Light Work at photo MIAMI 2009

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We’re pleased to post this week from photo MIAMI, which features 25 exhibitors from around the world, from Syracuse to Beijing. Things got off to a strong start with a bustling press and VIP preview this evening. Hundreds attended the six-hour preview, with most of those folks making their way through the Light Work booth.

We have prints on sale from our 2009 Subscription Program, including images by Elijah Gowin, Doug DuBois, Stanley Greenberg, and Suzanne Opton, as well as a host of other images from our Fine Print Program and Master Editions. Also attracting considerable attention at our booth were the signed books Maggie, …all the days and nights, Pitch Blackness, and On the Sixth Day.

Among those who stopped by to say hello at our booth was former Light Work Artist-in-Residence Peggy Nolan, who lives in the area. A blogger from Dodge and Burn dropped in to interview us about Light Work’s residency program, exhibitions, and Contact Sheet.

photo MIAMI opens to the public tomorrow at 11am when we’ll have more news.

Two days with the experts at Light Work

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Last Thursday and Friday, Light Work hosted a widely anticipated Professional Practices seminar with photographic consultant Mary Virginia Swanson and internationally recognized artist Susan kae Grant. The Thursday night lecture featured two parts. First, Swanson delivered (in her well-known rapid fire style) a taste of the latest and best ideas in getting work out into the market and in front of the right eyes. Then Grant and Swanson spoke about the many phases of Grant’s project Night Journey. Rarely do viewers get such a detailed look at an artist’s process, and it is especially rare to hear the whole story of such a complex project as Night Journey, which Grant has been developing over the past decade. Together Swanson and Grant flooded the room with 1,000 ideas for making and marketing photography creatively.
On Friday morning, Swanson and Grant met with Syracuse University students starting with a lecture geared to making the most of a photographic education. Following, Swanson and Grant held portfolio reviews. It was the students’ chance to show the experts how well they had listened to their advice on making the most of a 20-minute portfolio review.

Above, right: Susan kae Grant, installation view of Night Journey
Left: Mary Virginia Swanson meets with Syracuse University graduate student Shimpei Shirafuji

Deana Lawson is today's Flak Photo

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Andy Adams over at Flak Photo has chosen Sharon, 2007, by Deana Lawson, as today’s featured image. It couldn’t be better timing – the reception for Deana Lawson: Corporeal is tonight at Light Work from 5-8pm.

Flak Photo has a reputation as one of the best places online to enjoy exciting new photography. The site connects international audiences to online art experiences and promotes the discovery of photographers from around the world. Produced by Andy Adams, Flak Photo provides unique opportunities for artists and photo organizations to share new work, book projects, gallery exhibitions, and event updates with a global photography audience.

Check out Flak Photo’s daily updates, and definitely stop by the Corporeal reception tonight if you’re in the area.

Roy DeCarava, 1919-2009

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Roy DeCarava died on October 27, 2009, at the age of 89. During his long career he photographed Billie Holiday, John Coltrane, and other jazz greats. He was, as well, a master at capturing beauty and grace in everyday life. The obituary in The New York Times said, “His books, like ‘The Sweet Flypaper of Life,’ a best-selling 1955 collaboration with Langston Hughes, and his most famous photographs were hugely influential, paving the way for younger photographers like Beuford Smith and Carrie Mae Weems.”

Deana Lawson: Corporeal

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Deana Lawson: Corporeal
November 2–December 23, 2009
Gallery Reception: November 5, 2009, 5:00–8:00pm

Light Work is pleased to announce the exhibition Corporeal, featuring the work of Deana Lawson.

Lawson’s photographs examine how the body informs personal, political, and historical identities.
At first glance, Lawson’s images have a seemingly straightforward quality that dissolves into a complex set of questions about representation of the self, the construction of notions of beauty, and the nature of photographing, questions that will never have clear and finite answers, no matter how hard and long we look.

Added dynamic layers emerge from the photographs as many subjects appear nude. Sometimes this exposure seems to act as a passport direct to a hidden truth, but with other images, we must come to terms with an uncomfortable feeling of perhaps hitting an invisible barrier between what is and what is not meant to be seen. The beauty of Lawson’s images is that we can’t turn away, even in this uncertainty.

Lawson holds an MFA in Photography from Rhode Island School of Design and has received numerous awards, such as fellowships with the New York Foundation for the Arts (NYFA) and The Photography Institute at Columbia University. Her work has received national recognition and is exhibited widely at venues like The Print Center in Philadelphia, PA, and the Studio Museum in Harlem, New York, NY.

Also on view at this time is the exhibition Artists at Work: Transmedia Photo Faculty. For many years Light Work has enjoyed a close affiliation with the Art Photography department in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. The faculty and students of Art Photo interact with Light Work’s roster of international artists through lectures, internships, and classroom visits. In addition, they utilize the Community Darkrooms facilities and take full advantage of the expertise of the Light Work staff. Together we share an energy, passion, and commitment to contemporary art and photography. The exhibition Artists At Work: Transmedia Photo Faculty highlights this relationship by featuring work by Doug Dubois, Laura Heyman, Yasser Aggour, John Mannion, and Aaron Hraba in the Light Work Hallway Gallery.

Light Work will host a gallery reception on Thursday, November 5, 2009 from 5–8pm to celebrate these exhibitions.

Gallery hours for these exhibitions are Sunday to Friday, 10am–6pm, and by appointment. To schedule an appointment, please call 315-443-1300. Both the exhibition and reception are free and open to the public. Paid parking is available in the Marion Parking Lot and Booth Garage.

Light Work invites groups and individuals to schedule tours and gallery talks of the exhibition and facility. Light Work is a non-profit, artist-run organization dedicated to the support of artists working in photography and electronic media. Light Work is a member of CMAC, the Coalition of Museum and Art Centers at Syracuse University.

For more information about any of these exhibitions, please contact Jessica Heckman at Light Work, 315-443-1300 or jhheckma@syr.edu.

**Digital press images and image information from both exhibitions are available upon request.

Apply for a Light Work Residency

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Starting in 1976, Light Work has built a reputation for having one of the most beneficial and productive residencies in the art world. Some very familiar names have passed through our four-week residency program, including Carrie Mae Weems, Cindy Sherman, and Andres Serrano. Our residents count among today’s most driven and talented artists.

Residents receive a $4,000 stipend, ample staff support, 24-hour access to our state-of-the-art facility, and a free apartment for the duration of the residency. We also offer a $500 printing credit in our digital lab to encourage experimentation. Yes, it’s that kind of place.

Applying for a residency is easy and straightforward. We have a rolling deadline, so please submit your application as soon as you feel you’re ready.

At right, Dean Kessmann, 2009 Light Work Artist-in-Residence.

Polaroid One-Step set for a comeback in 2010

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This may be proof that miracles really can happen. The Summit Global Group, which bought the licensing to the Polaroid brand two years ago, announced last week that it will revive manufacture of the very popular Polaroid One-Step camera. They plan to resurrect the film version of the camera, and, for those who prefer a bit of the new-fangled with their nostalgia, also to produce a digital version.

But what’s a Polaroid camera without a bit of film to shake? The folks at The Impossible Project have been brought on to produce a limited edition of Polaroid branded instant films.

Both the camera and film have a projected release date of mid-2010, much to the delight of Polaroid shooters everywhere.

Irving Penn dies

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Photographic legend Irving Penn died yesterday at the age of 92. He leaves behind a body of work that will be remembered for its elegant economy.

Whether he was photographing models wearing the newest line from Paris or artists such as Picasso and Duchamp or (more controversially) indigenous peoples, his approach was to keep the focus of attention on the subject by reducing the image to its bare essentials: subject, light, action. He applied a similar philosophy when photographing still lives, for which he is equally famous.

Click here to read an in-depth article about Penn’s art and life.

Grant winner begins installation

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Ithaca-based artist Karen Brummund is installing her latest work on the front of the Menschel Media Center, where Light Work is located, this morning. Brummund won a Light Work Grant in Photography this year for her series of time-based drawings of architecture. She first sketches the surface of the building and then digitally enlarges the sketch to actual size. The drawing is then printed in sections on small sheets of paper and attached to the front of the structure. Brummund’s work uses everyday surfaces to play with the line between real and represented.

If you’re in the area, stop by and see the installation progress throughout the day. Brummund (at right) is assisted this morning by her husband Peter Brummund and by Light Work intern Gabi Lewton-Leopold. Below is a view of the installation from inside the building.

Pending sale of Polaroid Collection images

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If you haven’t yet heard, 1,300 images from the famous Polaroid Collection, with a pre-sale value estimated at between 7 and 11 million, are slated for auction by Sotheby’s this spring. Although this story has been developing for a while now, many photographers who have work in the 16,000-piece collection remain unaware of the upcoming sale and the events that led up to it. Take a look here and here to read a couple good summaries of what’s going on and how the sale came about.

Although a Minnesota judge has approved the sale, artists who have work in the collection may have some recourse, as explained on A.D. Coleman’s blog, Photocritic International. Coleman posts helpful information for photographers who may wish to establish standing in the case.

It’s safe to assume that the artists who gave or loaned work to the collection never thought the images would be put on the auction block to potentially compete with other work in the market. Beyond those who are personally impacted by the piecemeal sale of collection, the auction poses many important questions about the ownership and intellectual property rights of artists and the responsibilities, both legal and moral, of institutions to maintain collections and notify artists when the status of the collections changes.