Contact Sheet Redesign
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 Light Work is celebrating its 35th Anniversary with the redesign of its award winning publication Contact Sheet. The new look was designed by Joe Quinn of Quinn Design, and is the first redesign in ten years (the new design in 1998 was created by Marty Blake).
Contact Sheet is one of the longest-running art photography publications in the world. Published since 1977, the design of Contact Sheet has evolved over the years from a newsletter format to extended catalogues with beautifully reproduced color and duotone photographs by important emerging and mid-career artists.
History of Contact Sheet
In 1977, the first Contact Sheet was designed to consolidate separate announcements for exhibitions, lectures, or classes, and to feature work by participants in the Artist-in-Residence program. It consisted of a folded broadsheet printed only in black-and-white. The first issue introduced itself simply as a newsletter dedicated to informing interested parties of the many happenings at Light Work/Community Darkrooms. Now we have around 3,700 subscribers in thirty-one countries who continue to tell us that our willingness to risk change in order to maintain and increase our mission of support to artists was a sound decision. This preface then humorously offers apt acknowledgment about the dilemma of writing about art without writing off readers who prefer plain speaking to a more verbose tradition: "occaisionally [sic], there may be an article with some hot air about art and life." The foreword ends with tacit instructions that hint at a small but dedicated staff who recognized the value of their time spent supporting artists in the best way possible: "you can no longer count on reminders for each lecture date, etc. Please cut out the box of scheduled events that will come with each issue and nail it to your toaster."
 Compare these between-the-lines imperatives to the Light Work of today, and you will find that we still care about diverse representation and sustainability. Contact Sheet has evolved over the years to meet the ever-changing needs of artists. Today, we still endeavor to keep our "hot air" accessible yet meaningful to readers interested in knowing more about our artists' work. At present, we have seven full-time staff rather than one, we make mistakes but have spell-checking and talented editors on staff to fall back on, we are all working artists, and we still hold true to the original mission of paying artists to make art with great dedication. And yes, it often involves a review of how we can best do this according to artists' needs, responses, and our staff resources. So while we won't ask you to cut-up your current Contact Sheet and attach pieces of it to your refrigerator, our objective is still to provide a valid forum for important artists' work that does merit a reminder to keep an eye on our publication.
Thirty years later, Contact Sheet also looks very different. Each issue is printed with the most advanced duotone and four-color techniques available. For our part, we will continue to do our utmost to publish a high quality journal of contemporary photography-based art, because it offers our artists meaningful support that continues to validate their important work long after they complete their residencies.
We cannot be sure what changes will follow our current format, but you can be certain that just as Contact Sheet began so as to leave a "trace" record of events and artists at Light Work, it will continue to leave its mark as long as it serves to extend the important dialogue of our artists' work far beyond our doors, giving deserving artists increased recognition and support as we also honor them for the contributions made by their work to the lives of many.
[History text by Laura A. Guth, published in Contact Sheet 137 in 2007]
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2008 Fine Print Program Still Available
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 The limited edition, signed prints from the 2008 Fine Print Program are still available for purchase at the discounted pricing of 10% off, but not for long! These stunning photographs, featuring work by Matt Black, Blake Fitch, Angelika Rinnhofer, as well as a platinum print by Hank Willis Thomas, will be offered at the discounted price for a very limited time. Once the 2009 subscription program has been announced, the four prints from 2008 will go up to full price, so act fast to order your prints while they are still on sale.
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Upcoming Events at Light Work
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 Ernesto Pujol Gallery Reception: Friday, October 3, 5-8:30pm with lecture beginning at 7:00pm.
Gallery reception celebrating Ernesto Pujol's exhibition Walk #1, featuring a keynote lecture by Pujol. This reception and keynote address are part of the Visible Memories Conference.
More Information
Th3: Introducing Your Work to the World
Thursday, October 16, 5:30pm
New Assistant Director Mary Goodwin gives helpful hints and pointers on how to talk effectively about your work for different audiences. This brief presentation begins at 5:30 and will be followed by an informal portfolio review session.
Note: Both Contact Sheet 147 (The Light Work Annual) and Contact Sheet 148 (featuring Ernesto Pujol's series Walk #1) will ship in the next week.
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