Griffin Museum of Photography

Unnatural Wonders Photographs by Peter Croteau

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Born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1988 and moving many times through various tract house suburbs, Peter Croteau understands the differences and similarities in the landscape across the United States. He considers himself to be an explorer of mundane spaces looking to transform the everyday into something otherworldly through the use of 8×10 and 4×5 view cameras.

Peter Croteau’s Unnatural Wonders will be featured in the Griffin Museum’s Atelier Gallery at the Stoneham Theatre in Stoneham, MA, October 21 – January 8, 2015. It runs parallel to the theater’s productions of “The Addams Family Musical”, “Meet Me in St. Louis“, “New York Voices” and “Loretta Laroche.”

A reception is November 20, 2014 at 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Peter Croteau creates drosscapes. These are the in-between waste spaces in the landscape. They are formed as a result of sprawl and are in a constant state of flux between use and disuse. “Peter Croteau fashions mountains out of everyday mound hills like clay and salt piles and construction fill,” says Paula Tognarelli, executive director and curator of the Griffin Museum of Photography. “His landscapes are not what they appear to be at first glance. Through perspective and exacting optics, he manufactures a gallery of unnatural wonders.”

“I explore these mundane spaces using the camera as an apparatus that can reframe and order the world,” says Croteau. “I set up a dualistic relationship between earth and sky in order to reference painterly representations of the sublime.”

Peter Croteau received his MFA in Photography from Rhode Island School of Design in 2012 and his BS in Photography from Drexel University in 2010. He currently lives and works out of Providence, RI.

HORACE AND AGNES: A LOVE STORY, ASIA KEPKA AND WRITER LYNN DOWLING

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It was a hot summer day when Horace and Agnes: A Love Story came to life. A casual meeting with friends, an accordion, a red couch, a squirrel and a horse mask spurred on a photo shoot. The resulting narrative has blossomed into over 100 photographs of Horace and Agnes Groomsby and their friends accompanied by text.

Kepka and Dowling’s series, Horace and Agnes, is featured in the Main Gallery at the Griffin Museum October 14 through December 4, 2014. An opening reception with the artists is October 18, 7-8:30 p.m. A preview exhibition of the series is also on view at the Griffin at SoWa Gallery at 530 Harrison Ave in the South End through October 26th.

“Horace and Agnes met through random circumstance and their love for each other is literally blind,” says Asia Kepka. “They exemplify a fairy tale of what it would be like to fall in love with the right person…just because.”

“All of the characters are inspired by people and stories from Lynn’s and my past and present,” says Kepka. “Sometimes they are inspired by family members and sometimes by strangers we have encountered. The photographs are memories brought to life once again; recreated with as much detail possible to make the viewer become immersed in this magical and unique world,” she says.

“Present day life has its complications,” says Paula Tognarelli, executive director of the Griffin Museum of Photography. ”I believe the public is ready for a love story that at the same time is a visual delight for all ages.”

A gallery talk for museum members on Sisters of the Commonwealth by Meg Birnbaum will take place at 6:15 p.m. October 18, 2014, prior to the opening reception for all exhibits at 7 PM.

Stu Rosner, Pentimento

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The urban landscape has changed much since the era when “Post No Bills” was the rule of the land. Graffiti in the city is now commonplace and has taken hold globally. Stu Rosner has found an unexpected treasure in street art. Where some see the destruction of private property, Rosner sees a Pollock or a Chagall.

A series of Rosner’s photographs of graffiti called “Pentimento,” is featured at the Griffin Museum at Digital Silver Imaging, 9 Brighton St., Belmont, MA, on October 14 through January 8, 2014. A reception and informal talk with the artist will take place November 13, 2014 from 6-8 p.m.

Growing up in Greenwich Village, New York near his father’s store, Rosner learned that people should not put posters or advertisements on city walls. “For the most part people complied and buildings remained unadorned,” says Rosner. “In the decade that spanned the mid ‘60s-70’s, we began to see enormous social/political/cultural change due in part to the Vietnam War and opposition to same, the Civil Rights movement, political assassinations, sex, drugs, and rock and roll, the emergence of punk and the nascent stirrings of rap,” he says. “In New York, a thousand murals and tags bloomed; it was a phenomenon that spread internationally and quickly. Suddenly it was on walls, on entire lengths of subway cars, in doorways, on panel trucks; graffiti was ubiquitous. Public opinion was split between outrage and admiration.”

Stu Rosner splits his time between fine art and commercial photography. He resides in Cambridge, MA with his new rescue dog.

Asia Kepka, Bridget and I

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Asia Kepka is a creative in all senses of the word. Whether on assignment for Time Magazine or photographing a personal project, Kepka approaches all efforts with exuberance and out of the box thinking. She brings humor and light-heartedness to most everything she touches.

Kepka’s series, Bridget and I, is featured in the Atelier Gallery at the Griffin Museum October 14 through December 4, 2014. An opening reception with the artist is October 18, 7-8:30 p.m.

“This series of large format self portraits is my visual journal,” says Asia Kepka. “Little did I know, when I first set up my 4×5 camera, that this project would become a place where I would note and record the stories of my life. These stories are of life, death, love, loss, my family, my past, present and future,” she said.

“I grew up in Poland and while there as a child I wanted to be a nun,” says Kepka. “Thirty -something years later I am now an immigrant, an artist, and a gay woman. Through Bridget and I I am trying to tell my story and the story of my mother and grandmother, whose lives had a strong influence on me. Also by putting myself into the images, the roles of Narrator, Observer and Subjects are blurred. This allows me to explore many issues in a slow and cathartic process, quite often unexpectedly.”

“Asia has been shooting herself with Bridget for ten years since she found her on craigslist and bought her for $100. Recently Kepka decided that the project would come to an end,” says Paula Tognarelli, executive director of the Griffin Museum of Photography. “During our exhibit, Asia Kepka reveals the last image shot for this series. The image is called The Last Supper. It is a bittersweet moment for the audience as we have enjoyed the Bridget series tremendously. Nothing lasts forever as we all know so well. Kepka has changed and with that comes the desire to tell some different stories”

A gallery talk for museum members by Meg Birnbaum will take place at 6:15 p.m. October 18, 2014, prior to the opening reception for all exhibits.

Meg Birnbaum, Sisters of the Commonwealth

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Meg Birnbaum is a fine art photographer who over the course of three years has followed and photographed the Boston Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence. There are 3000 plus Sisters worldwide with eighteen Sisters, Novices, Postulants and Aspirants in the Boston house on Commonwealth Avenue.

Birnbaum’s series, Sisters of the Commonwealth, is featured in the Griffin Gallery at the Griffin Museum October 14 through December 4, 2014. An opening reception with the artist is October 18, 7-8:30 p.m. Birnbaum will do a gallery talk prior to the opening on October 18th at 6:15 PM

“The Sisters immediately welcomed me and appointed me their photo historian,” says Meg Birnbaum. “I watch as they artfully manifest into “avatars” of social activism with the seemingly simple goal of inspiring acceptance, compassion and the desire to shift intolerant perspectives while raising money, predominately for causes within the LGBT community,” Birnbaum says. “Photographs, and the human stories behind them can be tools for supporting social change. I hope that by sharing my photographs of the Sisters with the public, that I am contributing to and echoing their desire to build a better world.”

“The Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence were formed in San Francisco in 1979 as street theatre in a backlash to bigotry and eventually the Sisters became a support system for the AID’s crisis,” says Paula Tognarelli, executive director of the Griffin Museum of Photography. “Birnbaum’s intimate portraits of the Boston Sisters reveal the giving spirit of the order. They also give voice to their mission that is We love you. We adore you. We respect you. We protect you. We serve you. We are your sisters.”

Meg Birnbaum has had numerous solo exhibitions internationally and her work is held in major museum collections. She teaches in the Photography Atelier at the Griffin Museum and resides in Somerville, Massachusetts. She has recently been “sainted” by the Sisters of Perpetual Indulgence and is called Saint Meg-A-Pixel.

Lear Levin, Burlesque and Cabaret

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Lear Levin has been shooting photographs since he bought is first camera – a Speed Graphic – with money from his paper route as a child.
After graduating from The University of Southern California’s Cinema and Drama Schools, he became a director of award winning documentaries, short films and (literally) thousands of TV commercials, one of which, for Prince Spaghetti, is the longest running in the history of the medium. His motion picture film work is preserved in the permanent collection of such institutions as The Museum of Modern Art in New York and The George Eastman House.
A series of Levin’s photographs, Burlesque and Cabaret, is featured in the Hall Gallery of the Griffin Museum October 14, 2014 through December 4, 2014. An opening reception with the artist is October 18, 2014, 7-8:30 p.m.

“I used to be a regular visitor to The Old Howard Theater in Boston’s Scully Square in the 1950’s and I snuck into the Globe Theater in Atlantic City New Jersey prior that time when I was only 13 years old,” says Lear Levin. “During my college days I frequented The New Follies Theater on Main Street in Los Angeles, where as an aspiring filmmaker, I often hung out backstage with the cast in the hope of some day making a film on Burlesque. I never did make that film. However, when I retired from motion pictures and took up still photography, Platinum and 3-Color Gum Printing, it seemed natural for me to finally explore what the colorful backstage life might have looked like during the old days of Burlesque.”

While directing from the Bayous to Bangladesh for film and television, Levin also continued his personal vision of fine art photography. His series, “Burlesque and Cabaret” is an evocation of Weimar Berlin and Backstage at ‘Minsky’s,” New York City, circa 1930’s. Levin’s regard for past as well as the his feel for archival, textural printing techniques continues in his darkroom where he finishes his work using methods such as Gum Dichromate and Platinum/Palladium to create the hand-made images reminiscent of late nineteenth and early twentieth century photography. His three and four-color gum dichromate and platinum/palladium prints will be featured at the Griffin Museum.

Levin has exhibited his work at Iris Gallery in Boston, Moss & Moss Gallery in San Francisco, Davis Orton Gallery and in a group show at CCCA gallery, Hudson NY.

Meg Birnbaum will give a members’ talk at 6:15 PM before the exhibit opening on October 18, 2014 at 7 PM.

Photography Atelier 20

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Photography Atelier 20 will present an exhibit of student artwork from September 11 through October 5, 2014 at the Griffin Museum of Photography, 67 Shore Road, Winchester, Massachusetts 01890. Photography Atelier is a course for intermediate and advanced photographers offered by the Griffin Museum of Photography and taught by Karen Davis and course assistant, Meg Birnbuam.

On Thursday, September 11, the public is invited to view the artwork and meet the artists at a reception from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Photography Atelier 20 members include:
Lora Brody, Bill Davison, Mary Eaton, Miren Etcheverry, Ellen Feldman, Cassandra Goldwater, Ed Grossman, Sunny Gupta, Claudia Gustafson, Ileana Hernandez, David Hiley, Tira Khan, Carol Krauss, Helena Long, Tricia O’Neill, Vivian Pratt, Astrid Reischwitz, Andrea Rosenthal, Glenn Ruga, Joyce Saler, Stephen Shapiro, Pip Shepley, Ellen Slotnick, Joe Turner , Maria Verrier, Cindy Weisbert

About the class:
Photography Atelier, in its twentieth year, is a unique portfolio-making course for emerging to advanced photographers. In addition to guidance and support in the creation of a body of work, the class prepares artists to market, exhibit and present their work to industry professionals.

Each participant in the Atelier presents a final project in the form of a print portfolio, a photographic book or album, a slide show, or a mixed media presentation. In every Atelier students hang a gallery exhibition and produce work for their own pages on the Atelier website. To see the photography of present and past Atelier students and teachers, please visit: www.photographyatelier.org. Fall, 2014 Instructor Meg Birnbaum, will be happy to discuss the Photography Atelier at the reception on September 11 with anyone interested in joining the class.

Asia Kepka and Lynn Dowling, Horace and Agnes – A Love Story

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A Collaboration between photographer Asia Kepka and writer Lynn Dowling

On a hot July day, we dressed ourselves up with masks borrowed from a friend and started shooting self-portraits. We were fascinated by these characters and immediately named them Horace and Agnes.

Once we gave them identity, their story began to unfold. They met through random circumstance and their love for each other is literally blind. They exemplify a fairy tale of what would be like to fall in love with the right person…just because.

Horace and Agnes, along with their friends, are inspired by people and stories from our past and present. Sometimes by family members and sometimes by strangers we have encountered. The photographs are memories brought to life once again- recreated with as much detail possible to make the viewer become immersed in this magical and unique world.

The process of creating each photograph can vary–sometimes it is a spontaneous accident and other times it is a painstakingly long process of wardrobe selection, set building and prop collection.

The identity of each person behind the mask is kept secret. It is an amazing and eclectic group of people throughout the country. It’s been fascinating to watch people being transformed almost immediately once they put on the mask and clothing. The characters they portray can be the complete opposite of who they are in real life. Sometimes a simple mask can give one the opportunity to embrace and challenge their usual selves.

Asia Kepka and Lynn Dowling

R. Lee Post Anima Mundi @ Cambridge Homes

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R. Lee Post has been finding appearances of Anima Mundi when photographing in the natural world. Anima Mundi is described by Jungian psychologist as “that soul-spark, that seminal image, which offers itself through each thing in its visible form.”

A series of Post’s photographs, Anima Mundi, is featured at the Griffin Museum at The Cambridge Homes in Cambridge MA, September 9 through November 3, 2014.

“In unexpected places I discover and photograph fantastic faces, lyrical dancers, cartoon characters, archetypal figures and sometimes surreal or demonic subjects, “ says Post. “These appearances are often like Rorchach imagery with multiple interpretations.” She adds, “By photographing my interpretations of Anima Mundi, I hope to encourage others to see more soulfully and become more aware that spirit permeates everything.”

R. Lee Post is a Cambridge-based photographer and a graduate of Rhode Island School of Design receiving her MFA in photography studying with Harry Callahan and other photography greats.

Bill Chapman, The Color of Baseball

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For Bill Chapman Rickwood Field in Birmingham, Alabama represents the color of baseball. Over the course of 12 years Chapman has visited and photographed America’s oldest baseball park and its visitors. His friend, Dr. Ernest Withers, the master of social documentary photography who photographed the civil rights movement, told Bill Chapman countless stories of the Negro Leagues in Memphis and Birmingham. Withers introduced Chapman to the world of the Memphis Red Sox and the Birmingham Black Barons as well as Rickwood Field.

Bill Chapman’s The Color of Baseball will be featured in the Griffin Museum’s Atelier Gallery at the Stoneham Theatre in Stoneham, MA, August 14 – October 16, 2014. It runs parallel to the theater’s productions of “Picnic at Hanging Nook”, “Spamalot“, “Argonautika” and “Doubt, a Parable.”

A reception is August 20, 2014 6:30-8:00 p.m.

Bill Chapman says, “Rickwood [Field] is more than a well-preserved, century-old nostalgia piece. It is a sanctuary and haven for all of the players and fans of baseball that have played and passed though its gates over the years. Encapsulating more than just the charm of old parks, Rickwood has a unique charisma.”

Chapman is a graduate of Massachusetts College of Art. He has been in numerous exhibitions and his photographs have populated many books on baseball. He is the staff photographer and columnist for Boston Baseball Magazine.

Mr. Chapman resides in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Bill Chapman’s gallery talk on The Color of Baseball exhibit at Stoneham Theatre.

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