Community Folk Art Center and Light Work Gallery will present the 2009 feature film Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire. A panel discussion will follow the screening to touch on the themes of the film. This event is free and open to the public. Precious: Based on the Novel ‘Push’ by Sapphire is rated R.

Precious tells the story of an obese, illiterate, African-American 16-year-old named Claireece "Precious" Jones (Gabourey Sidibe) who lives in 1987 Harlem with her dysfunctional family. She has been raped and impregnated twice by her father and suffers constant physical and mental abuse from her unemployed mother, Mary (Mo'Nique). The family resides in a Section 8 tenement and subsists on welfare.

After becoming pregnant for a second time, Precious is suspended from her middle school and is enrolled in an alternative school in hopes of turning her life around. She soon meets a new teacher (Paula Patton), a social worker (Mariah Carey) and a nursing assistant (Lenny Kravitz) who all give her kindness and compassion that has been lacking in her life. Despite this, Precious must still cope with the overwhelming adversity in her daily struggles.

This critically acclaimed and Academy Award®-winning film (Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Supporting Actress) tackles tough societal issues as it follows the titular character through unimaginable hardships. Directed by Lee Daniels and presented by Oprah Winfrey and Tyler Perry, Precious brings these issues to the forefront.

Immediately following the screening, Community Folk Art Center and Light Work will present a talk-back and panel discussion to delve into the subject matter and issues in the film. The panelists, Marcelle Haddix and Loretta Robinson, are excited to facilitate an open and engaging conversation. Dr. Haddix is an assistant professor in the School of Education at Syracuse University. Her academic interests center on literacy, language and culture. Ms. Robinson is a case manager at the Vera House, a Syracuse-based organization that seeks to end all domestic and sexual violence and promote a culture of equality and respect in all relationships.

The 36th Annual Light Work Grants in Photography were recently awarded to three Central New York residents. The selected artists are Yasser Aggour, Ron Jude, and Lida Suchy. The Light Work Grants in Photography program is a part of Light Work’s ongoing effort to provide support and encouragement to artists working in photography. Light Work awards grants to photographers, critics and photo historians who reside in Central New York. The grants also aim to foster an understanding and appreciation for photographic arts in the area.

The Light Work Grant is a fellowship that includes a $2,000 cash award, an exhibition at Light Work, and publication in The Light Work Annual. Applicants were required to submit 10 examples of their work along with a short application form. Three judges from outside the grant area, Sharon Bates, Shawn Records, and Brian Ulrich, selected the recipients based on the merits of their work.

Click here to see additional images by the grant winners and to read more about their work.

Yasser Aggour—Incision

2010 Subscription Offer

Contact Sheet is one of the longest-running art photography publications in the world. It is the cornerstone of Light Work’s Subscription Program that offers great art at a great price for a good cause.

The Light Work Subscription Program is an excellent way to make a difference in the arts while expanding your art or book collection. Your participation in our Subscription Program keeps Contact Sheet commercial free and allows Light Work to do what it does best: provide excellent support for contemporary artists, whose work you can then enjoy in The Light Work Annual and four monographs. Choose a support level that is right for you by purchasing a subscription, prints or books, or by becoming a benefactor. All book and print purchases include a complimentary subscription to Contact Sheet.

The 2010 Light Work Subscription Program features limited edition prints by Elijah Gowin, Doug DuBois, Suzanne Opton, and Stanley Greenberg. The signed books Maggie by Emmet and Elijah Gowin and ...all the days and nights by Doug DuBois are also part of our 2010 program.

Dean Kessmann
200 Artist-in-Residence

ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE PROGRAM

Since 1976, over 300 artists have participated in our Artist-in-Residence Program. Every year, Light Work invites between twelve and fifteen artists to work in our state-of-the-art darkrooms. Light Work provides the artists with an apartment, a $4,000 stipend, a $500 printing credit, ample work space, and generous staff support. Many former Artists-in-Residence return to Light Work regularly to use our Community Darkrooms. Applications are accepted on an ongoing basis.

Find out more about our AIR program and our current artists
See who has participated in the past

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