“I made my first photograph with a Brownie at age 7. My father, who had photographed and done his own processing and printing starting in the late 1910s, gave Brownies to my sister and me at the same time, probably to eliminate jealousy or competition. I remember being fascinated by that little black box, pushing the white button on the side and waiting anxiously to see the results.” – Andrew Buck
With great sadness, we share news of the recent passing of photographer Andrew Buck. An alum of Syracuse University’s School of Architecture and Fine Arts (‘72), Buck was also a founding board member of Light Work. Our organization was a privileged beneficiary of Andrew’s early fascination with photography and his dedication to building a community of like-minded enthusiasts. In 1973, his solo exhibition was the inaugural show in the burgeoning endeavor that was Light Work and Community Darkrooms. Later featured in group exhibitions in 1985 and 2013, Buck’s images also appeared inContact Sheet 173 and are now in our permanent Collection.
Buck’s Niagara Mohawk #1 captures the prowess of architect Melvin King. His resolute image of The Spirit of Light (1971), perched upon the National Grid building in downtown Syracuse, New York, reveals a photographer who was devoted to his craft and explored the art of photography with a practiced eye and cool determination. Later in his practice, Buck became particularly interested in panoramic cameras and worked on an extended series of panoramic studies of rock quarries, exploring them as land art on a massive scale. He kept in touch with Light Work over the years. Though he lived in Connecticut, he still sent scanning and printing jobs to the Lab.
During his career, Andrew exhibited his photographs nationally. In addition to Light Work, sites of his solo exhibitions included Alexey von Schlippe Gallery, Duncaster Gallery, Everson Museum of Art, Four Decades of Photography, Gallery on the Green, Keyes Gallery, and Real Art Ways. Many collections in addition to Light Work hold his work, including New Britain Museum of American Art (New Britain, CT), Real Art Ways (Hartford, CT), and Yale University Art Gallery (New Haven, CT).
We are proud that we were a long-standing part of his career and we remember with appreciation and gratitude his contributions to this organization’s legacy. We are among many who will miss him.
View Andrew Buck’s images in Light Work’s Collection here. Browse Andrew Buck’s recent work on his website.
I hope that you and your loved ones are keeping safe and healthy during this challenging time. So much has occurred in the world and here at Light Work since we made the difficult but important decision to close to the public and suspend our exhibitions and residency programs on March 13.
While we have been closed to the public during this time and most our staff have been working from home already, our lab services have remained operational so that artists around the globe could still order prints, scans, and other image work from our facility over the past week. In order to take the next step of extra precautions to protect our employees and the public from the spread of COVID-19, we have decided to only accept service lab orders that can be accomplished remotely by our staff starting today, March 20. While New York State has ordered this change to go into effect on Sunday, we feel it’s best to take action now.
We do not currently know when it will be safe to fully re-open our facility. Until then, while we can provide quotes and accept orders for printing and scanning, the completion of some of these projects requiring certain equipment may only be able to take place once we return to having our facility open. We encourage everyone to stay in touch about projects nonetheless, including planning ahead for Summer and Fall. Find more info about the lab services at www.lightwork.org/services or reach out to the lab team at services@lightwork.org to discuss any printing, scanning, and retouching projects.
Light Work Lab is also offering one-on-one online sessions for those looking to further their photography education during this time. It’s a great opportunity to brush up on your skills or learn something new. Once again, reach out to the lab team directly at the email above to find out more info!
During this period of closure, we are working with each of our staff to develop flexible work-from-home schedules and plan to continue to pay all full and part-time hourly staff their usual wages, to help ease the burden of these unforeseen circumstances. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and COVID-19 guidelines provided by Onondaga County officials, Governor Cuomo, the New York State Department of Health, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, with the safety of our staff and community as our top priority.
With everyone having more time at home, we encourage you to explore our online offerings, including our history of exhibitions, portfolios of past artists-in-residence, our expansive online Collection (featuring over 4,000 works to browse) and Urban Video Project’s Insights, (a great collection of UVP exhibition documentation, mixed with clips of exhibited works and the artists’ own reflections).
Please also take a moment to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to stay in touch. In the coming weeks, we hope to launch an exciting new online project, and we will keep you posted on that!
My very best,
Shane Lavalette Director, Light Work
https://www.lightwork.org/uploads/LWFacility_02.jpg8001200Staff/uploads/LightWork.pngStaff2020-03-19 10:00:132020-03-21 11:32:48COVID-19 and Our Community : A Letter From Light Work’s Director
Light Work is pleased to announce the 2020 Light Work Grants in Photography competition. Light Work began offering grants to CNY artists in 1975 to encourage the production of new photographic work in the region. Three $3,000 grants will be awarded to photographers who reside within an approximate 50-mile radius of Syracuse, N.Y. The recipients of these grants are invited to display their work in a special exhibition at Light Work, and their work will also be reproduced in Light Work’s award-winning publication, Contact Sheet: The Light Work Annual.
In its 40-year history, Light Work Grants have supported more than 110 artists, some multiple times. With the help of the regional grant, many artists have been able to continue long-term projects, purchase equipment, frame photographs for exhibitions, promote their work, collaborate with others or otherwise continue their artist goals.
All applicants must reside in of one of the following Central New York counties: Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Schuyler, Seneca, St. Lawrence, Tioga or Tompkins.
Three judges from outside the grant region will review the applications. Their decisions are based solely on the strength of the candidate’s portfolio and completed application. Individuals who received this award in 2015 or earlier are eligible to re-apply. Full-time students are not eligible.
The deadline for the 2020 Light Work Grants is April 1, 2020.
https://www.lightwork.org/uploads/CallforEntries_LightWorkGrants2020_2.jpg9781500Staff/uploads/LightWork.pngStaff2020-03-13 17:53:212020-03-21 11:26:50Call for Entries: 2020 Light Work Grants in Photography
Raise Your Paddle and Bid!Light Work is pleased to partner with Paddle8 to launch a benefit auction of more than 60 limited-edition, signed archival fine prints. Bidding is available online through Paddle8, from March 10-24, 2020. Proceeds benefit Light Work and support our mission of supporting emerging and under-represented artists working in photography through residencies, publications, exhibitions, and a community-access digital lab facility.
The auction includes works by Renee Cox, Doug DuBois, Matt Eich, Lucas Foglia, Ann Hamilton, Leslie Hewitt, Mark Klett, Wayne Lawrence, Andrea Modica, Xaveria Simmons, Mark Steinmetz, Lida Suchy, Carrie Mae Weems, William Wegman, and James Welling, among others. In addition to a diverse array of exclusive, signed, limited-edition prints, we are excited to also offer several large-format framed works by award-winning photographers, including Mark McKnight and Kristine Potter. Hung gallery style or as a singular statement piece, every image is a wonderful addition to any collection. Bidding begins between $300 and $3,500, and all purchases include a one-year subscription to Contact Sheet.
We thank you, as always, for your continued support of the hundreds of artists that have called Light Work home over the past forty-three years. With your support, we will continue to do this valuable work for many more years to come. Place your bid and support some of today’s most exciting image-makers!
Nothing is more important to us than your health and safety, and we take seriously our responsibility as a civic institution that serves the public good. In order to protect the well-being of our staff and visitors, and following guidance from local, state, and federal authorities regarding measures that best promote public health, Light Work will temporarily close to the public. We will suspend access to Kathleen O. Ellis and Hallway Galleries, the Light Work Lab, and all workshops and classes beginning Friday, March 13, at 5 p.m. The facility will remain closed through Monday, March 30, 2020. We will continue to monitor developments with COVID-19 and regularly reassess this temporary closure. Please note the Service Lab is still operational. Direct inquiries regarding an outstanding order or new print, scanning or retouching job to services@lightwork.org
To be clear, there have been no confirmed cases of the coronavirus among our employees. Our goal is to do everything we can to help flatten the curve of this outbreak in Central New York and within our global community. In these tumultuous times, we believe that art can keep us connected and inspire creativity, openness, and generosity. With thoughts for all the members of our community, we’re sharing some ways you can experience Light Work wherever you are, from perusing the 4,000 objects and photographic prints in our permanent Collection, to checking out Urban Video Project’s Insights, (a great collection of exhibition documentation, mixed with clips of exhibited works and the artists’ own reflections), to making a bid in our online benefit auction.
Please continue to check our website for additional operations and programming updates, and follow our social media channels for news. We thank you, in advance, for your patience and understanding.
For continued updates on Syracuse University’s policies surrounding COVID-19, please visit www.syracuse.edu/coronavirus.
https://www.lightwork.org/uploads/LWFacility_05.jpg8001200Staff/uploads/LightWork.pngStaff2020-03-13 17:51:522020-03-13 18:05:13In Response to the COVID-19 Outbreak, Light Work Announces Temporary Closure
In response to concerns around COVID-19 and in accordance with a directive issued Tuesday, March 10, 2020, by Syracuse University’s Chancellor and President, Kent Syverud, Light Work, a member of the Coalition of Museum and Art Centers (CMAC) at Syracuse University, will cancel all scheduled receptions and artist talks from Friday, March 13 through Monday, March 30, 2020. During this period, Light Work Lab will temporarily maintain limited hours of operations and will continue to run classes and workshops. We will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday and 1 to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays. CANCELED EVENTS INCLUDE:
Thursday, March 26, 5 to 7 p.m. The Eyelid Has Its Storms. . . reception and talk with exhibiting artist Pacifico Silano
Thursday, March 26, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Newhouse Photography Annual 2020 opening reception
Friday, March 27, 5:15 to 7 p.m. Political Listening: The Forensic Turn in Art and Architecture screening and Q&A filmmaker Ana Naomi de Sousa
Keep an eye on our website and social media platforms for the most up-to-date information regarding forthcoming events. We are resolute in our efforts to reschedule or offer virtual engagement alternatives for the events on our March calendar. Thank you for your and understanding and patience in this trying time.
For more information or questions on Light Work and Urban Video Project programming, contact Light Work at info@lightwork.org or 315.443.1300.
https://www.lightwork.org/uploads/LWFacilities_03_1500px.jpg10001500Staff/uploads/LightWork.pngStaff2020-03-11 11:34:252020-03-11 11:37:19COVID-19 Precaution: Cancellations and Limited Hours
With great excitement, Light Work is presenting a curated selection of works from acclaimed photographers at Paris Photo New York 2020, the world’s largest international art fair dedicated to the photographic medium. This event runs April 2-5, 2020, at Pier 94 and you can find Light Work in Booth P1.
Join us in the Publisher and Photography-related Business section to celebrate and collect photography in print and photobooks. Visitors will find an exciting catalog of signed, limited-edition fine prints from photographers such as Ann Hamilton, Mark Klett, Justine Kurland, Wayne Lawrence, Andrea Modica, Xaviera Simmons, Rodrigo Valenzuela, William Wegman, James Welling, Letha Wilson, and many more.
Additionally, Light Work selections boast award-winning signed photobooks from Andres Gonzalez, Gregory Halpern, Mahtab Hussain, Hank Willis Thomas, and Carrie Mae Weems. Your purchase from Booth P1 at Paris Photo New York will support some of today’s most exciting image-makers!
Light Work’s mission is to provide direct support to emerging and under-represented artists working in photography and related media via residencies, grants, exhibitions, publications, and a community-access lab facility.
SPECIAL EVENT Artist Conversation: Poulomi Basu in conversation with Fred Ritchin Thursday, April 2, 4PM
Paris Photo’s The Artist Talks will present 2020 Louis Roeder Discovery Prize recipient Poulomi Basu, on Thursday, April 2, at 4 p.m. Poulomi Basu, a multimedia artist, photographer, and visual activist, will be in conversation with Fred Ritchin, founding director of the Documentary Photography and Photojournalism Program at the School of the International Center of Photography. Their discussion will include Basu’s upcoming Rencontres d’Arles solo exhibition in France, the centering of activism and unflinching verisimilitude in her artist practice, and her recent residency at Light Work.
SPECIAL EVENT Book Signing: Centralia byPoulomi Basu Saturday, April 4, 2-4PM Pier 94 / Booth P1
Join Basu on Saturday, April 4, from 2 to 4 p.m., for a signing of Centralia, her award-winning photobook published by Dewi Lewis Publishing. Limited copies will be available, so arrive early to collect your personally signed book at Light Work’s booth (P1) in the Publisher and Photography-related Business section.
About Poulomi Basu and Centralia Poulomi Basu is an Indian artist who has received wide attention for her advocacy work for the rights of women. In her practice, she explores how the formation of identity intersects with geopolitics to reveal the deep, often hidden power structures in our societies. She has exhibited internationally, was a Magnum Foundation Human Rights Fellow in 2012, won the Magnum Emergency Fund in 2016, and the 2020 National Geographic Explorer Grant. In war, truth is the first casualty. Basu’s book Centralia explores the unsteady relationship between reality and fiction and the forces that manipulate our perceptions of reality and truth. Through a blunt photographic vernacular, Basu exposes hidden crimes of war as an indigenous people fight for their survival. About Paris Photo
Founded in 1997, Paris Photo has established itself in just over two decades as the leading fair for photography and image-based art by uniting 200 leading galleries and publishers to present vintage and modern works as well as the latest contemporary trends to a growing audience of more than 68,000 collectors, professionals, and enthusiasts. For schedule, tickets, and information about the fair, visit Paris Photo: New York website.
See You in NYC!
https://www.lightwork.org/uploads/Terakeet_Install_PPNY_01.jpg10001500Staff/uploads/LightWork.pngStaff2020-03-01 11:12:032020-03-04 14:33:33Light Work at Paris Photo New York 2020 / Booth P1
Visitors to our website are invited to explore thousands of photographic works and objects from the Light Work Collection in our online database that expands access of work by former Light Work artists to students, researchers, and online visitors. To coincide with the our collection website launch, we’re introducing a series on our blog called Re:Collection, inviting artists and respected thinkers in the field to select a single image or object from the archive and offer a reflection as to its historical, technical, or personal significance.
Today we’re sharing a reflection on Rita Hammond’s Images of a Girl series from Sophia Pennex. Pennex is a freshman in Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and Renée Crown Honors Program.
Rita Hammond’s photography series, Images of a Girl (1967), emphasizes the unguarded emotions of her subjects, caught unaware. Like many in the series, this image is raw and powerful, with a quality of suddenness. The organic and candid emotions of the young girl and the blurriness of the gentlemen in the background both attract the viewer’s attention. Co-author of the definitive book about Hammond’s work as well as her friend, Gina Murtagh told me that this image reminds her of a Martin Scorsese film. The men surrounding the girl create a sense of danger, yet she has a slightly defiant look on her face. Murtagh describes the face as young and impressionable.
But the street photography qualities of this image make it hard to tell what is actually happening in this scene. Murtagh described street photography as always trying to catch something and this image embodies this idea. The girl in the front—who is, in fact, one of Hammond’s long-time friends, Lynn Moser—is the only subject in focus. The setting of a busy street, likely 42nd street, and the background of people in motion, give the photograph an overall rushed tone. The juxtaposition of Moser’s in-focus face and startled expression with the rushing, blurry background crowd, provokes our speculation about what may just have happened and what the emotions on Moser’s face actually mean. This image makes us feel a personal connection to Moser. The interesting thing about such identification with Moser is that this experience—a momentary glimpse of a stranger in passing—is not new to us, yet how often do we develop these connections and interests in others? Others constantly surround us—at least if we occupy an urban environment—but how often do we actually look at each other?
We walk by other people many times in a day. Whether we are in a city or on campus, we are almost always near other people, but constant proximity is not the same as constant human contact. Sure, we may smile or wave to a friend or neighbor, but greeting a stranger is uncommon. As I walk through campus, I see many stone cold and dismissive faces. Everyone seems so engrossed in their own thoughts that I start to feel invisible.
This image captures the experience of escalating mutual invisibility. Our constant, self-absorbed hustle deadens our curiosity about the lives of others. Yet without our attention, other people may start to feel unseen too, turning ever more inward. This is a vicious cycle. However, Rita Hammond encourages us to break this cycle. Her images seize us abruptly and demand we look at one another and makes us realize that we are not alone in this chaotic world.
Light Work is excited to announce the 2020 Artists-in-Residence: David Alekhuogie, Farah Al Qasimi, Sophie Barbasch, Poulomi Basu, Melissa Catanese, Arko Datto, Alanna Fields, Tarrah Krajnak, Jan McCullough, Harold Mendez, Star Montana, Christie Neptune, and Leonard Suryajaya. This assembly of photographers from across the world represent various approaches to photographic technique, and as part of their photographic practice they explore unique social, political, cultural or personal narratives.
“This diverse group represents the breadth of important and innovative work being made in the field today,” said Light Work Director Shane Lavalette. “We are excited about their visions—the stories, ideas, and issues addressed through their images—and the creative risks they are taking with the medium of photography. We look forward to having them all in Syracuse soon!”
Every year Light Work invites between twelve and fifteen artists to come to Syracuse to devote one month to creative projects. Residency program participants have the opportunity to use their month to pursue their own projects: photographing in the area, scanning, printing for a specific project or experimenting with a new photographic technique. The residency includes a $5,000 stipend, a furnished artist apartment, 24-hour access to our state-of-the-art facilities, and generous staff support. Work by each Artist-in-Residence is published in a special edition of Contact Sheet: The Light Work Annual, along with an essay commissioned by Light Work. Work by former Artists-in-Residence is also part of the Light Work Collection.
This year, we’re very happy to partner with two international arts organizations in support of two of our artists. Autograph in London, U.K. has sponsored the residency of Poulomi Basu, the latest for a collaboration extending back to 1996. Additionally, the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) in Dublin, Ireland has sponsored the residency of Jan McCullough. As part of this new exchange in IMMA for 2020, we’re pleased to share that former Light Work Artist-in-Residence Suné Woods will be completing a residency in Ireland next year.
We are pleased to announce the 2020 Light Work Artists-in-Residence!
https://www.lightwork.org/uploads/LightWork_AIR_2020.jpg15002000Shane Lavalette/uploads/LightWork.pngShane Lavalette2019-09-30 13:59:182019-10-18 23:20:12Announcing the 2020 Light Work Artists-in-Residence
https://www.lightwork.org/uploads/LoCalzo_Install_03-e1568211875115.jpg10001500Staff/uploads/LightWork.pngStaff2019-09-12 11:20:112019-09-12 11:20:13Review: Carl Mellor on Nicola Lo Calzo’s Bundles of Wood
https://www.lightwork.org/uploads/Re-Collection_GeraldCyrus_03.jpeg9891500Staff/uploads/LightWork.pngStaff2019-09-10 22:38:152019-09-11 10:22:40Re:Collection: Aaron Turner on Gerald Cyrus
Then came Sandy Hook. I remember the day vividly, the complicated emotions embedding themselves and lingering for a long time. Over the following year, I thought seriously about the ways we absorb and synthesize this kind of trauma as a culture, and about how I could begin to approach it as a storyteller. I started visiting sites of mass shootings—from Columbine to Sandy Hook—in an attempt to find the meaning behind this confounding accumulation of grief. — Andres Gonzalez
We are pleased to announce Andres Gonzalez as the recipient of the 2019 Light Work Photobook Award. His monograph American Origami,” co-published by Light Work and Fw:Books, is brilliantly designed by Hans Gremmen. Light Work gives the Photobook Award annually to an artistic project that deserves international attention. As with all of Light Work’s programs, in selecting the artists for this recognition we seek to highlight emerging and underrepresented artists who come from diverse backgrounds.
“American Origami presents an unusual and moving reflection on the complexity of a seemingly endless cycle of gun violence in America—a timely publication that is visually striking, poetic, and painful,” said Light Work Director Shane Lavalette. “We are pleased to present Andres Gonzalez with the 2019 Photobook Award, for this powerful project.”
Reflecting on his selection for this year’s award, Gonzalez said, “I am extremely honored to be awarded this year’s Light Work Photobook Award. I arrived at Light Work in 2017 with a backpack full of hard drives and negatives not knowing what was to come of my time at the residency. A month later, with the help and feedback from the Light Work staff, I had a book dummy ready to print. It makes me so very happy to come back full circle and have Light Work co-publish American Origami with Fw:Books.
Andres Gonzalez American Origami
Fw:Books/Light Work, 2019
Softcover, 384 pages
ISBN: 978-94-90119-81-2
First Edition
Signed by the artist
Andres Gonzalez’s raw project closely examines the epidemic of mass shootings in American schools. His collection of first-person interviews, condolence items, ephemera, and blunt images—made and archival—coalesce in this compelling photobook, depicting a country that violence has sometimes overwhelmed. Gonzalez elaborates, “The varied elements repeat and fold into each other, illuminating the relationship between myth-making and atonement.” American Origami takes the reader on a visual journey of shared grief that illuminates moments of beauty and brings into focus the moral questions inherent in acts of collective healing.
—
Andres Gonzalez is an educator, photographer, and visual artist living in Vallejo, California. His current work synthesizes in-depth research and the poetics of photography, looking for truths behind the fictional, mythic aspects of American history. He is a graduate of Pomona College and received his MA in Visual Communications from Ohio University in 2004. Gonzalez is a Fulbright Fellow and was selected as one of PDN’s 30. He has also received recognition from the Pulitzer Center, the Magenta Foundation, the Alexia Foundation, and his work has been exhibited internationally. Gonzalez participated in Light Work’s Artist-in-Residence program in October 2017.
Pre-order a first edition SIGNED copy of our 2020 Book Collectors Offer American Origami by Andres Gonzalez and you will also receive a complimentary subscription to Contact Sheet (a $115 value) for only $75!
https://www.lightwork.org/uploads/AndresGonzalez_headshot_02.jpeg13301500Staff/uploads/LightWork.pngStaff2019-07-29 09:42:122019-07-30 05:12:21Announcing the Light Work Photobook Award 2019
Andrew Buck (1950-2020)
/in NewsWith great sadness, we share news of the recent passing of photographer Andrew Buck. An alum of Syracuse University’s School of Architecture and Fine Arts (‘72), Buck was also a founding board member of Light Work. Our organization was a privileged beneficiary of Andrew’s early fascination with photography and his dedication to building a community of like-minded enthusiasts. In 1973, his solo exhibition was the inaugural show in the burgeoning endeavor that was Light Work and Community Darkrooms. Later featured in group exhibitions in 1985 and 2013, Buck’s images also appeared in Contact Sheet 173 and are now in our permanent Collection.
Buck’s Niagara Mohawk #1 captures the prowess of architect Melvin King. His resolute image of The Spirit of Light (1971), perched upon the National Grid building in downtown Syracuse, New York, reveals a photographer who was devoted to his craft and explored the art of photography with a practiced eye and cool determination. Later in his practice, Buck became particularly interested in panoramic cameras and worked on an extended series of panoramic studies of rock quarries, exploring them as land art on a massive scale. He kept in touch with Light Work over the years. Though he lived in Connecticut, he still sent scanning and printing jobs to the Lab.
During his career, Andrew exhibited his photographs nationally. In addition to Light Work, sites of his solo exhibitions included Alexey von Schlippe Gallery, Duncaster Gallery, Everson Museum of Art, Four Decades of Photography, Gallery on the Green, Keyes Gallery, and Real Art Ways. Many collections in addition to Light Work hold his work, including New Britain Museum of American Art (New Britain, CT), Real Art Ways (Hartford, CT), and Yale University Art Gallery (New Haven, CT).
We are proud that we were a long-standing part of his career and we remember with appreciation and gratitude his contributions to this organization’s legacy. We are among many who will miss him.
View Andrew Buck’s images in Light Work’s Collection here.
Browse Andrew Buck’s recent work on his website.
COVID-19 and Our Community : A Letter From Light Work’s Director
/in NewsDear Light Work community,
I hope that you and your loved ones are keeping safe and healthy during this challenging time. So much has occurred in the world and here at Light Work since we made the difficult but important decision to close to the public and suspend our exhibitions and residency programs on March 13.
While we have been closed to the public during this time and most our staff have been working from home already, our lab services have remained operational so that artists around the globe could still order prints, scans, and other image work from our facility over the past week. In order to take the next step of extra precautions to protect our employees and the public from the spread of COVID-19, we have decided to only accept service lab orders that can be accomplished remotely by our staff starting today, March 20. While New York State has ordered this change to go into effect on Sunday, we feel it’s best to take action now.
We do not currently know when it will be safe to fully re-open our facility. Until then, while we can provide quotes and accept orders for printing and scanning, the completion of some of these projects requiring certain equipment may only be able to take place once we return to having our facility open. We encourage everyone to stay in touch about projects nonetheless, including planning ahead for Summer and Fall. Find more info about the lab services at www.lightwork.org/services or reach out to the lab team at services@lightwork.org to discuss any printing, scanning, and retouching projects.
Light Work Lab is also offering one-on-one online sessions for those looking to further their photography education during this time. It’s a great opportunity to brush up on your skills or learn something new. Once again, reach out to the lab team directly at the email above to find out more info!
During this period of closure, we are working with each of our staff to develop flexible work-from-home schedules and plan to continue to pay all full and part-time hourly staff their usual wages, to help ease the burden of these unforeseen circumstances. We will continue to closely monitor the situation and COVID-19 guidelines provided by Onondaga County officials, Governor Cuomo, the New York State Department of Health, and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention, with the safety of our staff and community as our top priority.
With everyone having more time at home, we encourage you to explore our online offerings, including our history of exhibitions, portfolios of past artists-in-residence, our expansive online Collection (featuring over 4,000 works to browse) and Urban Video Project’s Insights, (a great collection of UVP exhibition documentation, mixed with clips of exhibited works and the artists’ own reflections).
Please also take a moment to follow us on Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter to stay in touch. In the coming weeks, we hope to launch an exciting new online project, and we will keep you posted on that!
My very best,
Shane Lavalette
Director, Light Work
Call for Entries: 2020 Light Work Grants in Photography
/in NewsLight Work is pleased to announce the 2020 Light Work Grants in Photography competition. Light Work began offering grants to CNY artists in 1975 to encourage the production of new photographic work in the region. Three $3,000 grants will be awarded to photographers who reside within an approximate 50-mile radius of Syracuse, N.Y. The recipients of these grants are invited to display their work in a special exhibition at Light Work, and their work will also be reproduced in Light Work’s award-winning publication, Contact Sheet: The Light Work Annual.
In its 40-year history, Light Work Grants have supported more than 110 artists, some multiple times. With the help of the regional grant, many artists have been able to continue long-term projects, purchase equipment, frame photographs for exhibitions, promote their work, collaborate with others or otherwise continue their artist goals.
All applicants must reside in of one of the following Central New York counties: Broome, Cayuga, Chemung, Chenango, Cortland, Herkimer, Jefferson, Lewis, Madison, Oneida, Onondaga, Oswego, Schuyler, Seneca, St. Lawrence, Tioga or Tompkins.
Three judges from outside the grant region will review the applications. Their decisions are based solely on the strength of the candidate’s portfolio and completed application. Individuals who received this award in 2015 or earlier are eligible to re-apply. Full-time students are not eligible.
The deadline for the 2020 Light Work Grants is April 1, 2020.
Apply online at http://lightwork.slideroom.com.
Light Work’s Online Benefit Auction: March 10 – 24 on Paddle8
/in NewsRaise Your Paddle and Bid! Light Work is pleased to partner with Paddle8 to launch a benefit auction of more than 60 limited-edition, signed archival fine prints. Bidding is available online through Paddle8, from March 10-24, 2020. Proceeds benefit Light Work and support our mission of supporting emerging and under-represented artists working in photography through residencies, publications, exhibitions, and a community-access digital lab facility.
The auction includes works by Renee Cox, Doug DuBois, Matt Eich, Lucas Foglia, Ann Hamilton, Leslie Hewitt, Mark Klett, Wayne Lawrence, Andrea Modica, Xaveria Simmons, Mark Steinmetz, Lida Suchy, Carrie Mae Weems, William Wegman, and James Welling, among others. In addition to a diverse array of exclusive, signed, limited-edition prints, we are excited to also offer several large-format framed works by award-winning photographers, including Mark McKnight and Kristine Potter. Hung gallery style or as a singular statement piece, every image is a wonderful addition to any collection. Bidding begins between $300 and $3,500, and all purchases include a one-year subscription to Contact Sheet.
We thank you, as always, for your continued support of the hundreds of artists that have called Light Work home over the past forty-three years. With your support, we will continue to do this valuable work for many more years to come. Place your bid and support some of today’s most exciting image-makers!
Please visit our auction to view all lots, and start your bidding!
In Response to the COVID-19 Outbreak, Light Work Announces Temporary Closure
/in NewsNothing is more important to us than your health and safety, and we take seriously our responsibility as a civic institution that serves the public good. In order to protect the well-being of our staff and visitors, and following guidance from local, state, and federal authorities regarding measures that best promote public health, Light Work will temporarily close to the public. We will suspend access to Kathleen O. Ellis and Hallway Galleries, the Light Work Lab, and all workshops and classes beginning Friday, March 13, at 5 p.m. The facility will remain closed through Monday, March 30, 2020. We will continue to monitor developments with COVID-19 and regularly reassess this temporary closure. Please note the Service Lab is still operational. Direct inquiries regarding an outstanding order or new print, scanning or retouching job to services@lightwork.org
To be clear, there have been no confirmed cases of the coronavirus among our employees. Our goal is to do everything we can to help flatten the curve of this outbreak in Central New York and within our global community. In these tumultuous times, we believe that art can keep us connected and inspire creativity, openness, and generosity. With thoughts for all the members of our community, we’re sharing some ways you can experience Light Work wherever you are, from perusing the 4,000 objects and photographic prints in our permanent Collection, to checking out Urban Video Project’s Insights, (a great collection of exhibition documentation, mixed with clips of exhibited works and the artists’ own reflections), to making a bid in our online benefit auction.
Please continue to check our website for additional operations and programming updates, and follow our social media channels for news. We thank you, in advance, for your patience and understanding.
For continued updates on Syracuse University’s policies surrounding COVID-19, please visit www.syracuse.edu/coronavirus.
COVID-19 Precaution: Cancellations and Limited Hours
/in NewsIn response to concerns around COVID-19 and in accordance with a directive issued Tuesday, March 10, 2020, by Syracuse University’s Chancellor and President, Kent Syverud, Light Work, a member of the Coalition of Museum and Art Centers (CMAC) at Syracuse University, will cancel all scheduled receptions and artist talks from Friday, March 13 through Monday, March 30, 2020. During this period, Light Work Lab will temporarily maintain limited hours of operations and will continue to run classes and workshops. We will be open from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday and 1 to 6 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays.
CANCELED EVENTS INCLUDE:
Thursday, March 26, 5 to 7 p.m. The Eyelid Has Its Storms. . . reception and talk with exhibiting artist Pacifico Silano
Thursday, March 26, 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Newhouse Photography Annual 2020 opening reception
Friday, March 27, 5:15 to 7 p.m. Political Listening: The Forensic Turn in Art and Architecture screening and Q&A filmmaker Ana Naomi de Sousa
Keep an eye on our website and social media platforms for the most up-to-date information regarding forthcoming events. We are resolute in our efforts to reschedule or offer virtual engagement alternatives for the events on our March calendar. Thank you for your and understanding and patience in this trying time.
For more information or questions on Light Work and Urban Video Project programming, contact Light Work at info@lightwork.org or 315.443.1300.
Light Work at Paris Photo New York 2020 / Booth P1
/in Exhibitions, NewsWith great excitement, Light Work is presenting a curated selection of works from acclaimed photographers at Paris Photo New York 2020, the world’s largest international art fair dedicated to the photographic medium. This event runs April 2-5, 2020, at Pier 94 and you can find Light Work in Booth P1.
Join us in the Publisher and Photography-related Business section to celebrate and collect photography in print and photobooks. Visitors will find an exciting catalog of signed, limited-edition fine prints from photographers such as Ann Hamilton, Mark Klett, Justine Kurland, Wayne Lawrence, Andrea Modica, Xaviera Simmons, Rodrigo Valenzuela, William Wegman, James Welling, Letha Wilson, and many more.
Additionally, Light Work selections boast award-winning signed photobooks from Andres Gonzalez, Gregory Halpern, Mahtab Hussain, Hank Willis Thomas, and Carrie Mae Weems. Your purchase from Booth P1 at Paris Photo New York will support some of today’s most exciting image-makers!
Light Work’s mission is to provide direct support to emerging and under-represented artists working in photography and related media via residencies, grants, exhibitions, publications, and a community-access lab facility.
Collectors may preview Light Work’s catalog here.
SPECIAL EVENT
Artist Conversation: Poulomi Basu in conversation with Fred Ritchin
Thursday, April 2, 4PM
Paris Photo’s The Artist Talks will present 2020 Louis Roeder Discovery Prize recipient Poulomi Basu, on Thursday, April 2, at 4 p.m. Poulomi Basu, a multimedia artist, photographer, and visual activist, will be in conversation with Fred Ritchin, founding director of the Documentary Photography and Photojournalism Program at the School of the International Center of Photography. Their discussion will include Basu’s upcoming Rencontres d’Arles solo exhibition in France, the centering of activism and unflinching verisimilitude in her artist practice, and her recent residency at Light Work.
SPECIAL EVENT
Book Signing: Centralia by Poulomi Basu
Saturday, April 4, 2-4PM
Pier 94 / Booth P1
Join Basu on Saturday, April 4, from 2 to 4 p.m., for a signing of Centralia, her award-winning photobook published by Dewi Lewis Publishing. Limited copies will be available, so arrive early to collect your personally signed book at Light Work’s booth (P1) in the Publisher and Photography-related Business section.
About Poulomi Basu and Centralia
Poulomi Basu is an Indian artist who has received wide attention for her advocacy work for the rights of women. In her practice, she explores how the formation of identity intersects with geopolitics to reveal the deep, often hidden power structures in our societies. She has exhibited internationally, was a Magnum Foundation Human Rights Fellow in 2012, won the Magnum Emergency Fund in 2016, and the 2020 National Geographic Explorer Grant. In war, truth is the first casualty. Basu’s book Centralia explores the unsteady relationship between reality and fiction and the forces that manipulate our perceptions of reality and truth. Through a blunt photographic vernacular, Basu exposes hidden crimes of war as an indigenous people fight for their survival.
About Paris Photo
Founded in 1997, Paris Photo has established itself in just over two decades as the leading fair for photography and image-based art by uniting 200 leading galleries and publishers to present vintage and modern works as well as the latest contemporary trends to a growing audience of more than 68,000 collectors, professionals, and enthusiasts. For schedule, tickets, and information about the fair, visit Paris Photo: New York website.
See You in NYC!
Re:Collection: Sophia Pennex on Rita Hammond
/in News, Re:CollectionVisitors to our website are invited to explore thousands of photographic works and objects from the Light Work Collection in our online database that expands access of work by former Light Work artists to students, researchers, and online visitors. To coincide with the our collection website launch, we’re introducing a series on our blog called Re:Collection, inviting artists and respected thinkers in the field to select a single image or object from the archive and offer a reflection as to its historical, technical, or personal significance.
Today we’re sharing a reflection on Rita Hammond’s Images of a Girl series from Sophia Pennex. Pennex is a freshman in Syracuse University’s Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs and Renée Crown Honors Program.
Find more of Rita Hammond’s work online here.
Explore the Light Work Collection online at http://collection.lightwork.org
Announcing the 2020 Light Work Artists-in-Residence
/in NewsLight Work is excited to announce the 2020 Artists-in-Residence: David Alekhuogie, Farah Al Qasimi, Sophie Barbasch, Poulomi Basu, Melissa Catanese, Arko Datto, Alanna Fields, Tarrah Krajnak, Jan McCullough, Harold Mendez, Star Montana, Christie Neptune, and Leonard Suryajaya. This assembly of photographers from across the world represent various approaches to photographic technique, and as part of their photographic practice they explore unique social, political, cultural or personal narratives.
“This diverse group represents the breadth of important and innovative work being made in the field today,” said Light Work Director Shane Lavalette. “We are excited about their visions—the stories, ideas, and issues addressed through their images—and the creative risks they are taking with the medium of photography. We look forward to having them all in Syracuse soon!”
Every year Light Work invites between twelve and fifteen artists to come to Syracuse to devote one month to creative projects. Residency program participants have the opportunity to use their month to pursue their own projects: photographing in the area, scanning, printing for a specific project or experimenting with a new photographic technique. The residency includes a $5,000 stipend, a furnished artist apartment, 24-hour access to our state-of-the-art facilities, and generous staff support. Work by each Artist-in-Residence is published in a special edition of Contact Sheet: The Light Work Annual, along with an essay commissioned by Light Work. Work by former Artists-in-Residence is also part of the Light Work Collection.
This year, we’re very happy to partner with two international arts organizations in support of two of our artists. Autograph in London, U.K. has sponsored the residency of Poulomi Basu, the latest for a collaboration extending back to 1996. Additionally, the Irish Museum of Modern Art (IMMA) in Dublin, Ireland has sponsored the residency of Jan McCullough. As part of this new exchange in IMMA for 2020, we’re pleased to share that former Light Work Artist-in-Residence Suné Woods will be completing a residency in Ireland next year.
We are pleased to announce the 2020 Light Work Artists-in-Residence!
David Alekhuogie
Farah Al Qasimi
Sophie Barbasch
Poulomi Basu
Melissa Catanese
Arko Datto
Alanna Fields
Tarrah Krajnak
Jan McCullough
Harold Mendez
Christie Neptune
Leonard Suryajaya
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See past Artists-in-Residence at www.lightwork.org/air
Applications are now open for 2021. Apply at lightwork.slideroom.com
Review: Carl Mellor on Nicola Lo Calzo’s Bundles of Wood
/in NewsRe:Collection: Aaron Turner on Gerald Cyrus
/in News, Re:CollectionAnnouncing the Light Work Photobook Award 2019
/in NewsThen came Sandy Hook. I remember the day vividly, the complicated emotions embedding themselves and lingering for a long time. Over the following year, I thought seriously about the ways we absorb and synthesize this kind of trauma as a culture, and about how I could begin to approach it as a storyteller. I started visiting sites of mass shootings—from Columbine to Sandy Hook—in an attempt to find the meaning behind this confounding accumulation of grief. — Andres Gonzalez
We are pleased to announce Andres Gonzalez as the recipient of the 2019 Light Work Photobook Award. His monograph American Origami,” co-published by Light Work and Fw:Books, is brilliantly designed by Hans Gremmen. Light Work gives the Photobook Award annually to an artistic project that deserves international attention. As with all of Light Work’s programs, in selecting the artists for this recognition we seek to highlight emerging and underrepresented artists who come from diverse backgrounds.
“American Origami presents an unusual and moving reflection on the complexity of a seemingly endless cycle of gun violence in America—a timely publication that is visually striking, poetic, and painful,” said Light Work Director Shane Lavalette. “We are pleased to present Andres Gonzalez with the 2019 Photobook Award, for this powerful project.”
Reflecting on his selection for this year’s award, Gonzalez said, “I am extremely honored to be awarded this year’s Light Work Photobook Award. I arrived at Light Work in 2017 with a backpack full of hard drives and negatives not knowing what was to come of my time at the residency. A month later, with the help and feedback from the Light Work staff, I had a book dummy ready to print. It makes me so very happy to come back full circle and have Light Work co-publish American Origami with Fw:Books.
Andres Gonzalez
American Origami
Fw:Books/Light Work, 2019
Softcover, 384 pages
ISBN: 978-94-90119-81-2
First Edition
Signed by the artist
Andres Gonzalez’s raw project closely examines the epidemic of mass shootings in American schools. His collection of first-person interviews, condolence items, ephemera, and blunt images—made and archival—coalesce in this compelling photobook, depicting a country that violence has sometimes overwhelmed. Gonzalez elaborates, “The varied elements repeat and fold into each other, illuminating the relationship between myth-making and atonement.” American Origami takes the reader on a visual journey of shared grief that illuminates moments of beauty and brings into focus the moral questions inherent in acts of collective healing.
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Andres Gonzalez is an educator, photographer, and visual artist living in Vallejo, California. His current work synthesizes in-depth research and the poetics of photography, looking for truths behind the fictional, mythic aspects of American history. He is a graduate of Pomona College and received his MA in Visual Communications from Ohio University in 2004. Gonzalez is a Fulbright Fellow and was selected as one of PDN’s 30. He has also received recognition from the Pulitzer Center, the Magenta Foundation, the Alexia Foundation, and his work has been exhibited internationally. Gonzalez participated in Light Work’s Artist-in-Residence program in October 2017.
Pre-order a first edition SIGNED copy of our 2020 Book Collectors Offer American Origami by Andres Gonzalez and you will also receive a complimentary subscription to Contact Sheet (a $115 value) for only $75!