Light Work’s upcoming exhibition features the work of the recipients of the 31st Annual Light Work Grants in Photography. The three winners are all 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 introduce you to the grant recipients:

Landviewed Luke Buffenmyer	Luke Buffenmyer Syracuse, NY, Onondaga County Buffenmyer focuses primarily on landscape photography. His 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."
My Sister Lise’s Bedroom, 2004 Doug DuBois	Doug DuBois Syracuse, NY, Onondaga County DuBois has been photographing his family for the past twenty years, documenting their relationships since his 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.
Suntory, 2003 Steven Skopik with Danny Guthrie	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.

Also at this time, the work of Dale Pierce and Gary Walts will be on view in Community Darkrooms. Pierce and Walts are both recipients of the Director’s Choice Award, an honor that 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.

The judges for the 2005 Light Work Grants competition were Martin Kollár, Katharine Kreisher, and Kanako Sasaki. The gallery hours for this exhibition are Monday–Friday, 10am–6pm, and by appointment. To schedule an appointment, please call 315-443-1300. A reception will be held on Thursday, November 3, 2005, from 6 to 8 pm. The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public. Light Work is a non-profit, artist-run organization dedicated to the support of artists working in photography and electronic media. For more information contact Light Work at 443-1300.