The 31st Annual Light Work Grants
in Photography were recently awarded to three Central
New York residents. For the past thirty-one years,
Light Work has awarded grants to photographers, critics,
and photo historians who reside in Central New York.
The selected artists are Luke Buffenmyer, Doug DuBois,
and Steven Skopik. The Light Work Grant is a fellowship
that includes a $1,000 cash award, an exhibition,
and publication in The Light Work Annual.
Applicants were required to submit
ten examples of their work along with a short application
form. Three judges from outside the grant area
then selected the recipients based on the merits
of their work. 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. The grants also
aim to foster an understanding and appreciation
for photographic arts in Central New York.
Light Work is pleased to announce
this year’s
grant recipients:
Luke Buffenmyer, Syracuse, NY, Onondaga County
Buffenmyer focuses primarily on landscape photography.
His submitted work, from the series The Land Viewed,
reflecting on the historical in a digital landscape,
features digitally manipulated black-and-white
images that reference the 19th century landscape.
They question such ideas as the premise of originality
and authorship. Buffenmyer says that these images
reflect his “"fascination with the beauty
of the photographic print yet speak to my need
for intellectual justification.” The images
are about “"context, illusion, reality, nostalgia,
and a sense of place.”
Doug DuBois,
Syracuse, NY, Onondaga County
DuBois has been photographing his family for the
past twenty years, documenting their relationships
since hie, NY, Onondaga Countys father fell from
a commuter train in 1985. The series focuses on
their emotional reactions to the accident, and
the struggle for his parents to hold their marriage
together. In 2003, DuBois’ parents
made the decision to end their marriage of forty-two
years. The large-format work submitted by DuBois
was taken from 2003-2005, after the decision to file
for a divorce was made.
Steven
Skopik, Ithaca, NY, Tompkins County
Skopik’s series titled Tokyo Totems features
traditionally-made photographs of Tokyo’s urban
landscape digitally collaged with non-photo based
graphic elements. He has drawn from product packaging,
books, pamphlets, newspapers, print media, and historical
Japanese calligraphic texts to create images featuring
both graphic and photographic elements. The images
depict both traditional and contemporary architecture,
commercial signage, and infrastructural objects.
While at first the images feel foreign and exotic,
the ability to read certain signs in the sea of Japanese
language (a Coca-Cola sign, for example) helps the
Western audience to understand the global consumer
culture of Japan. This series is produced in collaboration
with Danny Guthrie.
The judges for
the 2004 Light Work Grants competition were Martin
Kollár,
Katharine Kreisher, and Kanako Sasaki.
Martin Kollár is a visiting artist currently
participating in Light Work’s Artist-in-Residence
program. He is from Slovakia, and focuses mainly
on documentary photography. Katharine Kreisher is
a professor at Hartwick College. She teaches courses
in documentary photography, alternative processes,
and photo-related printmaking methods. Kanako Sasaki
is also a visiting artist participating in Light
Work’s Artist-in-Residence program. She is
originally from Japan and is currently living in
New York City. Her work is inspired by childhood
memories as well as Japanese traditional paintings
and novels.
The Director’s Choice Award
The Director’s Choice Award was recently established
to compliment the annual Light Work Grants. It recognizes
photographers who have consistently produced work
of a high quality and who have been committed to
working in Central New York. Each recipient receives
$250 and an exhibition at Light Work/Community Darkrooms.
Light Work is pleased to announce the first recipients
of the Director’s Choice Awards, Dale Pierce
and Gary Walts.
Dale Pierce, Syracuse, NY, Onondaga County
Pierce’s submitted works represent a series
of nudes that he has been working on for five years.
He uses black-and-white photography techniques to
create a vintage look while capturing contemporary
subject matter. Pierce highlights elements of sexual
tension and a sense of mystery in his work.
Gary Walts, Watertown, NY, Jefferson County
The work submitted by Walts is taken from an ongoing
series titled Windows, Walls, & Doors. He feels
that doors are “"portals into man-made worlds.” Walts
also states that walls are used to keep the harsh
elements of Mother Nature out of the man-made world,
and windows are for “"peering outward at the
very elements that continually erode and undo what
man creates.” The main theme behind these
color and black-and-white images is the continual
cycle of man vs. nature.
For more information, contact Light Work at (315)
443-1300. |
