Light Work Lab Resumes Printing and Scanning Services for Photographers

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In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, Light Work Lab closed to the public in early March and then went on to move classes, workshops, and one-on-one training sessions entirely online. During the closure, Lab staff and our members worked remotely to imagine fresh ways to stay engaged and offer support to our photography community. 

After months of limiting our service activity, we are very excited that Light Work Lab can again offer our full line of services to artists. This includes printing, scanning, and retouching. Visit www.lightwork.org/services for a complete list of service rates and stock papers.

The steady hum of printers and scanners are cause for celebration! Light Work’s global community of photographers will again have access to exceptional museum quality archival printing services and the support of our knowledgeable and enthusiastic staff. As added incentives during this difficult time and until further notice, we are extending all Lab memberships that were valid when we closed our doors, as well as offering FREE service memberships for new and returning clients. Our prices are already among the lowest in the industry, but we want to keep our services as accessible as possible to make it even easier for you to work with us from anywhere in the world. This is an excellent opportunity to begin or return to projects that may have stalled due to the pandemic. 

The Lab team has worked diligently to institute cleaning routines for the facility. All safety protocols are in place, including protective partitions, social distancing signage, hand sanitizer stations, and free distribution of masks to staff. Even while masked and six feet apart, the team is happy to get back to producing creative projects with artists from afar. “We have spent the last month preparing and recalibrating, testing out new materials, and implementing social distancing rules to make our space safer to use for our own staff,” said Light Work lab manager Dan Boardman. “We are ready for your printing, scanning, and retouching inquiries. It is very rewarding for us to work with artists from all around the world, and we are looking forward to helping you with your next project.”

Does this mean we are open to the public and visitors can come into the facility for DIY printing and scanning? Unfortunately, no. Though the number of new cases across Syracuse and New York State are low, we are proceeding cautiously regarding a physical re-opening of the Lab and exhibition spaces to the public, and we must wait for clearances from New York State and Syracuse University in order to do so. Following the best practices of arts institutions nationwide, Light Work will institute clear safety guidelines when we do re-open in the future, and we will be sure to keep you posted on developments as we have news to share regarding those next steps. 

We appreciate your generosity and support during this time! We look forward to the company of lab members, students, and gallery patrons down the road. Until then, we encourage you to engage with Light Work’s programs through our social media platforms, online educational opportunities, permanent Collection website, Contact Sheet subscription program, and episodes of the Light Work Podcast. 

Light Work Receives $50,000 National Endowment for the Arts CARES Act Grant

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The National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) has awarded Light Work a $50,000 grant as part of the Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security (CARES) Act. Light Work is one of 855 organizations that the NEA selected from 3,100 applicants nation-wide who requested $157 million with $45 million available in direct assistance. The non-matching funds support staff salaries, fees for artists or contractual personnel, and facilities costs.

The NEA has been an important funding partner with Light Work for nearly 50 years,” said Jeffrey Hoone, Light Work’s executive director. “We are extremely grateful for this grant as we continue our core mission to support emerging and under-recognized artists during this challenging time.

The CARES Act recognizes the nonprofit arts industry as an essential sector of America’s economy. The National Endowment for the Arts awarded funds to nonprofit arts organizations across the country to help these entities and their employees endure the economic hardships caused by the forced closure of their operations due to the spread of COVID-19. The grants support exemplary projects in artist communities, arts education, dance, design, folk and traditional arts, literary arts, local arts agencies, media arts, museums, music, musical theater, opera, presenting and multidisciplinary works, theater, and visuals arts.

During the past five months, Light Work has navigated the challenges COVID-19 pandemic-related closure and tallied numerous successes. This emergency grant helps Light Work continue to deliver on a 48-year legacy of advocacy through exhibitions, an awarding-winning publication entitled Contact Sheet, a state-of-the-art community-access digital services lab, and a permanent Collection comprising more than 4,000 photo related objects and images. Light Work remains devoted to serving the artists and the community in meaningful and safe ways. Staff and board eagerly anticipate reopening with new exhibitions, online educational opportunities, and remote print services that include safety protocols.

At this challenging moment for arts organizations across the country, Light Work is extremely grateful to receive support from the NEA as part of the CARES Act,” says Light Work director Shane Lavalette. “This grant will offset some of the pandemic’s financial impacts and ensure that we can continue to provide artists with support they need through this difficult and uncertain time. 

Like many cities across our national landscape, Syracuse is poised for a reimagining of arts engagement within our sites. Arts and culture are vital parts of our city’s dynamic economy. In the Greater Syracuse area arts and culture generate over $130 million in economic activity, support more than 5,000 full-time jobs, provide $110 million in household income, and deliver $20 million in local and state government revenue. This NEA funding helps support those jobs and nonprofit organizations during this time of great need. Arts and culture will persevere as significant contributors to Syracuse’s community life and recovery. 

All of us at the National Endowment for the Arts are keenly aware that arts organizations across the country are hurting, struggling, and trying to survive. Our supply of funding does not come close to meeting the demand for assistance,” said NEA chair Mary Anne Carter.

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Congress established the NEA in 1965 as the independent federal agency whose funding and support allow Americans to participate in the arts, exercise their imaginations, and develop their creative capacities. Through partnerships with state arts agencies, local leaders, other federal agencies, and the philanthropic sector, the Arts Endowment supports arts learning, affirms and celebrates America’s rich and diverse cultural heritage, and extends its work to promote equal access to the skills in every community across America. Visit Arts.gov​ to learn more.

To become a supporter of Light Work yourself, consider making a contribution by beginning or renewing your subscription. We encourage you to help us achieve our goal of matching the NEA’s generous support. Contribute today and get something back in return. Browse limited-edition prints, signed books, and Contact Sheet at  www.lightwork.org/shop

Urban Video Project Installation “In Solidarity” Closes for Projection Equipment Upgrade

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Wednesday, July 8, at midnight, Light Work’s Urban Video Project installation, In Solidarity, will go dark to make way for a long-awaited upgrade of their projection equipment. The culmination of years of fundraising and planning, the upgrade will make it possible for Urban Video Project to continue their mission to present urgent, thought-provoking work of media artists from around the world at their outdoor projection site at the Everson Museum of Art.  With the contributions of  Black photographers and photojournalist allies, UVP’s act of solidarity has appeared each night for more than three weeks, offering viewers on the plaza an opportunity to witness the passions, frustrations, and determination driving the protest movement in Syracuse, New York. We extend our appreciation to the many photographers and artists who made images of the marches, rallies, and actions organized by Last Chance For Change, Raha Syracuse and YouthCuseBLM. The photographs and labor of Cheriyln Beckles, Mylz Blake, Kollina Dacko, Dennis Fernando, Eric Derachio Jackson Jr., and Maranie Staab chronicled the protesters’ unwavering commitment to condemn and root out police violence, systemic racism, and state-sanctioned violence.  

Those who journeyed to the museum’s plaza provided powerful feedback that reaffirms art as an indomitable tool in challenging injustice and inequity. “We appreciate the work of the photographers covering the movement in Syracuse and the Urban Video Project’s willingness to have a solidarity display,” said Rannette Releford, director of Syracuse’s the Citizen Review Board (CRB), which hears complaints about police misconduct. “This was a perfect example of how important this movement is to our community and the choices an organization can make to show support. We appreciate being showcased in the ‘In Solidarity’ installation because accountability and transparency are necessary to improve relations. You cannot have one without the other, and for far too long, neither has been a top priority to the Syracuse Police Department.” 

Having visited the exhibition on numerous occasions for documentation purposes, UVP communications coordinator Cjala Surratt said she was struck by the installation’s ability to create space to empathize and mourn in a large public site. “It’s quiet there,” said Surratt. “The rhythmic sounds of the fountain encourage introspection and stillness. There I had permission, one I had not extended myself before to grieve. To grieve with the families of George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Ahmaud Arbery, David McAtee, and Tony McDad, and with so many others in America’s Black communities, who have suffered devastating losses and live in fear because of racism, violence, and injustice.” 

At the launch of this collaborative project, UVP director Anneka Herre spoke of the location’s importance. “It is not a coincidence that UVP’s  Everson Museum site is proximate to where many of the protests are happening along the downtown law enforcement and legal corridor. This corridor of civic buildings was created through an urban renewal program that displaced a population of Black citizens who are also disproportionately affected by the criminal justice system. It is incumbent upon us to use this site in ways that amplify the voices of those who are doing the difficult work of making change and to add our own voice to that call.”

Urban Video Project again extends our gratitude to everyone who stood in the presence of this installation, either in solitude or gathered in small numbers, to consider the reckoning that is now underway in our city, state, and nation. 

We are excited to announce In Solidarity will be part of Light Work’s 2020-21 exhibition calendar for those who did not get the opportunity to see the installation in person at the plaza. This body of work will be on view in the Hallway Gallery at Light Work later this fall. Keep an eye on our website and social media platforms for updates regarding online programming running in conjunction with these forthcoming exhibitions. The show will run concurrently with Matthew Connor’s exhibition in Kathleen O. Ellis Gallery. Please be aware at this time that we have temporarily closed Light Work to the public and canceled all scheduled opening receptions and artist talks as part of our commitment to helping flatten the COVID-19 curve. We encourage you to visit Light Work exhibitions online. 

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Urban Video Project (UVP) is a program of Light Work in partnership with the Everson Museum of Art and Onondaga County. This outdoor architectural projection site offers public presentation of film, video, and moving image arts, using cutting-edge technology to bring art of the highest caliber to Syracuse. It is one of the few projects in the United States dedicated to ongoing public projections and adds a new chapter to Central New York’s legacy as a major birthplace of video art. 

Using a large permanently installed projector and all-weather sound system, UVP’s outdoor architectural projection site on the north façade of the Everson Museum of Art transforms the adjoining Onondaga County Community Plaza into a massive,  year-round video installation every Thursday through Saturday night.