downtown. Currently Erica has work up at both Melanie Flood Projects in Brooklyn and at the Camera Club of New York in Manhattan (additionally, you can bid on her work at the Camera Club's auction in December). If you can, go on by and see her fabulous, intense, vividly hued portraits, created by combing appropriated portraits and backgrounds in a painterly and meticulous fashion.

KIPTON ART at Saks Fifth Avenue

2009-11-04T18:07:00.002-05:00

This Monday night I attended the Kipton Art announcements of the 'Kipton Rising Artists of 2010' at Saks Fifth Avenue. The winners---Kiritin Beyer, Julie Combal, Bon Duke, Emily Korman, Avery McCarthy and Matthew Satz---were announced following music and cocktails---congrats to all!

ROBERT FRANK at the METROPOLITAN MUSEUM

2009-11-04T17:54:00.004-05:00

One of the most inspiring shows up right now is Robert Frank's work up at the Metropolitan Museum, curated by Jeff Rosenheim. Elegantly presented, the show was fulfilling on multiple levels; presenting the flow of the carefully selected edit of Franks' book; showing contact sheets and workprints from Franks' work process; and cases with original correspondence between Frank and Walker Evans and others of his mentors. For many of the photographs was a brief description of the image, but the text never detracted from the pure enjoyment of the image itself. Perhaps not shockingly, the America depicted was not so radically different from our world today.

On a more personal level, I greatly enjoyed--and was very inspired by--- reading Frank's original Guggenheim proposal, as I am in the thick of preparing my own. His writing was passionate, poetic, and lyrical, a realm wholly separate from the academic artspeak I have been educated in.

SPOOKY ART SHOW FOR THE HOLIDAY

2009-10-31T12:33:00.005-04:00

System:System Open Through November 1st
In the spirit of the current zeitgeist of homegrown art shows in unused real estate spaces (such as my show currently up in Brooklyn Heights ) there is an incredibly show up through November 1st in an abandoned convent in Greenpoint. The building itself is incredibly creepy, with strange odors, peeling paint, old linoleum, and bathrooms suitable for any horror movie. All 3 floors are filled with installations in the rooms. My friend Matt Schenning had a great installation investigating the futile powers of barriers in exhibition settings.

The show is 21 Monitor Street in Greenpoint.

GOOD STUFF IN DC

2009-10-28T21:21:00.007-04:00

One of my closest friends, Beth Ferraro, is hard at work in the DC photo and art scene where she works at Honfleur Gallery. If you're in the DC area, check out these events:

FOTOWEEK ANACOSTIA : special event November 6th : all other events November 7-14th

SPECIAL EVENT : November 6th @ 7:30pm
Silent Auction + Reception hosted by Senator Al and Franni Franken
For tickets 202-365-8392, includes light fare and drinks, only $25
Address: 2204 MLK Jr Ave SE
The fundrasier takes place next to the gallery at a converted warehouse space, 2204 Martin Luther King Jr Ave in Southeast Washington DC. Join us as the event kicks off at 7:30pm with light fare and drinks. It will be a great opportunity to purchase affordable photography during the Silent Auction with works generously donated by Owen Franken, Joshua Yospyn, Renee Woodward, Antoine Sanfuentes, Jared Ragland, Chandi Kelly and many other photographers. The proceeds from the event will help reinforce ARCH Development Cor The poration’s commitment to Anacostia, bringing fine arts and cultural programming to Anacostia through its two art spaces, The Honfleur Gallery and The Gallery at Vivid Solutions. Senator will be drawing his famous free-hand map of the US to be auctioned off during the event. Owen Franken will also be presenting a slide show during the evening, discussing his life’s work and images displayed. Tickets are only $25 and are available in advance by calling 202-365-8392 or email bferraro@archdc.org. (Preview of Owen Franken's A Photography Retrospective at The Gallery at Vivid Solutions is free and will open at 6:30pm.)

Five different exhibitions throughout the Historic Sector of Anacostia, East of the River. All the exhibits open Saturday November 7th @ 7pm and are in walking distance of each other. We are accessible by metro (green to Anacostia) and metro bus (90 to Anacostia). Please check the web sites for gallery hours and more directions. Honfleur Gallery 1241 Good Hope Road SE WDC 20020 Women Photojournalists of Washington : Launch WPOW’s mission is to connect and educate the public of the work of women photographers. The photographers featured in the juried exhibit are Astrid Riecken, Allison Shelley, Abby Greenawalt, Ashely Twiggs, Algerina Perna, Amanda Lucidon, Andrea Bruce, Carol Guzy, Gabriela Bulisova, Jamie Rose, Katie Falkenberg, Laura Elizabeth Pohl, Melina Mara, Sarah L. Voisin and Yanina Manolova. Launch is generously sponsored by Camera Bits.

A Contact Sheet : Honfleur's represented artists + local favorites Photographers include Darren Smith, Renee Woodward, John K. Lawson, Antoine Sanfuentes, Joshua Yospyn, Jean-Francois Bauret, Jean Francois Rauzier, Jean Noel L'Harmeroult, Cyril Anguelidis, Andrea Hope, Jared Ragland, Sherry Ways and Deborah Terry.

Alternative Arts Space 2200 2200 MLK Ave SE WDC 20020 BK Adams + Steven M. Cummings : I AM ART Steven Cummings, DC based photographer, collaborates with BK Adams, Anacostia based sculptor and painter presenting an experimental installation with interactive components.

The Gallery at Vivid Solutions 2208 MLK Ave SE WDC 20020 Owen Franken : A Photography Retrospective
The French have a word that aptly sums up Owen Franken's career: Imprévisible (unforeseeable). To many, unforeseeable might be a source of anxiety. To Franken, it's freedom. It is not surprising then that Franken enjoys an unusual profession for an MIT grad: Photojournalism. Franken's career has taken him to 103 countries, allowing him to taste the best (and sometimes the worst) of what the world has to offer and get paid for it. "I've always relished freedom and never worried about financial security," Franken says from his home in Paris, where he juggles his roles as a food and travel photographer, a father of two, a gourmet chef, and the older brother of Senator Al Franken. His photos have appeared on the covers and pages of Time, Newsweek, Forbes, BusinessWeek, the New York Times, and National Geographic, as well as Saveur, Gourmet, Bon Appetit, Food and Wine,and Travel and Leisure. He has photographed presidents from Nixon to Clinton, covered wars and Woodstock, illustrated Chinese economic reform and the fall of the Berlin Wall.

ARCH Training Center 1231 Good Hope Road SE WDC 20020 Student Photography Exhibit : Eco-Action-Reaction Student photography show focusing on the importance of renewable energy resources, such as solar power, and exploring the environmental juxtaposition between man and nature. This exhibition is funded in part, by the National Endowment for the Arts.

Finally, I get to Chelsea

2009-10-23T17:22:00.015-04:00

Saw some good work in Chelsea this past week.
The big, beautiful pictures-lover in me loved these shows:

Amy Stein at Clamp Art - Amy's Domesticated series, employing both stuffed and real animals, plays with our skewed relationship with the natural world in a lyrical and effective way.

© Amy Stein

Justine Kurland at Mitchell-Innes & Nash:
Justine's photos taken alongside a drive across the country to the west are romantic, ethereal, and a throwback to the current early 20th century - zeitgeist currently taking over our city.

© Justine Kurland

Ed Burtynsky at Hasted Hunt Kreutner
Burtynsky uses large format to perfect effect, capturing crystalline reflections in big, oily puddles.

© Edward Burtynsky

Simen Johan at Yossi Milo:
A lot of people around me are 'over' big pictures, like little, cute, badly done pictures as a refreshing alternative. I'm not on that over-big-stuff bandwagon; I like art to surround me, to allow me to lose myself in this other thing or place. Such was my feeling with Johan's show at Yossi Milo, gigantic, fantastical animal pictures covering entire gallery walls. I fell in love with his Bison; the creature mythical, mysterious, and huge, it alluded to our primordial and unknown past on this planet.

© Simen Johan

at Claire Oliver, Beth Cavener Stichter's ceramic huge, eroticized animals were disturbing, beautiful, and provocative:

© Beth Cavener Stichter

And finally, Jaume Plensa's In the Midst of Dreams at Gallery Lelong was spectacular. In the main gallery, giant, luminous fiberglass white heads rose out of a sea of rocks. The other sculptures consisted of slightly warped heads that had been then carved out of white alabaster. The faces appeared somewhat distorted, ghostly, and dreamlike, as if trying to remember a passing glimmer in a vision.

© Jaume Plensa

Cell phone pics

2009-10-23T17:20:00.001-04:00

I Want This

2009-10-23T17:19:00.000-04:00

ARTIST UPDATE

2009-10-23T17:06:00.002-04:00

I definitely have already fired myself as the writer of this blog---in fact, I had to ask my graduate school sister to start giving me assignments so I"m more on top of it.
It's been a busy few months, with lots of openings and writing-of-grant-applications.
In a nutshell:
-applied for grants from the Graham Foundation for Architectural Research, the Guggenheim Foundation, NYFA, and several others. My fingers are crossed for all of these, as grants are the only way I can possibly continue my world's fair project at a pace that is faster than that of a dead snail.
-sold two prints, of my newest variation on the 1893 Chicago site at night (as seen below)
-had openings at the BOFFO show in Brooklyn Heights and Dutch Kills Gallery in Long Island City, where I was the October guest artist
-made it to the semi-finalists of the Photolucida Critical Mass competition
-set up a solo show at the South Oxford Artspace in Ft. Green, Brooklyn for March
-and, have been always, always, making new work

© 2009 Jade Doskow

KNOXVILLE world's fair

2009-10-23T16:54:00.000-04:00

I recently---few weeks ago---traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee, to photograph the Sunsphere from the 1982 world's fair. It somewhat resembles a giant golden disco ball. I had fun with the shoot, making a picture I can only describe as 'escher-esque.' Will post the new pictures once it's scanned.

RED HOOK OPEN STUDIOS

2009-10-23T16:52:00.000-04:00

YOU ARE INVITED! Brooklyn Studio Tours presents "ARToberfest 2009" - Artist Open Studio Tour in Red Hook & Carroll Gardens | Brooklyn, NY.

Come out this Saturday, October 24 from 11AM - 6PM to a walking tour that includes a viewing of art in each artist's studio, live entertainment, garden tours, pre and post parties and a couple of gallery visits!

This is a great way to view a multitude of art from different mediums (we have photography, sculptures, painting, woodwork,clay works, glass works and much more!).

Go to www.brooklynstudiotour.com for more details and to download your walking tour map!

A TOUR MAP CAN BE PRINTED DIRECTLY HERE ->
Page 1 -> http://bklynstudiotour.wordpress.com/files/2009/10/rhcg-tour-map-oct-2009-back.jpg (Front Page)

Page 2 -> http://bklynstudiotour.wordpress.com/files/2009/10/rhcg-tour-map-oct-2009-back2.jpg (Back Page)

MILES FROM HOME Group Show opens Saturday September 5th

2009-09-03T09:02:00.000-04:00

MILES FROM HOME

The Bakery Artspace
a newly established gallery by the artist James Casebere

September 5 - September 20, 2009
Opening Reception: Saturday, September 5, 2 - 5 P.M.
18 Garden Street
Rhinebeck, NY 12572

www.milesfromhome.us

The Bakery Artspace is pleased to present Miles From Home, a group exhibition in which twelve artists explore the fragmentary and shifting nature of the world around them in correlation to their own development as a newly established collective of creative individuals.

The typical notion of home is one of safety and stability; but home, particularly now, is subjective, constantly changing, and often based on illusory memories. Within this realm of uncertainty, these artists utilize the photographic medium to explore the role that risk plays in their lives and work. An artist coming into their own at any time faces the unknown, gazes into the void, and takes a risk by plunging in, by making work, by not giving into society's obvious structures, and by creating their own community within which to develop, inspire, and take chances. As the models around us undergo a series of great shifts— in the economy, in the art market, in technology, in distribution modes, in communication itself—these artists see themselves presented with opportunity.

This collection of work does not try to provide answers, or to prophesy the future. Rather, these artists are building their own maps, creating their own pathways through the world and their work, and seeking the roads that will move them forward. They are taking hold of an unpredictable future with a firmer grasp, this show being the first result of their collective strength and inspiration.

Artists include:

Erica Allen

Rachel Barrett

Clayton Cotterell

Jade Doskow

J. Alan Hamill

Ben Handzo

Allison Kaufman

Bryan Lear

Alison Malone

Sarah Palmer

Christopher Rodriguez

Lucas Thorpe

The Bakery Artspace is open Saturdays and Sundays from 12 - 6 P.M.

SHOWS, DEADLINES, AND PICTURES of HOUSES

2009-08-12T21:51:00.000-04:00

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.

1901 World's Fair shoot in Buffalo NY

2009-08-02T22:49:00.000-04:00

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!

2009-08-02T17:19:00.000-04:00

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.

THE FIRST PICTURES WITH THE ARCA-SWISS

2009-07-05T19:21:00.000-04:00

After months of tracking down a very elusive lens-board adapter, yesterday was my first shoot with the new camera: an Arca-Swiss Discovery. The thing is a beast, about 3 times as heavy as the Wista Field I have been shooting with, but designed really well, with lots of bubble levels and measurement demarcations. I have big goals for myself and my pictures of buildings, so it was time to get a bit more technical! Here are the first 5 shots I made.

THE MYSTERIES OF LIFE

2009-07-02T08:59:00.001-04:00

It has been a weird month. For one thing, getting used to juggling being a photographer with working a desk job a few days a week. Getting used to having less time to make work---requiring that much more organization.

Had some exciting things happen---interviews, possible sales---and some sad things happen---a show I was spending hours on to curate was cancelled at the 9th hour, effectively deeming void all of the hard work I and 14 artists had been putting in to make the deadline.

Even though I do get tired of hearing, sometimes, about the balance necessary to maintain life as an artist, it really is so very true. And this is a challenge I find myself in now: how do I fit in exercise, shoots, applying to shows, on top of working 4 days a week... There is no easy answer of course, and this week I struggle to figure it out.

ONE NEW PICTURE

2009-06-11T11:41:00.000-04:00

OPEN STUDIOS FOLLOW UP

2009-06-09T21:17:00.000-04:00

I'm sure you're wondering, 'what happened at the open studios'?
Well.....I wasn't sure what to expect seeing as Red Hook has gotten much trendier than its heyday of drugs and violence, but it still more of a trek than say---a studio building right by the subway. Nonetheless, around 86 people came and looked at my and Lambert's work. Most of them were really lovely art enthusiasts, and overall, it was wonderful to explain my projects and photographs to so many people who had never been exposed to it. It was kind of like a 14 hour artist talk that went in circles.

CALL FOR ENTRIES

2009-06-09T21:13:00.000-04:00

After a rather dark break-up with the Broadway Gallery in Soho (after curating 10 shows for the space) I am back in the curatorial circuit! I have started working with a great new gallery in Red Hook, Brooklyn, Space 414. Below is the call for entries for the first show I am helping to put together:

LOYALTY TO WHOM

In celebration of Bastille Day, Space 414 provides an opportunity to ruminate on the idea of 'nationalistic identity.' Bastille Day helped to create modern France, abolishing feudalism and forming the Declaration of the Rights of Man and of the Citizen.

What defines a nation has become more and more ambiguous in modern times. Is it the language one speaks? The religion one follows? The boundaries on a map? The food one eats? Or is it as simple as living under the same government? Or is it the 'brand of a nation,' the image the government imposes upon the rest of the world as to what a country stands for?

The artists in 'Loyalty to Whom' examine the concept of what national identity can---or does---mean in 2009, be that a French truffle, a national monument, or the geographical or philosophical understanding of a nation.

This is a photography and video show.

If you have work related to these ideas, please submit 5 jpegs at 72 dpi to jade.doskow@gmail.com

© Jade Doskow

Nervous Anticipation

2009-05-29T22:41:00.000-04:00

I nervously await and attempt to stop 'doing stuff'.... I set 10 p.m. as the stop working in the studio time but that has come and gone. Tomorrow are the Red Hook open studios, and this is the first time I will be publicly sharing my work space to local art-ivores. Fingers crossed for beautiful weather and a great turn-out!

RED HOOK / CARROLL GARDENS OPEN STUDIOS

2009-05-28T20:37:00.000-04:00

When: May 30-31st, Sat-Sun
Time: 12-5
What is it: Open studios! I will have on display new and old photographs from my World's Fair and Red Hook bodies of work.
Directions and list of participating artists here

My studio:
14 Verona Street #203
Brooklyn NY 11231

BRIAN ULRICH at JULIE SAUL GALLERY

2009-05-28T20:30:00.000-04:00

Brian Ulrich's new show at Julie Saul was a wonderfully timely exhibition considering the current in-the-trenches state of big box stores such as Circuit City and the financial crisis. Following on the heels of his work examining the remnants of material goods when they finally are dumped off in thrift stores and flea markets, the newer work was complimentary and beautiful. Carefully photographed large-format, the once easily-recognizable big box stores remained as closed and silent as tombs, and the small, pristine prints helped to highlight their ultimate anonymity.

© Brian Ulrich

Where to Begin, This is the Beginning, Again

2009-05-28T20:28:00.000-04:00

I have moved back to Red Hook, my beloved old muse. Already I can feel the inspiration flowing.

A colleague of mine said artists see the world how they want to see it, as if they have special filters over their brains and eyeballs. I love this neighborhood because it is easy to see things in a crystalline, perfect light.

BEDEL TISCARENO at the Broadway Gallery, Friday, April 17th, 2009

2009-04-16T08:13:00.000-04:00

A dear friend and colleague of mine, Bedel Tiscareno, will be having an opening this Friday at the Broadway Gallery, where I curated this past year. It will be an assortment of old and new work, paintings and sculpture. It is dynamic, colorful, frenzied, and nightmarish---in a word, not to be missed.

BEDEL TISCARENO

SCULPTURE & PAINTINGS

Opening Reception: Friday, April 17th, 2009 6-8 p.m.

Where: Broadway Gallery, 473 Broadway, 7th Floor (between Grand & Broome)
Contact: 212-274-8993

An 'Oops' Hiatus

2009-04-16T08:10:00.000-04:00

My apologies to my readers for the interruption in service. Had to take some time for some art-career soul searching, and seeking out both a new job and an apartment. Found both, so onwards and upwards!

Back to Red Hook.

CURATING FUN

2009-02-18T15:36:00.001-05:00

The last couple of weeks have been a bit nutty. I decided for the first time to do a 'call for entries' instead of by-invitation-only for a show I am curating. The theme---The Urban Garden---prompted a wide variety of responses. As expected, many people did not even bother to respond to the theme. They just want a show and probably apply to everything they find! Other people had work which very specifically responded to the theme---but their work was just not up to par. It was definitely a learning experience getting the chance to see the work of artists in the 5 boros whom I have never had the pleasure of meeting.

Call for Entries: THE URBAN GARDEN

2009-02-01T10:24:00.000-05:00

I am curating a show with the theme of THE URBAN GARDEN.

CALL FOR ENTRIES:
The Urban Garden
Broadway Gallery
March 1-15th, 2009

Deadline for Entry: February 15th, 2009
Accepted artists will be contacted by: February 20th, 2009

This juried show is open to New York artists of all media---drawing, painting, sculpture, video, photography, new media
---examining the concept of 'the urban garden.' Works should not be larger than 30" x 30" unless a collaborative project.

The show will be held at the Broadway Gallery in Soho March 1-15th, with an opening on Thursday, March 5th.
At the opening five winners will be announced, all of whom will receive a solo show in the Broadway Gallery's
project room in the months following the show.
Entries should be sent via
e-mail to jade@broadwaygallerynyc.com

What I need in each entry:

1. A one paragraph summary including your bio and a very brief artist statement, plus one
paragraph describing what you propose to make or contribute for the show

2. Your name, e-mail address, and best phone number to reach you at

3. Entry fee of $25 / 5 images, payable on Paypal ($5 each additional entry)

4. Five JPEGs sized at 72 dpi and 1000 pixels at the widest dimension

-JADE DOSKOW, curator

ABOUT THE VENUE
Broadway Gallery is located right in the center of Soho, accessible by all trains, and provides as a dynamic center for the exchange of ideas and creativity. It is also home to the much-respected magazine NYARTS.

This and other listings can also be found at
ArtDeadlines.com

WHat's Next

2009-01-17T08:24:00.001-05:00

This week has been exciting. I found out that my photograph 'Atomium at Night' made it into Photo-District News 'Picks of the Month' in their January 2009 issue (thanks, Arturo!); I started working as a teaching assistant for Andrew Moore at the School of Visual Arts, my venerable alma mater; and have another show to curate and another show to make work for! Through it all, though, I am obsessed; all I want to do is shoot new work for my big project. If any of you, my dear readers, have suggestions for grants to apply for to keep the project going, please let me know. This is the real challenge of life right now. I also take 4 x 5 film donations, so if anybody out there has extra 160vc sheet film they don't mind donating to my project, send me an email and we'll make it happen.

On a world's fair shoot in Philadelphia last winter

The Last Visitors: Lost Utopias

2009-01-17T08:19:00.001-05:00

>

In the last few days my show was up, I had several last visitors---always good at the closing of a show, because you can borrow their long arms to help take down the artwork! Thanks guys! I also finally met the elusive Ian of pre-press express, where I get all of my amazing drum scans done.
My long-armed friends Mary, Alex, and Paul:

And these are my great friends Sara and Alex who did not get stuck taking down the show. Instead, we ate celebratory Malaysian grilled pork together.

Last Days of a Solo Show: The Emotion

2009-01-17T08:13:00.000-05:00

My solo show LOST UTOPIAS ended this week. There's so much emotion involved in showing work you are very close to. First, I didn't want my prints to be by themselves and felt guilty if I abandoned them too long. I got over that, only for the show to be over! Now of course, I am filled with sadness. There is really nothing equivalent to the feeling of being in a beautiful space surrounded by nothing but stuff you have made. It is nothing short of magic. Here are some installation shots:

MONDAY MEETINGS, NEW CAMERA

2009-01-12T07:35:00.000-05:00

A huge part of being in artist is Meetings. One of my close friends made fun of me when I was in grad school; 'you're always at a meeting!' But, here I am, a bona fide artist, and that's still a big part of life. Today, I meet with the owner of Broadway Gallery, where my solo show is up, and where I often curate the work of other shows, to figure out the plan for next year. Then, off to the office of the Visual Arts Journal, the School of Visual Art's publication. I was interviewed last month about my world's fair project and am crossing my fingers it goes to press! Then the more mundane tasks; drop a file at Printspace for the piece I sold through my show, and then, work for a few hours.

And in between all of that, I am bidding on a new camera on ebay. My old camera, covered in black tape and shaky as can be, has lived a good and fast life. Time to work with something a bit more robust and accurate. Here is the object of my desire:

If any of you, my faithful readers, happen to read this today and want to help out a struggling artist who needs new equipment, all donations are welcome! :)

THE PROJECT BASHO OPENING

2009-01-11T20:39:00.001-05:00

The curator, Peter Barbieri of the Philadelphia Museum of Art

Me and my work

PROJECT BASHO OPENING, continued

2009-01-11T20:26:00.000-05:00

Nice decrepit stuff, Philly style.

Some very odd architecture

My photograph in the show, right at the entrance of the Project Basho space

PROJECT BASHO Opening and, The Brooklynite's Give a Tour of Some 'Hood in Philly

2009-01-11T19:34:00.001-05:00

One of my photos was included in a ginormous group show at a non-for-prof space in Philadephia. Me, the hubby, and my crew---also known as Necroshmooter and Brandone---hopped in our trusty green volkswagen and sang our way to Philly.
At a rest stop somewhere in the wilds of Jersey.

Self-portrait

A crazy and colorful mural

Brandon's tourist shot

A cold, stormy day in Philly

TURN THIS DAMN BLOG AROUND, PLEASE!

2009-01-11T19:31:00.000-05:00

I've decided to switch up the point of this blog. I mean, there are a TON of great photo blogs out there which review stuff that is out there. Instead of taking this oft-repeated approach, I'm going to additionally include what it is like to be a poor, hardworking photographer-artist! It's fun, it's painful, it's frustrating, but pretty damn awesome when things work out. SO...this is the New Year's Blog Turnaround.

LOST UTOPIAS opening at Broadway Gallery

2009-01-11T19:18:00.000-05:00

Well this past Tuesday my first solo show of world's fair work opened at the Broadway Gallery in Soho. The whole thing came about quickly, so the show is only up for 9 brief, tantalizing days. The opening was amazing---tons of friends, supporters, colleagues, and professors from grad school came and supported. People responded very positively to the project. It was awesome!
Lambert and Erica at the start of the opening

Yours truly with my photos of Paris, Spokane, and Seattle in the background---and my glass of 2 Buck Chuck

Yusuke Nishimura

The postcard image; the Brussels 1897 site.

My photograph of the 1876 Philadelphia toilet buildings caught a lot of people's imaginations.

SHOWS AND MORE SHOWS

2008-12-30T10:56:00.001-05:00

Hello! I am back after the holidays and madly preparing for two shows. I hope you, my faithful readers, will find it in your new year's hearts to attend the openings!
Information here:

LAST CHANCE TO OWN "ATOMIUM AT NIGHT"

2008-12-08T09:03:00.000-05:00

Just wanted to remind everyone that the online auction 'emerging photogs--through dan cooney fine arts' ends on December 10th! My piece 'Atomium at Night is available. It's a great chance to own a limited edition world's fair print, and help out a struggling, emerging, starving artist. And no, I do not exaggerate.

www.igavel.com

And it's the 'emerging photographers' auction with my picture next to it.

ERIN GLEESON at the BROADWAY GALLERY

2008-12-07T08:31:00.000-05:00

Food for
Thought:
Photography by
Erin Gleeson

Curated by Jade Doskow
At Broadway Gallery, 473 Broadway
(212) 274-8993

Opening Reception:
Friday December 19th, 6-8 p.m.

Broadway Gallery is pleased to announce the exhibit of Food for Thought: Photography by Erin Gleeson, curated by Jade Doskow, which will open on Tuesday, December 16th and close on Tuesday, December 30th, with a reception for the artist on Friday, December 19th from 6-8 p.m.

In the midst of the holiday season, the one constant most everyone can agree upon is the food. Erin Gleeson finds glamour and beauty in cuisine both everyday and exotic in her photography. In the Payard series---on display in the Broadway Gallery's project room---Gleeson teamed up with the renowned pastry chef Francois Payard, creating ethereal, colorful collages that mingle food and fantasy.
Enjoy the show, and remember....the pictures are not edible!

MY NEWEST PROPOSAL

2008-11-30T21:13:00.000-05:00

Well the news is in: I have finally finished my second round for the Graham Foundation for Architectural Research. Now I must patiently wait while they review my images and statements and decide if my world's fair project is deserving of support---which I really hope it is!

This is the 1000 word proposal I submitted:

The sun had set and the sky was a strange electric blue; here was just an empty patch by the shores of Lake Michigan, a small pier, a grove of trees shuddering in the wind under a glaringly bright streetlight, and a nondescript park building. It was November, and as the Chicago wind picked up, it was a challenge to keep my fingers warm enough to work my wooden field camera. I set up the equipment on that cold shore, and made a long exposure, encapsulating the icy nothingness that represented the approximate location where the largest pavilions of the Columbian Exposition of 1893—the Agriculture Building and the Manufacture & Liberal Arts Building—had once stood.
This location is just one of the 15 world’s fair sites that I’ve photographed so far in Europe and the United States, and these locations are only the beginning of my project, Future Passed. Currently, there exist approximately 66 world's fair sites; my goal is to research and photograph all of them, planning 4-to-5 shoots annually. It’s a big project because it’s a big subject: World's fairs were unique, spectacular cultural events from which one can glean worldviews that came into and out of vogue, the rise of industrialism, the rise of modernism, architectural trends and progress, and the hopes and dreams of each era. After the fairs, the pavilions are immediately demolished, fall into disrepair, or ultimately are changed into a building with a different purpose. What remains on each site is indicative of specific aspects of the fair, though often misleading as to its original aspirations.
Before traveling to each site, I research what structures were proposed, examine original maps, and what major architects were involved in the design and construction of the fair. During the interim periods between shoots I contact museums and galleries, for purposes of research and exhibition. An ideal tour would be to exhibit the project in ex-world's fair buildings, some of which are now museums, providing the opportunity to place these sites into an immediate context in an old fair building whose function has changed. The project will also be presented as a book, with an introduction by a noted historian.
While many architectural photographers examine the complex ideas involved in the changing function of structures and sites---such as Robert Polidori, Richard Pare, and Joel Sternfeld---this will be the first time that the specific event of world's fairs is used to describe broader concepts of preservation, land use, and architectural progression. Thomas Ruff's photograph (1992) is an interpretive look at the Mies Van Der Rohe pavilion in Barcelona of the 1929 fair, but never has an individual attempted to assess the full scope of the fair sites in photographs. I see this project as existing in the lineage of archival, conceptual fine art projects such as the Bechers' collections of photographs of water towers, but also serving as a resource for architectural research; it will be subjective but at the same time definitive.
A subject of particular significance as I continue on this work is the differences in land use and attitude to historical preservation between different time periods, continents, and countries. The Eiffel tower of the 1889 Paris exposition, for instance, has been well maintained and has become a major tourist attraction. At time of construction, the tower was the tallest man-made structure in the world, although some critics considered the design of open metal trusses to be vulgar. While the Eiffel tower was originally intended as a temporary fair structure, the height provided invaluable radio communication and thus it was left standing. This bold feat of engineering became the iconic structure of Paris.
A contrasting example is the 1933-34 Chicago 'Century of Progress International Exposition,' which imagined a bright future far removed from the reality of the times. Because of the Great Depression, the public was perhaps more open to futuristic ideas in design and architecture. Model houses were the attraction at this fair, especially the Crystal House designed by George Frederick Keck, a dramatic, ethereal structure wrapped in glass and steel and fully encompassing the modern notion of 'form following function.'
Ironically, all that remains of the Century of Progress International Exposition is an ancient Roman column, awkwardly erect in a remote park on the shores of Lake Michigan. It was a gift from Italy to honor General Italo Balbo's transatlantic crossing to the fair in a jet plane. The idea of this column---an ancient column, brought over by boat to celebrate the technological wonder of crossing the ocean in a jet plane, and the only remaining structure of a 1930's world's fair best known for its celebration of modern architecture---is a perfect example of the contradictions inherent in both the idea of the world's fair and what remains.
But while the sites' present conditions may not live out their original optimism, more recent fairs have kept that hopefulness alive, foreseeing a bright future based, this time, in sustainable architecture and preservation of natural resources. For example, the 2005 Expo in Aichi Prefecture, Japan (one of the sites I hope to photograph with the help of this grant) had the theme of Nature's Wisdom, and reflecting this sentiment, the fair structures were composed of recycled wood composite or bottles. As a result, the dismantled pavilions will affect the earth in a much kinder way than the clunky building materials of older fair constructions.
Bringing in fair sites on new continents is extremely important to the growth of my project. It has only been since the 1960's that Japan---or any Asian country---has hosted a fair, and to examine these sites will illuminate the differences and similarities in eastern and western thoughts on preservation and urban land use. Preliminary research has provided me with maps from both the 1985 Tsukuba site and 1993 Taejon site. The opportunity to explore and photograph these sites is essential to the project, and I sincerely hope to win the support of the Graham Foundation.