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Photography

Illuminating the Archive of Arthur Griffin: Photographs 1935-1955, Part II

Posted on March 2, 2021

“When looking at different photographers who have all these different ways of doing it, you can see how they exist in the world. You get a little sense of who they are and how they’re thinking. What’s going on in this person’s head? I want to know more.” Emily Kask, photojournalist

The Art of Photojournalism

By Madison Marone

shooters
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Outside of Trinity Church on Easter: Boston, Massachusetts

Introduction

The mission of the Griffin Museum of Photography is to encourage a broader understanding and appreciation of the visual, emotional, and social impact of photographic art. As an Exhibitions Assistant for the museum, I’ve been inspired to interpret Arthur Griffin’s photography with a contemporary eye. My intention is to highlight and provide context for his work so viewers may experience it in new and exciting ways.

Illuminating the Archive of Arthur Griffin: Photographs 1935-1955, views the region’s cultural heritage, traditions, and aesthetic through the lens of Griffin’s lesser-known work. The six-part exhibition explores how photography affects the way we relate to and understand the past. Each exhibit features historical, sociological, and creative interpretations of photographs from the museum’s collection. This installment focuses on the relevance of his time as a photojournalist.

AG Archive- shoveling
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Valentine’s Day Blizzard of 1940, Beacon Hill snow removal: Boston, Massachusetts

Arthur Griffin’s legacy lives on through the Griffin Museum of Photography. He is remembered as a successful photographer for the Boston Globe and a New England photojournalist for Life and Time magazines. Griffin was a pioneer in the use of color film, providing the first color photos to appear in the Saturday Evening Post. His work captures the essence and vibrancy of mid-20th century New England.

The adage, “a picture is worth a thousand words,” encapsulates the basis of photojournalism: the art of telling a story through photographs. Griffin spent many years as a photojournalist covering human interest stories, politics, celebrities, and sports. These photographs were printed in newspapers and magazines distributed locally and across the nation.

The following images are separated into sections covering three major themes present in Griffin’s work: capturing emotion, composing energetic shots, and establishing a sense of place. The exhibit features insights from Emily Kask, a contemporary New Orleans-based photojournalist whose work is featured in papers such as the New York Times and Washington Post. She shares her thoughts on documenting sensitive moments, the creative process, and growing as a photographer. Each section begins with an interview excerpt to gain insight into the perspective of a photojournalist.

Capturing Emotion

Madison: How do you capture emotion in your shots? What do you do to make people feel comfortable?

Emily: In terms of working past those awkward and sensitive moments, it’s really about intention and being honest with people about why you want to be there. Spending and committing that time… Photography can be so socially therapeutic. You get to push past these expectations and norms. I can be sent to rural Mississippi to someone’s house that I don’t know and three hours later we’re crying in their living room together. That’s so weird and I love that. It’s socially challenging and not what we feel like we’re supposed to do as human beings… I want to be able to cry with people. I want to be connected with people from all walks of life.

AG Archive- house demolitionist
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
House demolitionist Abe Boudreau: Enfield, Massachusetts

Photojournalism helps build a connection between the reader and the subject of a story. Images depicting the lives and feelings of others animate news reports, making them compelling and emotionally palpable. Capturing the warmth, excitement, sorrow, or intensity of a moment in a photograph creates empathy and understanding among people. Seeing the humanity of others in this way allows us to transcend time and space. Photojournalism adds vibrancy to current events, historical moments, and the experience of strangers.

Griffin had the ability to capture this vibrancy. His affection for the people and communities he worked with comes across in the following photographs. A lighthouse keeper is seen diligently cleaning the beacon, engaged in his unique line of work. Children gather for a photo that captures the joy and simplicity of youth. A candid and curious moment at the Museum of Natural History is preserved. Actress Gertrude Lawrence beams in her Cape Cod garden. And a Nantucket man smiles benevolently towards the camera. These emotional images help connect readers from all walks of life with the larger stories being told.

AG Archive- lighthouse keeper
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Boston Light lighthouse keeper: Boston, Massachusetts
AG Archive- Playing in water
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Playing in the South End: Boston, Massachusetts
AG Archive- Children at the Natural History Museum
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Natural History Museum 1942: (Berkeley Street) Boston, Massachusetts
AG Archive- Gertrude Lawrence at summer home
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Actress Gertrude Lawrence at her summer home: East Dennis, Massachusetts
AG Archive- Nantucket man
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Jim Coffman hosted clam bakes on Nantucket for over 30 years: Siasconset, Massachusetts

Composing Energetic Shots

Madison: How do you energize your photos?

Emily: Back when I was first starting out, Melissa Little said something at a conference like “photograph adjectives, not verbs.” That always stuck with me. It helps put my brain in a new spot. ‘How does this feel’ rather than ‘what is this.’ I can photograph someone walking or singing or riding a horse, but how are they doing it? How is it being done? That’s what is going to resonate rather than just being a fact. Of course, journalism has to be factual, but in order to make it visually compelling, there has to be this level of humanity, this whole other element that is going to draw you in and engage you.

AG Archive- Hurricane of 1938 cleanup
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Children cleaning after the Hurricane of 1938, inspiring hope: Sommerville, Massachusetts

Photojournalism can relay the energy of a story through the composition of a shot. Excitement is evoked by dramatic lighting, unique camera angles, and catching an important moment. These techniques help convey the movement and thrill of a scene. Photographs show how something feels in addition to what actually happened. They frame the story in a way that words can’t express.

While working as a sports photojournalist, Griffin often attended baseball games, track meets, and boxing matches. He photographed the atmosphere of crowds as they cheered on their favorite teams. Memorable moments, such as hitting a home run, are forever preserved in his work. These images allow people to feel the energy of the game rather than just read about it.

The following images tell energetically different stories. Spirited cheerleaders are photographed from a sideways angle, emphasizing their excitement. Track star, John Baricom, is seen moments before winning a race, his face filled with determination. A boxer in a spotlit ring recovers between rounds. Baseball fans are viewed from a low angle with the sky as their backdrop. A skier is backlit by the sun, creating an angelic glow as she descends the mountain. Photojournalists have the ability to dramatize and document these kinds of fleeting moments. Their artistic choices enhance our understanding of the scene.

AG Archive- Winchester high school cheerleaders
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
High school cheerleaders rouse the crowd during a game: Winchester, Massachusetts
AG Archive- Dartmouth track star
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
The moment before Dartmouth track star John Baricom breaks his own record and wins the race: Hanover, New Hampshire
AG Archive- Boxer in the ring
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Golden Gloves boxing match between rounds: Lowell, Massachusetts
AG Archive- baseball fans at Fenway
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Baseball fans absorbed in the game at Fenway Park: Boston, Massachusetts
AG Archive- Skiing in New Hampshire
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Gracefully skiing down Cannon Mountain: Franconia, New Hampshire

Establishing Sense of Place

Madison: How have you grown as a photographer?

Emily: I have become a better photographer with the more personal life experiences I’ve had. That’s what’s so key about doing this kind of work, you can find an 18-year-old who makes beautiful photographs, but when it comes to documentary work, you’re not going to be able to achieve the same level of empathy with someone who hasn’t had those life experiences. There’s a tenderness to it you get from getting older.

AG Archive- General Store after Hurricane of 1938
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
General Store after the Hurricane of 1938: Wareham, Massachusetts

Creating a “sense of place” is an essential element of story building. In photojournalism, this involves taking photos of the settings in which the news unfolds. Establishing shots help to set the mood, capturing the aura of a scene. This gives viewers a framework to better understand the context of a story. They are especially effective if the viewer has never been to the location or shared the same experiences.

Griffin lived in Massachusetts, but he was often on assignment across New England. The following photographs establish scenes in a variety of news stories he covered. The first features the silhouette of a lone man walking through Copley Square after a snowstorm. The second is a birds-eye view of a celebratory parade held for Bette Davis’ visit to New Hampshire. The third takes the perspective of onlookers during a fire in the Berkshires. And the final two show the Hurricane of 1938’s devastating aftermath. These establishing shots capture the essence of the larger story being told.

AG Archive- snow in Copley Square
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Copley Square after the snowstorm: Boston, Massachusetts
AG Archive- parade for Betty Davis
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Parade for Bette Davis: Littleton, New Hampshire
AG Archive- fire in the Berkshires
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Fire in the Berkshires: Massachusetts
AG Archive- aftermath of the Hurricane of 1938
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Hurricane of 1938 aftermath: Wareham, Massachusetts
AG Archive- beach after the Hurricane of 1938
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Swift’s Beach “where four cottages were” before floating away during the Hurricane of 1938: Wareham, Massachusetts

Final Thoughts

“Photographing and spending time with someone starts to break things down to that human-level… We get used to our lives every day. But your life is important, both the way you exist in the world and the larger issue. I think everyone needs to be reminded of that sometimes.” Emily Kask

AG Archive- painting buoys
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Painting lobster buoys: Port Clyde, Maine

Photojournalism is an art form that adds a visual element to news stories. It fosters a connection between individuals and communities across the nation. Images that capture emotions, convey energy, and establish a sense of place have the ability to bring current and historical events to life. Griffin’s work allows us to look back on these stories with fresh eyes, illuminating the past one photograph at a time.

Thank you to Emily Kask for taking the time to share insights on the art of photojournalism. Her work and contact info can be found on her website. 

Special thanks to the Boston Public Library for digitizing a large portion of the Arthur Griffin Archive so it may be accessible to the public. If you would like to view more photos and library material, visit the Boston Public Library for the Digital Commonwealth and the Digital Public Library of America.


Madison Marone is an Exhibition Assistant at the Griffin Museum of Photography and a graduate student pursuing her MSc in museum studies at the University of Glasgow. She holds a BA in film studies and sociology from the University of Vermont. Her interests include early to mid-20th-century art history, film theory, and exhibit design.


References:

Kask, Emily. Personal Interview. 22 February 2021.

Kenny, Herbert A., et al. New England in Focus: Through the Eyes of the Boston Globe. A. Griffin, 1995.

All images on this webpage © copyright 2021 by the Griffin Museum of Photography. All rights reserved.  No part of this webpage may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the museum except in the case of brief quotations from the written material with citation.

Filed Under: Arthur Griffin Tagged With: vintage photographs, Photography Education, Portraits, Arthur Griffin Archive, New England, Photography, black and white, documentary photography

Illuminating the Archive of Arthur Griffin: Photographs 1935-1955, Part I

Posted on February 16, 2021

“The Griffin is the embodiment of founder Arthur Griffin’s passion — to promote an appreciation of photographic art and a broader understanding of its visual, emotional, and social impact. Arthur’s goal was to share with visitors his enthusiasm for a medium that is diverse, imaginative, and informative.” -The Griffin Museum of Photography

Winter Traditions

By Madison Marone

AG Archive - winter barn
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Stowe, Vermont
AG Archive - winter fence
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Lincoln, Massachusetts

Introduction

As an Exhibitions Assistant at the Griffin Museum of Photography, I became curious about the stories and situations surrounding Arthur Griffin’s work. After looking through the archives, I noted that his photography has both artistic and historical value. This inspired me to curate the following exhibit reflecting on winter traditions in New England. Engaging with Griffin’s work helps frame our understanding of the past and deepen our appreciation of the present. The intention of this exhibition is to highlight and provide context for his photography so viewers may experience it in new and exciting ways.

Arthur Griffin’s legacy lives on through the Griffin Museum of Photography. He is remembered as a successful photographer for the Boston Globe and a New England photojournalist for Life and Time magazines. Griffin was a pioneer in the use of color film, providing the first color photos to appear in the Saturday Evening Post. His work captures the essence and vibrancy of mid-20th century New England.

Illuminating the Archive of Arthur Griffin: Photographs 1935-1955, views the region’s cultural heritage, traditions, and aesthetic through the lens of Griffin’s lesser-known work. This six-part exhibition explores how photography enhances our relationship with and understanding of the past. Each exhibit features historical, sociological, and creative interpretations of photographs from the museum’s collection.

AG Archive - sugar sap buckets
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Collecting maple sap: Wilmington, Vermont

This installment focuses on the history of winter traditions in New England. The following photographs depict specific situations where people came together to work and celebrate the season. In the first section, farmers and their families gather to create maple syrup. The second section explores the trend of “sugaring-off parties,” while the third details the annual Dartmouth Winter Carnival. Griffin’s work captures the spirit of these communities as they persevere through the coldest months and find joy in their traditions. Griffin’s photos do more than document moments gone by, they invite us to see ourselves in them.

Maple Sugaring

Collecting sap and turning it into maple products remains one of the oldest traditions in New England’s history. Indigenous North Americans discovered the process long before Europeans arrived in the region. It has continued to evolve and grow into the industry we know today.

Maple sugaring became a way for farmers to supplement their income over the winter months. They could sell syrup, candies, and sugary treats both locally and nationwide. The whole family would partake in the maple sugaring process. It involved tapping maple trees, hanging buckets, gathering sap, and retrieving it with animal-drawn sleds. The sap was boiled down into syrup, filtered, and bottled for storage or sale.

Griffin often visited Vermont and New Hampshire to document these farmers. His work provides a sense of connection with these communities as they labor to create income from this culinary treat. Photographs of children accentuate the fact that this duty is often inherited and passed down through generations. The last portrait of this section humanizes and honors an individual farmer in a style reminiscent of Dorthea Lange.

AG Archive - tree sap
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Tapping trees: New London, New Hampshire
AG Archive - buckets of sap
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Gathering maple sap: Marlboro, Vermont
AG Archive - cow pulling syrup
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Gathering maple sap: Wilmington, Vermont
AG Archive - pouring sap
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Gathering maple sap: New Hampshire
AG Archive - sap to syrup
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Boiling sap into syrup: Vermont
AG Archive - drinking syrup
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Testing the syrup: West Brattleboro, Vermont

Sugaring-Off Party: 1941

Sap harvesting season in New England ranges from February to April, coinciding with the coming of spring. One of the ways to celebrate this seasonal change is a “sugaring-off” party. These parties often include music, dancing, and of course, eating syrup-based sweets. Variations of sugaring-off parties have been held since maple sugaring began. Certain indigenous tribes developed sacred rituals and maple dances to honor the first full moon of spring, known as the Sugar Moon. The tradition of hosting sugaring-off parties is still alive today.

On April 5th, 1941, Griffin visited Franconia, New Hampshire. Bette Davis was in town for the world premiere of her movie “The Great Lie” and to celebrate her birthday. The day began with a sugaring-off party hosted by Wilfred “Sugar Bill” Dexter and his wife Polly. Celebrities and writers gathered to take part in the festivities.

Griffin documented the setting of the party as well as those in attendance. Establishing shots show sugar being prepared in big kettles while crowds gather around. Medium shots of buffet lines feature people tasting treats and conversing. Through these images, this vintage scene comes alive. They enable viewers to sense the joyous energy of a sugaring-off party.

AG Archive - snow syrup candy
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Drizzling hot syrup on packed snow to make “sugar snow”: Franconia, New Hampshire
AG Archive snow syrup
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Wilfred “Sugar Bill” Dexter (right): Franconia, New Hampshire
AG Archive - sap pouring
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Fresh maple sugar heated in kettles: Franconia, New Hampshire
AG Archive - Sap tasting
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Treats included doughnuts, sugar snow, pickles, maple taffy, and coffee: Franconia, New Hampshire
AG Archive - maple candy
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Sugaring-off party: Franconia, New Hampshire

Dartmouth Winter Carnival: 1939

Meanwhile, another form of winter festivities was taking place in New Hampshire: the annual Dartmouth Winter Carnival. The carnival was created in 1910 and is still going strong. What began as a weekend to promote winter sports on campus quickly turned into what National Geographic Magazine called the “Mardi Gras of the North.” Over the years, specific activities included ice sculpture contests, beauty pageants, slalom races, dances, polar plunges, and ice skating shows. Due to COVID-19 restrictions, 2021’s “Level Up: Carnival Rebooted” takes place online in the form of videos and virtual gaming. The carnival continues to be a celebratory part of Dartmouth’s identity. 

Griffin attended the carnival of 1939, the same year F. Scott Fitzgerald visited with Budd Schulberg to work on a screenplay for the movie “Winter Carnival.” Dartmouth was still an all-male college at that time. In an effort to attract female attendees, the school held a “Queen of Snows” beauty pageant from 1923 to 1973. Students were encouraged to bring dates from their hometown and neighboring colleges. On Friday afternoon, Hanover station would be bustling with reuniting couples, aspiring movie stars, and performers. The weekend was full of outdoor activities during the day and parties at night.

The following photographs capture the exciting atmosphere of the Winter Carnival. Griffin’s work depicts a sense of vitality, movement, and youthful enthusiasm. These images show a community coming together in celebration of friendship and the winter season.

AG Archive - couple travel
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Friday at Hanover Station: Hanover, New Hampshire
AG Archive - couples hanging out
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Friday night fraternity party: Hanover, New Hampshire
AG Archive - slope skiing
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Saturday morning slalom Race: Hanover, New Hampshire
AG Archive - winter dancing
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Dance at the Delta Tau Delta house: Hanover, New Hampshire
AG Archive - snow queen
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
The 1939 “Queen of Snows” Dorothy Gardner: Hanover, New Hampshire
AG Archive - snow queen and court
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
The “Queen of Snows” and her court: Hanover, New Hampshire
AG Archive - snow sculpture
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
Prize-Winning Snow Sculpture: Hanover, New Hampshire
AG Archive - kiss
Photo by Arthur Griffin, © Griffin Museum of Photography, All rights reserved
A goodbye kiss: Hanover, New Hampshire

Final Thoughts

In the year 2021, we may feel extra nostalgic for big gatherings and celebrations. We have had to alter and revise our own traditions and make sacrifices for the greater good. But, we will persevere. Through this experience, we will find even deeper meaning in the connections we have with one another. Engaging with Griffin’s work can help us celebrate our communities, remember our history, and keep traditions alive in our hearts.

Special thanks to the Boston Public Library for digitizing a large portion of the Arthur Griffin Archive so it may be accessible to the public. If you would like to view more photos and library material, visit the Boston Public Library for the Digital Commonwealth and the Digital Public Library of America.


Madison Marone is an Exhibition Assistant at the Griffin Museum of Photography and a graduate student pursuing her MSc in museum studies at the University of Glasgow. She holds a BA in film studies and sociology from the University of Vermont. Her interests include early to mid-20th-century art history, film theory, and exhibit design.


References:

 Pickert, Kate. “A Brief History of Maple Syrup.” Time, Time, 16 Apr. 2009, time.com/3958051/history-of-maple-syrup/.

 “Maple Sugaring History.” New England Maple Museum, 14 Mar. 2020, www.maplemuseum.com/maple-syrup-history/.

 Ely, Christina. “Maple Sugaring During a Full Sap Moon.” The Farmers’ Museum, 2011, thefarmersmuseum.blogspot.com/2011/02/maple-sugaring-during-full-sap-moon.html.

 Kelly, George. “Bette Davis Eyes Sugar Hill.” New Hampshire Magazine, 1 Mar. 2012, www.nhmagazine.com/bette-davis-eyes-sugar-hill-2/.

 Bald, Barbra. The North Star: Bette Davis, 4 Nov. 2008, newhampshireadventures.blogspot.com/2008/11/north-star-bette-davis.html.

 Rhodes, Jennie. “‘The Broken Country and Long Winter’: The History of the Winter Carnival.” The Dartmouth, 8 Feb. 2019, www.thedartmouth.com/article/2019/02/rhodes-carnival-history.

 Desai, Nicholas. “Fitzgerald Visits Hanover.” The Dartmouth Review, dartreview.com/fitzgerald-visits-hanover/.

All images on this webpage © copyright 2021 by the Griffin Museum of Photography. All rights reserved.  No part of this webpage may be reproduced in any manner whatsoever without written permission of the museum except in the case of brief quotations from the written material with citation.

Filed Under: Arthur Griffin Tagged With: Landscape, vintage photographs, Photography Education, Portraits, winter, Arthur Griffin Archive, New England, Photography, black and white, documentary photography

Griffin State of Mind | Marky Kauffmann

Posted on July 10, 2020

Since her first involvement with the Griffin Museum about twenty years ago, Marky Kauffmann has shown a dedication and love for the art of photography. For instance, her work has shown at the Griffin in numerous Annual Juried Exhibitions as well in a solo show of her work “Landscapes and a Prayer.”

Also, Kauffmann has taught professional workshops and lectures for us in an effort the raise up the next generation of photographers. Over the years, her creative spirit has fluidity blended with our mission to broaden the appreciation and understanding of the impact of photographic art to the world.

As a part of our Griffin State of Mind series we interviewed this creatively contagious personality to better illustrate to you the spirit of the Griffin Museum of Photography.


Describe how you first connected with the Griffin. How long have you been part of the Griffin team and describe your role at the Griffin.

Marky Kauffmann portrait

In 1996, I had an image in the Griffin Museum’s The Juried Show. That, I believe, was my first association with the museum. But when Paula Tognarelli joined the Griffin team as an intern in the early 2000’s, my interest in the museum grew.

Paula had been my student at the New England School of Photography and when she became executive director in 2006, I was thrilled!

In 2016, after I retired from teaching photography at the secondary school level, Paula asked me to join the museum’s Board of Directors as a Corporator. I have been on the Membership Committee since joining the board. In that capacity, I have used my connections at Boston area high schools and independent schools to create the Griffin Museum Secondary School Photography Teachers’ Alliance.

Every spring the Griffin hosts a luncheon for the Alliance, bringing together public and private school teachers to share ideas and forge bonds. And every winter, we sponsor an exhibit of their students’ work at Regis College’s Carney Gallery. In these ways, I have expanded membership to the museum.

 

How do you involve photography in your everyday? Can you describe one photograph that recently caught your eye?

Rachel Wisniewski Memento

Photo by Rachel Wisniewski from her series “Memento”

I remain primarily an analog photographer and have a darkroom in my studio in Somerville. If I am not shooting film, I am printing in my darkroom, so making photographs is part of my daily life.

I recently went to see the exhibit, THE FENCE, brought to Winchester thanks to the vision and foresight of Paula Tognarelli. Many of the images on display caught my eye but “12 years old. My house. A family friend” and “13 years old. High school parking lot. My English teacher” by Rachel Wisniewski from her Memento portfolio held particular resonance.

 

 

 

 

What is one of your favorite exhibitions shown by the Griffin (see online archive here ).

There have been so many extraordinary exhibits put on by the Griffin that it is difficult to choose just one. But Nancy Grace Horton’s exhibit, Ms. Behavior, at the Griffin’s satellite gallery at Digital Silver Imaging in 2014, is a standout.

When I saw the show, I simply laughed out loud. Horton’s images use wit and satire to skewer prescribed gender roles. As a life-long feminist, Horton’s sly, piercing humor captivated me.

What is your favorite place to escape to in nature…mountains? beach? woods? and why?

In 1990, my husband and I bought 86 acres of land on Cape Breton Island off the coast of Nova Scotia, Canada. We built a small cabin there, surrounded by ocean, mountains, and pine forests.

It is the place where I am most at home and most at peace. We have traveled there every summer for thirty years, and since retiring, we have also gone in the fall. But because of the surging cases of COVID-19 in the US, the Canadian border is closed until further notice. I find it utterly heartbreaking that I can’t go there this summer.

What is one book, song, or other visual obsession you have at the moment?

I recently read the novel, On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, by Ocean Vuong. The visual-ness of Vuong’s writing startled me. You get a glimpse of it just by reading the title of the book! And Sara Bareilles’ songs, especially her version of Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brick Road, got me through the spring.

What has been the most eye opening part of our time of physical distancing? 

I found and find the act of social distancing to be excruciating. Not setting eyes on my son for several months was hell, quite frankly. So, what is “eye opening” metaphorically, is that this could happen! We can be put in the position of not being able to be with the ones we love.

And literally “eye opening?” It was one of the most beautiful springtimes I have ever witnessed in New England. With less to do, there was more to notice. And that’s what photographers do – we notice, as in, make note of, and call attention to, the world.

If you could be in a room with anyone to have a one on one conversation about anything, who would that person be and what would you talk about?

I would like to be in a room with Francesca Woodman, the young photographer who killed herself at the age of 22. When I read about her life and work, I find parallels within my own life that I would love to explore with her. And I would like to tell her that I am inspired by her creativity everyday.

I find parallels within my own life…”         

Pivotal to Woodman’s career was her year spent in Rome, Italy, as part of the RISD’s Junior Year Abroad Honors Program. She was nineteen. I, too, spent my nineteenth year studying abroad – in Paris, France.

There, I studied with French photographer Claude LeMont and artist Tony Thompson. For me, the experience was also life altering, cementing my love for photography. I have always found Woodman’s self-portraiture to be extraordinarily inventive. She experimented wildly with clothing, props, and environments. I also try to be inventive with my photography, experimenting with darkroom techniques and chemistry.

In her essay, “On Being an Angel,” Gianni Romano writes that Woodman “utilized the female body to gain self knowledge.” In Fred Turner’s essay, “Body and Soul,” he states that Woodman “left behind images of an extraordinary inner life.” Her use of photography in these ways resonates with me, as I, too, explore themes around the female body and the female experience as a means of gaining self knowledge and an understanding of the life I have lived.

Why did she jump out of that window on the Lower East Side of Manhattan in 1981? I wish I could ask her. Her premature death and the loss it presents to the art world are incalculable.

 

See the work of Marky Kauffmann on her website. 

Filed Under: Griffin State of Mind, About the Griffin, Blog Tagged With: griffin state of mind, alternative process, griffin team, about us, Photography

Griffin State of Mind | Crista Dix

Posted on July 3, 2020

One of the most jovial personalities we have gotten to know here at the Griffin is Crista Dix. Four months ago, Crista switched up coasts and took a chance on the unpredictable north shore New England weather so she would have the opportunity to grow and develop the Griffin Museum of Photography beside Paula Tognarelli as our Associate Director.

So we asked her a few questions to get to know her most recent fascinations, projects and obsessions, and here is what we found out.


How do you involve photography in your everyday?

 

cwd buzz

Ode to Ansel © Crista Dix

I see photographs everywhere. I trip over my feet a lot. I spend most of my time looking up and out at the world around me. I have a photo project called Buzz Goes, and I carry a Buzz Lightyear wherever I go. He is my alter ego.

Can you describe one photograph that recently caught your eye?

We are thrilled to have the Photoville Fence in Winchester right now, and we have a few installations in front of the museum. The work by Tira Khan, Pattern Repeats, has been my moment of Zen as I go in and out of the museum.

 


Describe how you first connected with the Griffin.

I have known about the Griffin for 13 years. My first interaction was with the powerhouse that is Paula Tognarelli, our Executive Director. We met as peers, (when I had my gallery, wall space) at a portfolio review. One of my represented artists, Aline Smithson, was offered an exhibition at the Griffin, and that began my connection to this amazing institution. I started as the Associate Director in March of this year, having big shoes to fill following in the footsteps of Iaritza Menjivar.

TK conversation

The Conversation, 2018 © Tira Khan


How long have you been part of the Griffin team? Please describe your role at the Griffin

I arrived to one week of a very busy open museum, then the last 4 months I have been working in a very quiet space, looking forward to hearing the hum of an open public museum once again.

It is my job to support our indefatigable leader, Paula, in whatever she needs to get her job done and to make sure the operations of the museum run smoothly. 

What is one of your favorite exhibitions shown by the Griffin.

While I am partial to Aline Smithson’s Mid-Career retrospective, Self & Others, there are many shows I have loved. Zindagi, Bullet Points, Grey Matters, Horace & Agnes….I could go on. And on. And on.


What has been the most eye-opening part of our time of physical distancing? 

I have spent my life surrounded by people. Artists, clients, friends, family. I’m actually really private about my life. I love my time to myself, craved it when I didn’t have time to escape and be quiet. Now three months into this new normal, I find I really miss the ability to have daily interactions.

What is your favorite place to escape to in nature…mountains? beach? woods? and why?

cwd - mon valleyMy favorite escape is to the desert, where I can see endless sky, red rock and feel alive. Monument Valley is part of my soul. When I have red dirt everywhere on me and my belongings, I know I am home. I also love to explore, and Japan and India are always on the top of my list.


What is one book, song, or other visual obsession you have at the moment?

cwd lynn

24.6.20.19.00 © Crista Dix

As someone obsessed by politics, this has been an interesting period of time. There are so many books to read about our fractured political system.

I get my groove on on the way into work. Old school, funk and soul. Chaka Khan, Alicia Keyes, Lauren Hill, Erykah Badu, Jill Scott, Mary J. Blige, Janet, Aretha, throw in some Janelle Monae, Esperanza Spaulding, Queen B, Bill Withers and Anderson Paak, …and visually, I am obsessed with the view out my apartment window.

If you could be in a room with anyone to have a one on one conversation about anything, who would that person be and what would you talk about?

I would want to talk to my grandmothers. I miss their wisdom. I would dance with Bob Fosse, groove with Prince and share a meal and have a profanity laden conversation with Anthony Bourdain. I’d share a glass of chardonnay with Karen Sinsheimer and talk about what we do next.

 

Filed Under: Griffin State of Mind, About the Griffin Tagged With: Photography, Griffin Staff, Associate Director, Exhibitions, Operations

Photoville’s Fence comes to Winchester

Posted on June 17, 2020

The Photoville FENCE is coming to Winchester from June 20, 2020 until the week of August 24, 2020.
Coming to see the Fence? Print out the map and artist locations before you come.

Photoville FENCE
route of fence installs

This 8th edition of The Photoville FENCE in Winchester is unlike any past exhibition of this year-round public photography project, including the exhibitions we and others have presented on the fences of SoWA and around Boston over the years. This exhibition will take the form of Photo-Xs with a 10-foot diameter, one of Photoville’s customizable, modular and transportable systems to exhibit photography indoors and outdoors.  In the largest display of Photo-Xs, fifteen of these structures will be distributed throughout our Winchester Cultural District. Our installation is one of 13 installation sites in the United States and Canada.

We brought this exhibition to Winchester to celebrate our town becoming a cultural district, and because Winchester is an epicenter for photography. Though Winchester does not have the fencing required for the usual Photoville FENCE exhibition, its plentiful public spaces provide an opportunity for a one-of-a-kind exhibition that connects the town through photography and visual stories.

With this outdoor exhibition,  our public gets to experience our town and its cultural institutions and businesses through a nice manageable walk and a scavenger hunt type journey. These installations are all ADA compliant. Masks and social distancing are required during these times. We ask visitors not to touch the installations for sanitary reasons and please maintain 6 feet of social distance.

The photographers of the 8th Edition of the Photoville FENCE and the New England Regional Showcase will be on view beginning June 20, 2020. We will install on June 17/18, 2020. A selection of photographs from the Winchester and Burlington High Schools will also be showcased on the Photo-Xs.

The Photoville FENCE exhibition was planned to open alongside a festival involving the cultural institutions of Winchester on June 20, 2020. The Festival would have been free for the public as well with advanced ticketing. Due to the virus we can not be able to move forward with a live festival. We will plan a virtual festival during the installation.

 See two example photographs of the X’s from  Photoville Fence in Winchester 8th edition.

fence installation in Winchester
fence install

photos © Massachusetts Cultural Council

An event and exhibition like this takes a village to produce. Our village includes the people of Photoville the photographers from all over the world who submitted to The Photoville FENCE, and the scores of jurors who reviewed this massive international project. On a local level, the Griffin Museum of Photography has such gratitude for Mary McKenna, AIA, LEED AP, Chair of the Winchester Cultural District whose vision and persistence kept us on track. We thank Lisa Wong, the Town Manager of Winchester, for her foresight and feedback. We thank the Winchester Cultural District and the Mass Cultural Council for  funding, along with the Arthur Griffin Foundation (no relation to the Griffin Museum) and the Winchester Cultural Council. We also want to thank Ms. Levatino and Ms. Djordjevic of Winchester High School and Burlington High School for their organization and scanning efforts. Lastly, but not least at all, our gratitude goes to the interns for the Photoville FENCE from Winchester High School led by Mary McKenna. The map shown above was produced by Nathan Shepard of Winchester High School. This village wouldn’t be complete without our great public. We hope you will visit our town’s installation of the Photoville FENCE in Winchester.

Submissions are currently open for the 9th edition of The Photoville FENCE, which will be displayed in 9 cities between summer 2020 and summer 2021. Visit the website for details and to submit: fence.photovile.com

Any questions? Let us know. Visiting the Photoville FENCE in Winchester is free for all. Masks are manditory in public spaces during these times. Take out food for lunch or dinner in our many business establishments set up to control social distancing with established protocols. Shop our stores using social distancing protocols as well. Visit the Griffin Museum of Photography when we open, observing our social distancing protocols and using masks. All are welcome here when we finally open.

Check out the Winchester Star Article on the Photoville Fence in Winchester.

See the article in What Will You Remember  by Suzanne Révy.

Press release for the Photoville Fence in Winchester.

Photoville FENCE

PARTNERS

partners of the fence

Filed Under: Exhibitions, Public Art Tagged With: Winchester, MA, Photography, Photoville, public art, street art

Corona | Online Exhibition 2020

Posted on April 27, 2020

Blythe King

© Blythe King – With Pleasure

It’s spring, and we are all physically distanced and living via the interwebs to have shared experiences. At a time of renewal, time of reawakening, we are all yearning to break free. We hope to get outside, see the blooms on the trees, breathe deeply of fresh air, unafraid of life in the time of Corona.

.

dawn watson - glacial slide

© Dawn Watson – Glacial Slide, August 12, Lucy Vincent Beach, Chilmark, Massachusetts

Let’s brighten our outlook on Corona. In science terms, a Corona is a usually colored circle often seen around and close to a luminous body (such as the sun or moon) caused by diffraction produced by suspended droplets or occasionally particles of dust.

We want you to share your light with us. Send us your images of sunshine, light and spring. Metaphor, abstraction and suggestion of sunlight in addition to representational concepts are welcome.

We are looking forward to your visual contributions with our creative community.

Ellen Jantzen

© Ellen Jantzen – After Hours

Julia Borissova

© Julia Borissova from Running to the Edge, 2012

It is NOT about the virus. There are other calls you can submit to for this. Because of what we have been receiving, we are going to have to change our rules that we will not be including everything that is submitted. We thought we were clear in our call. We provided 6 examples. We may respond to you and ask you to submit another image, but because there is not much time we may just remove it and move on. We are sorry for the confusion. – PT

Filed Under: Call for Entries, Online Exhibitions Tagged With: corona, light, sunshine, online exhibition, griffin state of mind, Photography, griffin museum, open call, call for entries

10th Annual Photo Book Exhibition | Part 5

Posted on April 24, 2020

Today’s offering is the last in our series on the creative works of our Griffin 10th Annual Photobook Exhibition. Three artists from across the country telling stories crafted or envisioned.  To see the full list of works, or ti purchase any of the books you may have seen in these posts, contact Karen Davis of Davis Orton Gallery.

This is a great time to support artists and the arts community. We are believers that everyone should have access to art and creativity. Start a book collection, hold these objects in your hands. It is in the quiet moments where we can participate in someones creativity, especially through books that we engage our own.

Thomas Whitworth – Constructed Scenarios

cover whitworthThe idea for my book came from several years ago when I was pondering ways to visualize questions about the believability of photographs and their presentation of the “truth”. It occurred to me to create my own sets with tiny actors and light them and photograph them depicting scenes that might have happened or could happen and that were narratively suggestive, but not singular stories- the scenes could be interpreted in multiple ways, though they almost always suggested that something “bad” had happened or was going to happen. I additionally shot my own large background photographs from real world views and blended my fake world and real world parts together visually through lighting. So, the work presents real still life objects in a false scenario against reproduced backgrounds of actual landscapes, lit in a studio, digitally recorded and presented as archivally printed transparencies in led backlit frames- multilayers of real and unreal, or true and false. When I created enough of the pieces for a series, I of course, thought of presenting them together as a book- the book form of course, makes it easier to show the work rather than hauling around light boxes, but there is something certainly missing when looking at the images on a page versus lit up on a wall. So, I included a view of several pieces lit up and installed on a wall as the first image in the book.

What would you like us as viewers to take away from your images and text?

whitworth - mysteryTo answer the question about what I would want viewers to think about, I will take a few bits from my book’s introduction– The Constructed Scenarios series was created to involve viewers in the act of photographic analysis. The work walks a path between staged setup and photographically real representation. They are intentionally created to engage viewers into their invented narratives- the tableaus are specific enough to be familiar, but not so realistic as to be convincing illusions. These images are both story and still life, photographic reality and theatrical performance, small scale illusion and real world mimic. They present semi-factual information requiring analysis of their elements and an engaged interpretive skill- abilities that are sincerely needed to consider the truth in our vast image and information environments.

And, I will have to add that, given our current world situation, questioning what we are told before accepting it is an even more vital skill.

Whats your next project?

I am currently working on more of the Constructed Scenarios images and I intend to make a second book when I get enough of them done.

Artist Statement
The Constructed Scenarios series is created to involve viewers in the act of photographic analysis. These still lifes are built using HO scale model train figures, vehicles, structures, and lights. The backgrounds are 20″x 30″ prints of actual skies and landscapes. The objects and backgrounds are positioned and lighted to blend the 3D and 2D together. Like cinema, this work utilizes built sets, actors, props, lighting, and backdrops to form a narrative. The tableaus are specific enough to be familiar, but not so realistic as to be convincing illusions. These images are both story and still life, photographic reality and theatrical performance, small scale illusion and real world mimic. They require analysis of their elements and an engaged interpretive skill– abilities that are surely needed to question the truth of photographs in our current image and information environments.

About Thomas Whitworth

MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago, MA from California State University, Fullerton, CA, BFA from Florida State University, Tallahassee, FL.  Professor of Fine Arts- University of New Orleans, Assistant Professor- Herron School of Art, Indianapolis, IN, Visiting Artist- University of South Florida, Tampa, FL.

One person and group exhibitions, local, state, regional, national, and international over 40 years.
In the collections of the State of Louisiana, Bank of America, Chicago, IL, New Orleans Museum of Art, Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago, IL, Sackner Archive of Concrete and Visual Poetry, Miami Beach, FL.

Louisiana Division of the Arts Individual Artist Fellowship 2005 and 1993, Director’s Choice Award- Best Series, Praxis Photographic Arts Center, Minneapolis, MN, Best of Show- Photocentric 2017 Garrison Art Center, Garrison, NY, First Place Juror’s Award- Tampa Biennale, Artists Alliance Gallery, Tampa, FL. Now lives and works in central Florida.

Constructed Scenarios
2019
11 x 14”
32 pages  26 photographs
Hard cover
Printer: Snapfish
$50

Judy Robinson-Cox – Finding Lilliput

Where did the idea for the book come from?
The book started as a portfolio style book about a series of photos that I’ve been making since 2004 that I call “Lilliputian Landscapes”. I wanted to incorporate some of my earliest images, primarily of a tiny pig. Then decided to organize the images so that it told a story.
Lilliput coverWhat would you like us as viewers to take away from your after seeing your work and words?
I would like viewers to connect with the pig as he strives to fit in with the world, feel uplifted, and, for a time, forget about the concerns of life as we know it today.
What is your next project?
I am making a lot of new work now. Anything could happen.
Anything else you’d like to add about your process or series, feel free to add so I can make a fuller post about your work.
See “Back Story” at the end of my book.

Artist Statement: For the young at heart, Finding Lilliput, is about a tiny pig named Percy, who is no bigger than a fly. He longs for tiny friends just like him. When he learns about the land of Lilliput, he sets out in a tiny boat to find it. The book, written for children and adults, follows Percy’s adventures in his discovery of Lilliput.

The book grew from a series of photographs that I have been taking for the past 15 years called Lilliputian Landscapes … fantasy landscapes that I create with food, found objects and tiny plastic figures, then photograph with a macro lens. The miniature people transform the scene into a world with a life of its own. Cauliflower becomes a snow-covered hill, and a butternut squash turns into a construction site. I create each scene entirely in front of the camera and do not use Photoshop or any other computer tool to construct the picture.

The photographs have evolved over the years with a new theme or subject each year. They began with a tiny pig and evolved into landscapes made entirely of fruit, vegetables and 3/4” high figures. Then came sushi, Fiestaware, flowers, technology, money, games, artists, bubbles, ice, vintage objects and so on. Finding Lilliput incorporates some of my early work.

Bio: Gloucester, MA based photographer, Judy Robinson-Cox, has been creating miniature photographic tableaux for the past several years. Originally a mixed-media abstract artist and macro photographer, she creates and photographs tiny imaginary worlds to escape from the prejudices, hatred and politics that permeate our culture.

She is represented by the Square Circle Gallery in Rockport, MA; Gallery 53 on Rocky Neck in Gloucester, MA; and is in the permanent collection of the Culinary Arts Museum at Johnson & Wales University.

Finding Lilliput
2018
5.5 x 8.5”
48 pages   27 photographs
Soft cover
Printer: Pritivity.com
$18

Steve Anderson – Faces.  Surrealism.  book 3

…FACES is the 3rd book ( out, of 4, ) in the SURRURALISM series.
..this book,..and, the others,…explore,…    ….nature,…hidden worlds,..randomness,..dreams,..birth life death.
faces - anderson…I am very much influenced by various ‘ painting movements.’    ( Surrealism.
..Pittura Metafisica.   …Symbolism.    ..& others.)

Artist Statement: The photographs in this ongoing series, Surruralism explore birth, life, death, … dreamscapes, … family, … animals, … other worlds, in a rural setting. …influenced by painters/ paintings.   …various art movements. ( Surrealism.  …Pittura Metafisica.   ..Symbolism. )

faces - andersonThe images have not been manipulated. Everything is as seen through the viewfinder.

Bio: B. 1949.   …raised on a small farm, in N. Illinois.
…have lived in Oregon for many years.  …photos, in private collections.   …exhibitions, in the US, ..Ireland,..& the Netherlands.

Faces, Surruralism: Book 3

2018
Design: Picturia Press
8 x 10”
88 pages     175 photographs
Soft Cover
blurb.com
$59

Filed Under: Exhibitions Tagged With: Karen Davis, Artist Books, David Orton Gallery, constructed photography, Photography, book art, photography books, artist made books, griffin museum, Paula Tognarelli

10th Annual Photobook Exhibition | Part 4

Posted on April 23, 2020

Today’s selection of phonebooks in part 4 of our series showcases those who are connected to family, science and history. As part of the 10th Annual Photobook Exhibition juried by Karen Davis and Paula Tognarelli, these books highlight the creativity of each artist.

Read on.

Kate Miller Wilson  – Look me in the Lens

 In photographing my son daily, I realized I was also photographing his autism. The photos offered a glimpse into his world. Our story resonated with families and photographers around the world, and I felt the best way to portray it was in a book format that coupled my photos with my son’s insights about autism.

What do you hope we as viewers and readers take away from reading your book?

look me in the lens - wilsonAfter seeing my book, I would like readers to feel compassionate and connected – to others on the autism spectrum and to one another. We all have some of the traits of autism, and it is through these commonalities (and hopefully through my work as well) that we can connect. I want people to have a more nuanced view of autism – not solely as a disability but as a gift as well.

What is next for you?

I am continuing my work photographing my son as he enters the teenage years, although I mainly shoot large format film now. I feel that this time of transition is challenging for most kids, but it presents a unique challenge in people who rely heavily on routine. As we work through this time of change together, I hope to capture it on film.

Is there anything else we should know about you, your work or your process?

lens - miller wilson

You don’t know what you’re capable of. We’re both so worried about the coming school year, about the anxiety that could erase all the progress we’ve made this summer. But you’ve learned so much about yourself and your emotions. We can do this together.

My work, whether it’s about autism or not, is always about connection. I feel that we have never needed connection more than we do right now when we are separated from family and friends. Much of my autism series is about connecting across a barrier, and that is something we all must do now. Our work as photographers and artists is to provide the voice and common ground for our larger society during this time.

Artist Statement: Using film and digital photography, I strive to create images of tonal depth and vivid sensory detail that act as a starting point for a viewer’s unique visual journey. My work explores the themes of connection, loss, and self-discovery, often through the lens of my own perspective as the parent of a child on the autism spectrum. I work hard to produce images that walk the line between light and shadow and are faintly (or not-so-faintly) unsettling because they touch on something familiar – an emotion, a memory from childhood, a nameless longing.  I believe we are all striving to connect, no matter how different our perspectives may seem, and I hope my work fosters that connection.

About Kate Miller-Wilson

Kate Miller-Wilson is a Minnesota-based fine art photographer and writer, who believes strongly in daily creative practice and self-challenge.  She uses everything from large format film cameras and ancient lenses to modern digital tech to create work that touches the viewer and prompts connection.

Together with her son, she authored the successfully crowd-funded photo book, Look Me in the Lens, which explores how autism affects the parent-child bond.  Her award-winning work has been featured in numerous gallery exhibitions around the country and published in Shots Magazine, Lenscratch, My Modern Met, Natural Parent Magazine, and many others.

Look Me in the Lens: Photographs to Reach Across the Spectrum
2018
Other Contributor: Eian Miller-Wilson, provider of insights
9 x 11″
108 pages  60 photographs
Hard cover
Printer: Edition One
$50.00

 

Mark Peterman – These Years Gone By

peterman book coverThese Years Gone By… is a love story told through my grandparents letters from World War II. Shortly after my grandmother’s death in 2008, my mother discovered about 300 letters that my grandparents had written to each other during World War II. They had been kept by my grandmother for over 60 years and inherited by my mother. These letters provided a new insight for my family into the lives of my grandparents during this critical time in world history. From these letters, artifacts and old family photos, I have woven together a narrative that tells the story of this challenging time in their personal history.

Where did the inspiration for the book project come from?

Growing up, there was a certain mystique about my grandfather’s time in the military. There were vague stories among the family that no one could quite confirm. Those stories would come to life when my mother would show us my grandfather’s large metal foot locker that she kept with all his possessions from his time in the military.

What would you like us as viewers to take away from reading and viewing your book?

peterman - printThis project is more of a curatorial effort through family history with artifacts and old family photos. While this project is narrative driven and embraces my interest in family and world history my other work is slightly different.

Whats next for you creatively?

I have been working on more narrative storytelling projects with all the recent downtime that involve scenes I have created of small scale environments that I call Constructed Realities.

Artist Statement:
These Years Gone By… is a love story told through my grandparents letters from World War II. Shortly after my grandmother’s death in 2008, my mother discovered over 300 letters that my grandparents had written to each other during World War II. They had been kept by my grandmother for over 60 years and inherited by my mother. The letters provided a new insight into the lives of my grandparents during this critical time in world history. From these letters, artifacts and family photos, I have woven together a narrative that tells the story of this challenging time in their personal history.

About Mark Peterman – 

I’m an artist who explores narrative storytelling through photographs and multimedia using constructed realities that cross over into implied fiction. My work contains a graphic story-telling quality with a cinematic feel.

Although my work embraces the post-modern world it is highly informed by history, and research plays an important part in my work. A desire to be creative on a daily basis fuels my curiosity about the human experience, I document experiences in sketchbooks as a way of remembering my life.

My work has been featured in the Prix De La Photographie Paris, American Photography 28 and 35 Annual, PDN Photo Annual.

These Years Gone By
2018
8 x 10”
Pages: 118
hard cover
Printer: Blurb
$29.99

To see more about Mark Peterman‘s work, please log onto his website.

 

Mike Callahan – Circling and Finding

How did the book project come about?

In mid 2018, I was diagnosed with and began living with pancreatic cancer. This book (circling and finding) came to life between mid 2018 and early 2019.

callahan coverMy photography has always focused on images of the stuff of daily life ordinarily passed by or kept at the periphery. This approach was named ‘something and nothing’ by Charlotte Cotton in 2009 in her book ‘the photograph as contemporary art.’ These images interrogate the intimate cycles of identity, self-preservation and mortality.

In November 2019, I began working on a photo book considering the potentiality to generate a new prevailing behavioral contagion imagining what’s achievable in this moment of profuse creative incompletion.  (behavioral contagion is the propensity for a person to copy a certain behavior of others – originally discussed by Gustave Le Bon in his 1895 work ‘The Crowd: A Study of the Popular Mind’ and recently argued by Professor Robert H. Frank in his newest book ‘Under The Influence: How Behavioral Contagion Can Drive Positive Social Change‘).

Artist Statement
open hole callaghanMike Callaghan’s work focuses on fragmentation, rearrangement and reinterpretation while considering the intimate cycles of identity, preservation and mortality. Mike interrogates the subtlety of gesture and the subtlety of difference in a moment when frameworks of relationships are at once prominently visible and exhaustively hidden.

About Mike Callaghan 

Mike Callaghan is an artist and writer whose practice focuses on fragmentation, rearrangement and reinterpretation while considering the intimate cycles of identity, preservation and mortality. Mike interrogates the subtlety of gesture and difference in a moment when frameworks of relationships are at once prominently visible and exhaustively hidden. Mike’s work has been exhibited throughout North America and Europe, including at Griffin Museum of Photography (Massachusetts), Marin Museum of Contemporary Art (California), Center for Photographic Art (California), Reece Museum (Tennessee), Soho Photo Gallery (New York), Manifest Gallery (Cincinnati), Gallery 44 (Toronto), Propeller Gallery (Toronto), Elysium Gallery (Wales) and PhotoIreland (Dublin). Also, his work has appeared in a number of publications, including ZYZZYVA, Der Greif, BlackFlash, Drain, Crooked Teeth, Barzakh, Burningword Literary Journal and The Shanghai Literary Review. He earned an MFA from the San Francisco Art Institute.

circling and finding
2019
8.5 x 9.75”
80 pages
25 photographs

Fern Nesson – Signet of Eternity

 Where did the idea come from?

signet - fernMy father was a superb fine art photographer. In 1999, he and I published a book together about his life’s work. The book, Reflections, consisted of 100 of his photographs and six interviews that I did with him about his aesthetic and his process. Writing the book together was an intimate and extraordinary experience.  I learned so much about the life of an artist.

Years later,  when my father turned 85, he entrusted all his photographs to me: over 20,000 negatives and countless prints — the substance of his entire life as an artist. I spent a year curating and storing his work. Among the prints, I discovered many  exquisite photographs that I had never seen. I asked to interview him one more time. For the interview, I asked him only one question:

“Dad, are you afraid to die?” Here is what he said: “No. As long as I can create art, I feel alive. I don’t worry at all about what will come after. And I’ll live on in you. ”

Two years later, my Dad and I prepared a book, Envoi, comprising twelve of these “undiscovered”  black and white images and the transcript of that interview. I took the proofs to him for one last review on July 17, 2010. We sat together while he read every word and scanned every detail of the design. “It’s perfect,” he said, “don’t change a thing.” Since he looked tired, I asked, “Are we done?” “Yes. We’re done.” I rose to leave and he hugged me hard and told me he loved me. That night, he went to sleep and did not wake up.

 Signet of Eternity represents my journey  to recovery from this immense annd heart-breaking blow. I described this journey in my introduction to the book:

signet - fernWhen my Dad died and the sun went out. I felt the night sky open to infinity, icily reaching away from me in emptiness. For two years, nothing could console me for his loss. But then I took up my camera again. Without any conscious purpose, I began to photograph at night. At first, my photos were mostly black, sometimes with a tiny dot of the moon in the far distance. But, in time, more points of light crept in. Increasingly, I became more interested in finding light than in recording darkness. The dark of night became a space with the potential for illumination, for complexity, for life and liveliness, even for warmth.
This book traces my journey from loneliness, grief and the fear of death to a place where light and life continue to exist. Photography, my father’s passion, gave me the courage to face both his death and mine. As he plainly knew, my father is now part of the eternal and he makes the night brighter for me. ”

About the genesis of the book – 

I had no idea how to recover from my father’s death but , taking my cue from him, I turned to photography. What had been a life-long hobby for me, I now saw as a lifeline. My father taught me that creating art was life-affirming and I trusted him. I quit my job and enrolled in an MFA program to study photography. Three years later, I emerged with a degree and also with ths book.

In crafting Signet of Eternity, I read many books from all cultures on the themes of life and loss: poetry, Eastern religious texts, biblical texts, novels, even song lyrics. I excerpted those that spoke to me and paired them with three types of images: 1) abstract photographs, 2) Zen paintings and 3) “signets.” Signets were my way of creating smail signs that point to eternal life.  I drew the name, signets, from a line in a poem by the great Indian poet and philosopher, Rabindranath Tagore: ” press the signet of eternity upon many a fleeting moment of your life.”  In the book, I arranged the texts and the photographs to represent my jouney from darkness into light. The book begins with despairing texts and dark photographs and progresses to more transcendent writing and bursts of color in the images.

 Signet of Eternity  mirrors my own journey from despair to acceptance, to joy, and from amateur to fine art photographer. Since publishing this book, I have done several other photobooks and have more in the works. But Signet of Eternity, dedicated to my father, and a lifeline to me, will always be the one that is closest to my heart.

As Rabindranath Tagore so eloquently put it:

“All things rush on, they stop not,

no power can hold them back,

they rush on.

Is it beyond you to be glad with

the gladness of this rhythm?

to be tossed and lost and broken

in the whirl of this fearful joy? ”

What would you like us as viewers and readers to take away from your publication?

Art can heal.

In my introductory essay to Signet of Eternity, I make that case:

Roland Barthes asserts that ” a photograph is a witness, but a witness of what is no more — a record of what has been.”  Every image is an image of death. But Barthes’ is wrong. His view is too narrow, too limited, even too literal. Although the camera records only a present moment it need not be “dead.”

The image itself may constitute a new, living moment.

Representational images — “decisive moments” — may very well be memento mori.  But what of abstract, non-representational photographs — images that create their own energy?  These, too, record a specific past moment but, if they hit their mark, they escape and float free of it.  An image that embodies energy and engages the viewer in a mutual experience of it is not merely a record of a past moment. It creates new energy. Like Cezanne’s paintings, it is alive; it breathes.

When I use my camera, my theme is not death.  The past and the limitations of photographic technology are trumped by physics.  Einstein’s equation runs two ways: just as energy can become mass, mass can become energy. Light and a camera produce the photograph. But a photograph can produce its own energy and light as well.

This book defies death. Creating it saved me; it brought me back to life. My father’s death was not the end for him nor was it for me. The texts I chose express a way to understand death as an event in a chain of events that precede and follow it. We were here before we were born and we will remain after we die.
The search is for the signet of eternity: what lasts? what persists? what dissipates mourning and despair? Can we escape the black hole of death through finding the light? And, in escaping, can we find the person we have lost in that very light, where, as we know from the physicists, he must, in fact be?

Working on Signet of Eternity gave me the strength to face my father’s death: to wrestle with grief, to rise from depression, to find the light and the energy to move forward without forgetting, minimizing, denying or repressing the pain.  It worked for me and I invite you to put it to work for you.

What projects do you have coming up?

I have two other photo books that are crrently in their final drafts:

Word, a memoir that consists of a rather long essay and 50 accompanying abstract photographs each including words in some form.
All Here, All Now, a book of three essays on the nature of time in physics and 75 abstract images that riff on the theme.

Signet of Eternity
2017
166 pages   80 images
hard cover  $200

 

Pamela Connolly – Cabriole

Cabriole - connollyWhat was the inspiration for the book project?
As a child I spent endless hours roaming the maze of rooms in my father’s furniture store. The shapes that filled these spaces,1960’s reproductions of ‘Early American’ furniture became imprinted in my consciousness. Fifty years on I find that looking at the outlines of this particular style of furniture open a portal to my childhood and what it felt like to be me then. I move back and forth in time as these familiar shapes surface in my day-to-day life.
What do you hope we as viewers and readers take away from your phonebook?
Hopefully viewers will be transported to an ethereal world of light and shadow that contemplates childhood memory, aging, and the passage of time.
What is next for you?
I am currently working on a series of ’Tin Houses’ (working title), which I see as a continuation of ‘Cabriole’.

cabriole hairArtist Statement  As a child I spent many hours roaming the maze of rooms in my father’s furniture store. The shapes that filled these make-believe spaces, 1960’s reproductions of ‘Early American’ furniture became imprinted in my consciousness. Without realizing it I committed these shapes to memory.

Fifty years on I find that looking at the outlines and forms of this particular style of furniture open a direct portal to my childhood, and what it felt like to be me then. I move back and forth in time as I see these familiar shapes surface unexpectedly in my everyday life.

About Pamela Connolly

Pamela Connolly has exhibited throughout the US and Europe, including at the National Portrait Gallery in London where she was a finalist in the 2015 Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize exhibition. Her photographs are in the collections of Houston Museum of Fine Arts and numerous private collections. Her self-published book, ‘Cabriole’ will join the collection of the Indie Photobook Library at Yale University, and the International Center for Photography Library.

Connolly taught photography at The Horace Mann and Masters Schools in New York for 10+ years. She has also organized photo-workshops to kids at risk, most notably in collaboration with the ‘Kids With Cameras’ organization in post- Katrina Louisiana. This workshop culminated in an exhibition entitled ‘Where We Live’ at the Union Gallery at Louisiana State University and the State Library in Baton Rouge and Muhlenberg College where Connolly was invited as a visiting artist.

Cabriole
2019
7 x 9.75″
24 pages 23 photos Soft cover
Hand stitched, 3 hole Japanese stab binding
Self-printed

$75

Filed Under: Exhibitions Tagged With: griffin museum, Davis Orton gallery, Paula Tognarelli, Karen Davis, Photography, photo books, artist made books

10th Annual Photobook Exhibition | Part 3

Posted on April 21, 2020

Its day 3 of our Photobook Exhibition posts. Today we look at the objects we surround ourselves with. We hope that as we all stay safe at home, we can take some time to hold the objects we care for with reverence and care. Books can transport us to another space, and especially in these times of physical distancing, it is those objects that get us through our days.

Read on to celebrate these talented artists.

Kent Krugh – Speciation: Still a Camera

Where did the idea for the book come from?  

Krugh - speciationI first started using X-rays as a tool to visually explore objects in 2010 when I took a box full of my daughters’ dolls to work. The X-rays were ghost-like and haunting, and I liked them. I could literally see beneath the surface (as the photography cliché goes). The source of X-rays is a linear accelerator– the same machine that is used to treat cancer patients. But treating dolls with cancer killing rays was not the end goal, of course. I continued making X-rays with other objects from diverse sources such as nature (birds, seed pods, skulls), flea markets (vacuum tubes and light meters), and musical instruments.. Five years ago, I started X-raying cameras Actually, I X-ray anything that seems interesting to me and fits on a few pieces of film or the digital imager. I have a small collection of thirty cameras that I started X-raying in 2015.  I made a few prints and showed them to my photography friends.  Many of them let me borrow their cameras to X-ray.  After three years I had made x-rays of 130 cameras. The idea of the book came from a portfolio review of the camera X-rays by Jennifer Yoffy in Atlanta.  It was published in December 2018 by Fraction Editions and 500 copies were printed.

What would you like us as viewers to take away from your after seeing your work and words?  

krugh - twoThis work uses x-rays to explore the micro-evolution of cameras and is a metaphor about the limits of evolution. While form and media may have changed, the camera is still a camera: a tool to create images by capturing photons of light.  Today’s sophisticated digital cameras look and operate far differently than the first cameras of the nineteenth century, however the essentials have not changed.  The photographer points a contraption with a lens towards the subject to encode its likeness on a storage medium, be it film or digital sensor.  And this contraption has been manufactured in many wonderful and clever designs, the complexity usually hidden inside.  While making these x-rays, I have been surprised and astonished by what I found inside the cameras.   The lens, when imaged from the side, contain a multi-element train of perfectly shaped glass forms whose purpose is to collect and direct light towards the target.

In quite another sense, this project is an homage to the cameras I have owned, used, or handled. The tools of the trade, having faithfully imaged for decades, have themselves been imaged.   The resulting images align with an inner desire to probe those unseen spaces and realms I sense exist, but do not observe with my eyes.

What is your next project? 

I am now taking X-ray of my grandchildren’s toys.

Anything else you’d like to add about your process or series, feel free to add so I can make a fuller post about your work.

“Speciation” is the process where new species can arise when populations are reproductively isolated.  The can be due to random mutations and natural selection, or hybridization between closely related species. This process of speciation has been documented by many and is difficult to deny.  Many insist that this is indeed evidence of evolution in action—given enough time this same process has given rise to all forms of life on earth.  And many also insist that this process can indeed produce species and variation within species, but this is the limit of evolution—no one has ever seen a dog produce a non-dog.  So, to close the loop—a camera is still a camera, though tremendous diversity exists.

Bio: Kent Krugh is a fine art photographer living and working in Cincinnati. He holds a BA in Physics from Ohio Northern University and an MS in Radiological Physics from the University of Cincinnati. His work has been exhibited in numerous exhibitions both national and international and in major festivals including FotoFest in Houston and the Festival de la Luz in Buenos Aires. He is the recipient of numerous awards and honors in both national and international print and portfolio competitions. Krugh has been a Photolucida Critical Mass Finalist. His work is held in various collections including the Cleveland Museum of Art, the Portland Art Museum, and the Cincinnati Art Museum.  A book of camera x-rays and essays by A.D. Coleman and Barbara Tannenbaum, Speciation: Still a Camera, is recently published.

To see more of Kent Krugh‘s work log on to his website.

Speciation: Still a Camera
2018

Bree Lamb, Editor
A.D. Coleman, Author
Barbara Tannenbaum, Author
98 pages   69 images
$40

Bootsy Holler -Treasures

Where did the idea for the book come from?

Holler - treasuresThe idea was formed when I started a series called Treasures:  44 objects, about all the things I’ve known for my whole life that live at my mothers house.  The end product was a 6 x 8 x 3.5 inch wood box which included all 44 objects on 5 x 7 inch cards, Edition of  3.  I decided to start putting all my fine art in book form for my family or anyone to easily enjoy. Treasures: objects I’ve known all my life, was perfect to start with, as I felt like it was already a book, and all the images were ready to go.

What would you like us as viewers to take away from your after seeing your work and words?

holler - treasuresTreasures is a short story if you read the back of each card.  Each card tells a bit about the life of the object.  The images might trigger your emotions about objects you may have grown up with, so I want you to feel a connection to an object and have your own memory.

What is your next project?

My next book project is my Rock’n Roll photographic memoir about my time spent in the Seattle music scene.  I photographed the scene between 1995 and 2010.  I have so much portraiture and life images that have never been seen outside of Seattle.

Anything else you’d like to add about your process or series, feel free to add so I can make a fuller post about your work.

treasures 2 hollerTreasures is a humorous look at the objects people live with, that we build our lives around, that we give breath to, and how they eventually become part of our lives – and tell our stories.
Artist Statement: These objects we live with, that we build our lives around, that we give breath too, become part of our lives — and tell our stories.

I often like to show the simple things in life through my art, and specifically in regards to “Treasures” I want to show how these ordinary objects have purpose and beauty. I hope that by photographing them, I’m getting people to stop and look at the mundane. For me, it’s a meditation on the simple things we can overlook.  In my own way I’m listening to what the objects have to say. The mindfulness comes with stopping. Listening. Transcending the objects we collect from “just stuff” to “treasures.”

Bio: Bootsy Holler is an intuitive artist who has been a working photographer for over 25 years in fine art, music, editorial, and advertising.  Best known for her remarkably sensitive style of portraiture, she has been noticed and awarded by the Society of Photographic Journalism and Association of Alternative News-media.

Now a fine art photographer her work examines the nature of identity and the reimagined family photo album.  Bootsy has exhibited in 17 solo shows and over 30 group exhibitions over the years. Her fine art has been featured in publications including PDN, NPR, Lenscratch, and Rangefinder.

Her Visitor series was selected for Critical Mass Top 50 in 2011.  She has been commissioned by commercial companies to design and produce art for their creative advertising spaces and has work in the Grammy Museum permanent collection, as well as in private collections around the United States and Europe.

To see more of Bootsy Holler‘s work log onto her website.

Objects I’ve known all my life
2019
Other contributors: PaperChase, Print & Bind
Sara Morris, Editor
Jason Adam, Designer
6.5 x 4”    94 pages  44 photos
Soft Cover  Printer: Paper Chase Press
Price: $55

Linda Morrow – Caught in the Looking Glass

morrow - bookArtist Statement: Caught In The Looking Glass is a handmade artist’s book that celebrates random reflections that appear on a shiny surface. Twelve color images illustrate that, indeed, another world can exist within the frame of a mirror. This lay-flat book contains twelve images that were captured in or around a chateau in the South of France. Inside covers are lined with mirrored paper; the book is enclosed by a soft, paper slip case.

Bio:  Linda Morrow is a fine art photographer and book artist who lives in Long Beach, CA. Her childhood played out on a ranch in Arizona where she spent long hours memorizing the landscape and using her imagination to amuse herself. This background combined with years of teaching likely brought about her love of books and her interest in the process of making them.

To see more of Linda Morrow‘s work log onto her website.

Caught in the Looking Glass
2018
Size of book 8×8”
Other contributor:
Jace Graf – binder, consultant
32 pages  12 photographs
Binding: open spine stitching
inside covers: mirrored paper
with handmade slip case
hand-made
Price- $175

Melisa Eder – The Beauty of Bodega Flowers

Eder - bodega flowersArtist Statement: As a diehard New Yorker, I have often admired the flowers one may find in her neighborhood bodega. Bodegas are unique and ubiquitous to the various neighborhoods in New York City; of course, pending gentrification. Their locations span from the Bronx to the Lower Eastside and Queens, Staten Island and Brooklyn. They are reliable 24 hour stores where one can purchase a beverage, lottery tickets, smokes or a sandwich. Many are also places where you could buy a colorful bouquet of flowers in a pinch. Wrapped in cellophane, these bouquets are specifically identified as ‘Bodega Flowers’. Some may view these flowers as ‘cheap or less than’ but that’s simply not the case. Roses come in every color, Daisies are pretty, and fluorescent Pom Poms are for the taking. Bodega Flowers are for everyone and they are truly beautiful!

Bio: Melissa Eder’s work has been shown nationally and internationally; venues include: Bronx Museum of the Arts, New York University’s Broadway Windows Gallery, Art in General, the Aperture Foundation, the Humble Arts Foundation, the Whitney Houston Biennial, the Parlor Gallery, the Urban Institute of Contemporary Art, Grand Rapids, Michigan.

She was an artist-in-residence at the Henry Street Settlement in New York City, the Saltonstall Foundation in Ithaca, New York and the Atlantic Center for the Arts in New Smyrna Beach, Florida. She has received numerous grants including funding from the Puffin Foundation and two Manhattan Community Arts Fund grants from the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council. Her work has been reviewed by the New York Times, highlighted in Feature Shoot and various other publications. She participated in the Satellite Art Show during Art Basel Miami 2016. Melissa works in Brooklyn as an artist in residence through the chashama studio residency.

To see more of Melissa Eder‘s work log on to her website.

The Beauty of Bodega Flowers
2019
12×12”
20 pages   10 images
Hard Cover
A singular flower photo sticker is adhered to each page opposite the image of a group of flowers
$120

Dan McCormick – Photograms

Where did the idea for the book come from?

mccormick - photogramsThe idea for this project came when I found out that the new art teacher in my son’s grade school was teaching the class to color within the lines. I knew that if I confronted her in an argument that she had a bad idea, I would loose the argument. So I choose to undermine her teaching by having my son create photograms in our bedroom – bathroom. I began that series in 1984 with each of my kids taking turns posing and then we developed the photograms in the bathroom. I came back to photograms fifteen years later, in 1999 with professional models. A second time I came back to the photograms with professional models around 2015. This when I came up with the idea of creating a book with these three sets of images.

What would you like us as viewers to take away from your after seeing your work and words?

I am a formalist. I wish the audience to read the symbolism of the juxtaposition with the human body and to enjoy the lights and darks and the lines of the figure with odd shapes of the elements.

What is your next project?

I am doing cell phone grids with images of nudes, 3 x 3 and 3 x 4.

Photograms
2018
Afterword by Lyle Rexer
Edited by James Luciana
12 x 12”  39 pages  41 images
Hard cover  Blurb

 

 

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Photography, photo books, objects, self published

10th Annual Photobook Exhibition | Part 1

Posted on April 13, 2020

What is better than staying at home with a good book? This week we look at the 10th Annual Photobook Exhibition currently at the Griffin. A photobook relies on the image to form visual sentences,” says Paula Tognarelli, executive director and curator of the Griffin Museum of Photography. “A photobook that is produced well can transport us in time and place just as any book produced with the written word.”

We will break this overview of 30 artist books, all self published into a few parts so you can spend time getting to know the artists intent. Today’s offerings look at the natural spaces we inhabit.

Nancy Oliveri – Flora & Fauna , People of the Scorched Earth

Flora & Fauna Nancy OliveriFlora and Fauna evolved from my 2016 solo exhibition of found photographic compositions of dead birds, fish, insects, industrial debris and hospital waste found in the Gowanus Canal. I moved the project into my studio to have more control over staged lighting and composition of Post-Mortem Portraits.I wanted the viewer to embrace a heightened celebration of death as the force that makes life most mysterious and compelling by staging dead creatures and natural beauty through a fairly indirect and palatable metaphor. The series is inspired by Surrealism, 17th Century Dutch and Flemish painting and Victorian Post-Mortem Photography.

People of the Scorched Earth Nancy OliveriPeople of the Scorched Earth is a collection of fictional photographic landscapes created in response to the recent manifestations of and climate change  including extreme fires, floods and monster storms around the world.  It’s a series about grief and horror presented in a seductive, fantastical storybook landscapes scenes from the future and the past. My intention was to induce a state of psychological conflict somewhere between destructive impulses and denial, rationalizations and magical thinking and power of healing and resilience in the natural world.

 

Nancy Oliveri Birds Eye ViewWhat is your next project? – 

This is an image from my current work during the COVID quarantine. Since I have been working on still life photography for several years in my home studio in Brooklyn where I know the light and seasons, it hasn’t been much of an inconvenience for me.. I have an ancient and gigantic Magnolia tree outside of my window so I have been using it in my still lifes. It’s primeval and one of the oldest flowering trees on Earth so I consider it the greatest gift this spring.

 

 

About Nancy Oliveri –

Nancy Oliveri is an American who lives in NY. She was raised in a small Connecticut town named Uncasville after the Chief of the Mohegan tribe. She grew up during the 60’s and 70’s, inspired and influenced by the drive-in movie theater where her father worked. She later studied film and photography at Hartford Art School in the 80’s with an emphasis on conceptual art which continues to be a central influence in photographic and artistic practice.

She has shown her work extensively in the US and internationally including a solo show Ph21 Gallery Budapest in 2016 and also was acknowledged as a finalist for the Julia Margaret Cameron and Pollux awards and was invited to exhibit in the Berlin Foto Bienniale.

She is also a licensed psychotherapist in private in Manhattan where she works with artists, writers & creative entrepreneurs.

Flora and Fauna
2019   8 x 10”   62 pages
60 images   Hardcover   edition of 100
Self-published by Olive&Root
$200

People of the Scorched Earth
2019   8 X10”   64 pages
62 images   hard cover   edition of 100
Self-published: Olive & Root
$200

James Collins – Patio Life

Statement about Patio Life
There is a mean-looking wasp sitting on the arm of an empty teak chair on the patio in my backyard. Every day the wasp visits. Why does it keep landing on the chair?

I want answers.

patio life james collinsI live in a small town, at least spatially, in Greater Boston. The town is five and a half square miles with 42,000 residents and an abundance of tiny, often unseen critters lurking in its yards—yards measured in square feet, not acres. With a couple of chairs and a few flowers, a small suburban oasis was created on the patio. But those wasps…and these tiny spiders that seem to jump into thin air? What else is living around me?

I need answers.

The camera provides an up-close peek at my fellow patio dwellers whose respective behaviors pique my curiosity and intrigue me. All subjects seen were photographed outdoors in my backyard or front porch; none were harmed. Whether planting a single flower or large garden—you won’t have to travel far to find interesting neighbors if you look close enough.

If you plant it, they will come.

About James Collins

James Collins has over 25 years of industry experience working as an award-winning graphic designer and commercial photographer working with clients ranging from international corporations to local small businesses in the design and production of their corporate communications. His work has appeared on billboards, brochures, catalogs, magazines, tradeshows, websites and packaging. He specializes in product photography and environmental portraits.

His exhibit “Patio Life” takes a closer look at the often unseen life that surrounds us at home. The exhibit features over 20 large format reproductions of macro life, an overhead map featuring the locations of where the insects where photographed, identification guide and his book. Patio Life has been exhibited across MA, NY, NH and PA including at the Griffin Museum of Photography, Mass Audubon’s Boston Nature Center, Hopkinton Center for the Arts, the Banana Factory and upcoming at 3SArtSpace.

For more information about James Collins work, log onto his website.

Patio Life
2018  8″ x 8″ book   124 Pages
Pigment prints by artist   Soft cover, perfect bound
In custom designed box 8.5 x 8.5”
Includes package of seeds

Nick Pedersen- Ultima 

Where did the idea for the book come from?

ultima nick pedersenMy main inspiration for this book project came from seeing the incredible jungle-covered ruins of Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Being surrounded by these ancient structures of a lost kingdom that have been completely reclaimed by the natural environment was a very powerful experience. After researching literature such as The World Without Us by Alan Weisman and Collapse by Jared Diamond, I grew specifically interested in what our own cities might look like after being abandoned for hundreds of years. Through my images I was inspired to create striking juxtapositions between the ruins of modern civilization and a futuristic ecological utopia. The narrative progression of the work shows a rediscovery of these remnants belonging to the conceivably forgotten past.

What would you like us as viewers to take away from your after seeing your work and words?

ultima1 nick pedersenI wanted to take this concept and visualize it in a contemporary sense because we are facing many of the same problems as these ancient civilizations, but on a much larger scale. This body of work examines modern humanity’s role during our time on this planet and questions the legacy that we will be handing down to the next generations. Humans now have the unprecedented potential to affect the Earth to a global degree, and my images depict an extreme example of what we might be capable. With this project, my main goal is to show a glimpse into this hypothetical world and give viewers a space in which to contemplate the future of our planet.

What is your next project?

My newest series, “Floating World” is an ongoing project exploring the impending issues of climate change and sea level rise in coastal cities around the world, and depicting some of those most threatened by flooding in the future. So far I’ve worked on a few of these colorful and satirical images of urban cities on the east coast like New York, New Orleans, and Miami. The idea with this project is to create a juxtaposition showing a beautiful, postcard view of the city that is halfway underwater with sharks and other sea creatures. 

About Nick Pedersen

Nick Pedersen is a photographer and digital artist whose work primarily focuses on nature and environmental issues. A main theme in his work is “beautiful decay,” creating elaborate, photorealistic pieces that reveal a satirically, post-apocalyptic vision of the not-too-distant future. He holds a BFA degree in Photography, as well as an MFA degree in Digital Arts from Pratt Institute in New York.

His artwork has been shown in galleries across the country and internationally, recently including the Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, Paradigm Gallery, and Arch Enemy Arts. He has published two artist books featuring his long-term personal projects Sumeru and Ultima, and his work has been featured in numerous publications such as Vogue, Create Magazine, Juxtapoz, and Hi-Fructose. In the past few years he has also completed Artist Residencies at the Banff Center in Canada, the Gullkistan Residency in Iceland, and the Starry Night Retreat in New Mexico.

See more of Nick Pedersen‘s work on his website.

Find him on instagram at @nick_pedersen and Facebook as Nick Pedersen Artist.

ULTIMA
2015   8″x10″   88 pages
36 photographs  Hard cover
Price: $80

Roslyn Julia – Imperfect 

Where did the idea for the book come from?

Imperfect - Roslyn JuliaThe idea for Imperfect came from a series of images I had stored away and labeled “failed photographs”. They were images I thought had something wrong with each, yet I still was very drawn to the feeling of them so I decided to make the series into a book.

What would you like us as viewers to take away from your after seeing your work and words?

I hope that viewers who are artists themselves will follow their intuition about the work they like most themselves and pay a little less attention to what they are taught to consider “good” photographs, or what they feel will be accepted by others.

 

What is your next project?

roslyn julia imperfect 2I am mainly focused on an extensive book project of my series Exist that I started in 2011, which I hope to be published as a larger run hard cover book eventually. I am also in the midst of releasing a group photography zine with my publishing partner, Grace Tyson at Goldenrod Editions (a small publishing company we started last year), where we have included almost 70 artists. We also plan to release more of our own work as small run artist books down the line!

About Imperfect

Imperfect is a collection of images that show moments within a journey during a chapter in my life of intense realization and transformation. The experiences during this time led me to more wholly accept myself, my path and my photography as inherently flawed. The images, some of which I at first rejected, yet later came to appreciate, can represent the subjectivity of what one considers fit to include in the narrative of their life story. This project explores the value of what we may choose to disown at first, and how accepting both sides of the spectrum may lead to a more total picture of our world. This collection is a self-published photo book released in June 2019.

About Roslyn Julia

Roslyn Julia is a photographic artist. Drawn to the medium of photography through her sense of awe, the theme can be found all of her images. She received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in Photography from the School of Visual Arts in Manhattan in 2013 and is currently based in Ithaca NY.

Roslyn has multiple photobooks of her work published, including 3 self-published books. In 2019 she founded a small publishing company called Goldenrod Editions with artist Grace Tyson where they continue to publish books of their own works and others. Her photographs have been exhibited in solo and group shows in the US and internationally, including an online exhibition with Aviary Gallery. She has also been featured in many online publications including: F-Stop Magazine, Lenscratch, Muybridge’s Horse, Float Magazine and Fraction Magazine.

To see more of Roslyn Julia‘s work, log onto her website.

Imperfect
2019    6.25 x 8.25”     68 pages
64 images   Soft cover
Printer:  ex why zed
To Purchase  

Ellen Toby Slotnick – Apparition

 Where did the idea for the book come from?

ellen slotnick 1Living here in coastal Maine we get some pretty amazing fog. And being outdoors in the fog is so much fun, because your mind starts playing tricks on you. We can always “see” something hidden in the fog, whether it is there or not. Not all the images in the book are from Maine, photographing in fog has long been a personal favorite.

What would you like us as viewers to take away from your after seeing your work and words?

That there is a calmness, a stillness in the fog. And not to be fearful of what you can not see.

What is your next project?

Ellen Slotnick FogWell I was going to be taking several bookmaking classes this spring and summer, I hope that at least some of them are able to happen. I wanted to put together a small book on the Olson House (the house made famous by Andrew Wyeth’s painting Christina’s World). While access to the house had been fairly open and easy for a long time, it is now no longer possible to photograph inside and you now need to be on a museum tour to get into the house. I am hoping to be able to create Photo Gravures of my images and make them into a book.

Artist Statement: There is a certain fleeting elegance that can be found in the work that I do. The majestic trees that haunt the forest, the transient dignity of a once proud house that is no longer needed. A fallen tree that now lays rotting in a pond, or a building that is no longer occupied, each has a story, a history of their existence. Some long ago, others not too far passed.

These are the stories I wish to tell.

About Ellen Toby Slotnick

Ellen Toby Slotnick, is a visual artist born in Boston, MA. She received her BS degree from Rochester Institute of Technology and MBA from Simmons University. Her practice  focuses on examining the ethereal nature of structure and landscape, investigating personal histories, and uncovering the unseen.

She has had solo exhibitions at the Gallery of Photographic Art in Tel Aviv, Israel and the Griffin Museum in Winchester, MA, She has exhibited in group and juried shows at the Concord Art Association, The Danforth Museum of Art, Galatea Fine Art Gallery, The Floyd Center for the Arts and The Texas Photographic Society. Ellen’s book, Traces was selected for the Davis Orton Gallery and Griffin Museum 2016 Photobook Show. In 2017 she was selected for Critical Mass 200. Her work is also held in private corporate collections.

Ellen actively serves on the board of the Griffin Museum of Photography. She has had two books published by Lobster Roll Press and now lives and works in Maine.

To see more of Ellen Slotnick‘s work log onto her website.

Ellen Slotnick - Apparition

 

Apparition
2019    12″H X 14.5″W   41 pages
30 photos
Hand made, hand bound, hard cover,  Japanese stab binding
Ellen Slotnick Printer, Other Contributor: Richard Reitz Smith, letterpress
Price: $1200 Limited Editions

 

 

Thomas Pickarski – Snow, Sand, Ice


Thomas PickarskiThe day I moved to a desert as a teenager, someone welcoming me to the area said, “Look how big the sky is!” I became intrigued with how landscapes that are void of most vegetation can strikingly portray the illusion of vast spaciousness, as well as allow for a direct experience with the raw forms, colors and surfaces that might otherwise be obscured by grass, moss, or trees.

For this body of work, I traveled extensively through the treeless arctic deserts of Iceland, the world’s driest desert, Atacama of Northern Chile, the deserts of the American West, and the mouth of the ice fjord in Greenland where the most productive glacier in the Northern Hemisphere surrenders to the sea.

I’ve created a series of landscape photographs that offer a glimpse of the most remote corners of the world. These natural settings invoke the beauty and drama of fairy tales, when long-ago giants and elfs walked the earth.

About Thomas Pickarski 

I am a multi-media visual and performance artist. The themes I work with include minor obsessions, the bizarre landscape, self realization, and social justice. I often integrate storytelling into my work through text and spoken word. I hold a BFA in Painting and an MFA in Performance Art, both from Arizona State University. I have had solo exhibitions throughout the U.S. including at The Cultural Center of Cape Cod in Massachusetts, St. Joseph’s University in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the Glazer Children’s Museum in Tampa, Florida. My previous photographic exhibition, Floating Blue, debuted at the 10th Annual Songzhuang Art Festival at the Czech China Contemporary Museum in Beijing, China, in the fall of 2017, and is currently touring 6 US cities. My self published photography books include, Floating Blue, The Middle of Nowhere, The End of Nowhere (Stories and Photographs), and, Adventures of Otto, a Tiny Toy Dinosaur. I live in Greenwich Village, New York City, USA.

For more information about Thomas Pickarski log onto his website.

Snow, Sand, Ice

2018   10 x 8”   32 pages   29 images   hard cover
Price $79
To purchase

Filed Under: Exhibitions Tagged With: changing world, imperfection, Photography, books, book art, natural world

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Floor Plan

Amy Rindskopf's Terra Novus

At the market, I pick each one up, pulled in by the shapes as they sit together, waiting. I feel its heft in my hand, enjoy the textures of the skin or peel, and begin to look closer and closer. The patterns on each individual surface marks them as distinct. I push further still, discovering territory unseen by the casual observer, a new land. I am like a satellite orbiting a distant planet, taking the first-ever images of this newly envisioned place.

This project started as an homage to Edward Weston’s Pepper No. 30 (I am, ironically, allergic to peppers). As I looked for my subject matter at the market, I found that I wasn’t drawn to just one single fruit or vegetable. There were so many choices, appealing to both hand and eye. I decided to print in black and white to help make the images visually more about the shapes, and not about guessing which fruit is smoothest, which vegetable is greenest.

Artistic Purpose/Intent

Artistic Purpose/Intent

Tricia Gahagan

 

Photography has been paramount in my personal path of healing from disease and

connecting with consciousness. The intention of my work is to overcome the limits of the

mind and engage the spirit. Like a Zen koan, my images are paradoxes hidden in plain

sight. They are intended to be sat with meditatively, eventually revealing greater truths

about the world and about one’s self.

 

John Chervinsky’s photography is a testament to pensive work without simple answers;

it connects by encouraging discovery and altering perspectives. I see this scholarship

as a potential to continue his legacy and evolve the boundaries of how photography can

explore the human condition.

 

Growing my artistic skill and voice as an emerging photographer is critical, I see this as

a rare opportunity to strengthen my foundation and transition towards an established

and influential future. I am thirsty to engage viewers and provide a transformative

experience through my work. I have been honing my current project and building a plan

for its complete execution. The incredible Griffin community of mentors and the

generous funds would be instrumental for its development. I deeply recognize the

hallmark moment this could be for the introduction of the work. Thank you for providing

this incredible opportunity for budding visions and artists that know they have something

greater to share with the world.

Fran Forman RSVP