Publish Your Photography BookReading Matters
Ben Lowy wins Honickman First Book Prize from CDS
Ben Lowy’s photographs taken in Iraq have won the prestigious Honickman First Book Prize, co-sponsored by the Center for Documentary Studies and The Honickman Foundation. The judge was photographer William Eggleston. From the CDS press release:
“Benjamin Lowy, a war and feature photographer with Reportage by Getty Images, has won the fifth Center for Documentary Studies/Honickman First Book Prize in Photography.
Internationally renowned photographer William Eggleston judged the competition and chose Lowy to win the prize. He says, “Although I like the other photographers’ work, I felt that the Iraqi pictures made a better book.”
“Benjamin’s work is an opportunity to see as an American soldier sees when in Iraq—nobody’s ever shown that,” Eggleston says, “especially through night vision goggles.”
Benjamin Lowy will receive a grant of $3,000, publication of a book of photography, and inclusion in an online exhibition of prizewinners. William Eggleston will write an introduction for the book, Iraq / Perspectives, which will be published in Fall 2011 by Duke University Press in association with CDS Books of the Center for Documentary Studies. This collection of photographs made in Iraq over a six-year period will be Lowy’s first book.” Read the complete press release here.
Reminder: Artist’s Book exhibition at the Grolier Club in NYC closes on February 5t
One of my favorite show this winter in NYC closes on Saturday:
From the Grolier Club website:
In Our Ground Floor Gallery,
December 8, 2010 – February 5, 2011:
“Hand, Voice & Vision: Artists’ Books from Women’s Studio Workshop.“ Curated by Kathleen Walkup. The forty works in “Hand, Voice & Vision” celebrate three facets that characterize the artist’s book program at Women’s Studio Workshop: the hand-made mark of the book-maker, the unique voices and viewpoints of a broad and diverse range of artists, and the visionary nature of artwork that forges new directions in the medium of book arts.”
The MET! On View January 25–30: Original Autochromes in Stieglitz, Steichen, Strand exhibition at the Met, and January 30th “Sundays at the Met” lectures on Stieglitz, Steichen and Strand exhibition
This week is THE week to visit Stieglitz, Steichen, Strand exhibition, with special lectures Sunday January 30th.
Not to be missed, from the Metropolitan Museum’s website: a wonderful overview of the history of the autochrome, and specifically the AUTOCHROMES on view this week only within the STIEGLITZ, STEICHEN, STRAND exhibition.
An array of educational programs will be presented in conjunction with the exhibition, including a “Sunday at the Met” lecture program on January 30 with Joel Smith, Curator of Photography, Princeton University Art Museum, and Sarah Greenough, Senior Curator of Photographs, National Gallery of Art (Grace Rainey Rogers Auditorium, 2 pm, free with museum admission); gallery talks with Malcolm Daniel; a special teen program for ages 15-18; and a photography class for visually impaired adults. The Museum will also present screenings of documentaries about Stieglitz and Steichen, as well as two films by Strand—Manhatta (1921) and The Wave (1936). For further information about educational programs, visit the Museum’s website at www.metmuseum.org/events
HRC Austin, and WAC Minneapolis: Two favorite exhibitions end soon!
I am fortunate to travel extensively and be able to take in many wonderful exhibitions each year.
Among those ending this SUNDAY, January 2nd:
“Discovering the Language of Photography: The Gernsheim Collection” at the Harry Ransom Center, Austin (catalogue)
“From Here to There: Alec Soth’s America” at the Walker Art Center, Minneapolis (catalogue)
Be sure to visit the excellent institutional websites for these exhibitions (both rich with multimedia!), and buy the exhibition catalogues for these important exhibitions. Enjoy, even if online and on your bookshelf!
December 10th in SF: Amy Stein lectures at SFAI, hosted by PhotoAlliance
PhotoAlliance presents Amy Stein with introductory presentation by Andy Freeberg
Amy Stein (b. 1970) is a photographer and teacher based in New York City. Her work explores our evolving isolation from community, culture and the environment. She has been exhibited nationally and internationally and her work is featured in many private and public collections such as the Philadelphia Museum of Art, the Museum of Contemporary Photography, the Nevada Museum of Art, the Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art and the West Collection.In 2006, Amy was a winner of the Saatchi Gallery/Guardian Prize for her Domesticated series. In 2007, she was named one of the top fifteen emerging photographers in the world by American Photo magazine and she won the Critical Mass Book Award. Amy’s first book, Domesticated, was released in fall 2008. It won the best book award at the 2008 New York Photo Festival.
Amy was raised in Washington, DC, and Karachi, Pakistan. She holds a BS in Political Science from James Madison University and a MS in Political Science from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. In 2006, Amy received her MFA in photography from the School of Visual Arts in New York. Stein teaches photography at Parsons The New School for Design and the School of Visual Arts in New York City.
Amy is represented by Robert Koch Gallery in San Francisco, ClampArt in New York, and Pool Gallery in Berlin.
Photographer Andy Freeberg is the author of Guardians (Photolucida 2010), a book of photographs that portrays the women who guard the art in Russian museums. He was born in New York City and currently lives in the San Francisco Bay Area, alternating his commercial assignment work with personal projects. His photographs have appeared in numerous books and publications and are in many private and public collections.
December 1st, 6 p.m. in NYC: MVS and DARIUS HIMES speaking on publishing at the NYPL
Here is a link to the the complete details for our upcoming talk in NYC, “Publish Your Photography Book” which is this Wednesday evening. Doors open at 5:30, talk at 6:00 – it’s free and open to all, so see you there!
December 2nd in LA: Photographer SAM ABELL, hosted by ASMP LA
The great SAM ABELL will be speaking in Santa Monica on 12/2 at Bergamont Station. A great photographer, teacher and mentor to many; his lectures are inspirational and not to be missed!
Information from an eblast from asmpla:
A Canon Explorer of Light, he has photographed projects all over the world – some of which have become legendary among photographers. Abell’s work manages to be (at least) three things at once: first-rate photojournalism, beautiful and beautifully composed, and poetic and moving.
Abell has also developed a highly-regarded career as a speaker and teacher, mentoring countless photographers for many years, including at the Maine, Santa Fe, and Julia Dean Workshops. As composed as one of his images, clear-eyed, and passionate, he is able to convey what makes images work – and what helps them fail – in ordinary language that anyone at any level can understand.
Whether you’re an experienced pro or a student, and no matter what kinds of images you produce, you’ll receive something from hearing Abell talk that is rare and energizing.
The author of several books, you can watch Abell discuss his work at the Geographic HERE
You can see more of Abell’s work, and read a terrific interview about his book,
Sam Abell, The Photographic Life at:
http://samabell-thephotographiclife.com
Doors open 6:30, lecture at 7. Students: $5.00, everyone else $10.
LOCATION: Writers Boot Camp, Bergamot Station Arts Center, 2525 Michigan Avenue, building i, Santa Monica
DIRECTIONS: From the 10 Freeway going west, exit at Cloverfield, go north. At the first light/intersection go right onto Michigan, follow until it ends (a few hundred yards), and make a left into the Bergamot Station lot (you won’t have a choice).
There is a map in front of the first buildings you’ll see, and Writers Boot Camp is all the way down the buildings on the left side.
OR, click here for maps (Building i is the only one without its letter on the map, next to Building H): www.bergamotstation.com/map.html“
November 30, San Francisco: Richard Misrach Lecture/Book Signing
Lecture and Book Signing with Richard Misrach
Followed by Artist Reception
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
7:00 pm
SF Camerawork
657 Mission Street, 2nd floor
San Francisco, California
(415) 512-7109
SF Camerawork is pleased to present a lecture and book signing with Richard Misrach on the occasion of the publication of Misrach’s acclaimed new monograph, Destroy This Memory. Published by Aperture on August 29th—marking the fifth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina—this powerful book presents previously unpublished and starkly compelling material, all of which Misrach shot with his 4 MP pocket camera. Created between October and December 2005, one month after the storm, Destroy This Memory is an affecting reminder of the physical and psychological impact of Hurricane Katrina. Rather than simply surveying the damage, Misrach—who has photographed the region regularly since the 1970s, most notably for his ongoing Cancer Alley project—found himself drawn to the hurricane-inspired graffiti: messages scrawled in spray paint, crayons, chalk, or whatever materials happened to be on hand. At turns threatening, desperate, clinical, and even darkly humorous, the phrases he captured—the only text that appears in the book—offer unique and revealing human perspectives on the devastation and shock left in the wake of this disaster.
Artist’s royalties for this project are being donated to the Make It Right Foundation, which is currently rebuilding the Lower Ninth Ward of New Orleans.
NYC, 12/1: Save the date! MVS and Darius Himes to speak at the NYPL, 6 pm
The New York Public Library presents
An Artist Career Development Series Event
Darius D. Himes and Mary Virginia Swanson
Wednesday December 1, 2010
6:00 p.m. FREE and OPEN to ALL
Margaret Liebman Berger Forum
Room 227 (2nd Floor; doors open at 5:30 p.m.)
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building
476 Fifth Avenue
5th Avenue and 42nd Street
New York, NY 10018
212-340-0871
www.nypl.org
From the NYPL:
“Industry insiders Darius D. Himes and Mary Virginia Swanson demystify the process of producing and publishing a book of photographs. They will survey the current landscape of photography book publishing and point out the many avenues to pursue and pitfalls to avoid. Himes and Swanson will provide an overview of the publishing industry; an intimate look at the process of making a book; a close review of how to market a photo book; a section on case studies, built around discussions and interviews with published photographers; and a final section presenting a wealth of resources and information to aid in the understanding of the publishing world.
ABOUT THE PRESENTERS:
Darius D. Himes was a founding editor of photo-eye Booklist and is a cofounder of Radius Books, a nonprofit company publishing books on the visual arts. Himes is also a lecturer, consultant and writer who has contributed to numerous publications.
Mary Virginia Swanson is a consultant in the area of licensing and marketing fine-art photography. Swanson frequently lectures and conducts workshops and educational programs for photographers and students. Respected judge of competitions and awards as well as portfolio reviewer, she is widely recognized for her blog Marketing Photos, a valued resource for photographers.
ABOUT THE NYPL LECTURE SERIES:
Initiated and organized by Arezoo Moseni, Artist Career Development Serieshave addressed the growing needs and concerns of independent creative workforce in New York City since 2006.”
November 13, Richmond, Virginia: Sally Mann exhibition & opening events
From Aperture’s website:
Richmond, Virginia
Sally Mann: The Flesh and the Spirit
Exhibition
Exhibition on view:
Saturday, November 13, 2010 –Sunday, January 23, 2011
Related Event:
Sally Mann: Conversations
Saturday, November 13, 2010
10 am–1 pm
Virginia Museum of Fine Arts
Altria Group and Center Gallery
200 North Boulevard
Richmond, Virginia
(804) 340-1400
Sally Mann’s most recent work represents an intriguing new direction. She is tackling expansive themes of mortality and vulnerability, while for the first time using herself and her husband as subjects. In addition, she has taken her bold experiments with the medium to new heights, pushing photography to its limits by making painterly and nearly abstract images—many as unique pieces on glass plates. Altogether the exhibition and accompanying catalog will present an unexpected picture of Mann’s work, encouraging a fresh perspective on one of today’s preeminent photographers and, it is hoped, an opportunity to extend her visibility well beyond the realm of photography. The exhibition is organized by the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and curated by John B. Ravenal, Sydney and Frances Lewis Family Curator of Modern and Contemporary Art. (Excerpted from VFMA website.)
Sally Mann: The Flesh and The Spirit, co-published by Aperture and VFMA, is a must for any serious library of photographic literature, students, scholars, collectors, and others interested in her work. John Ravenal has written a comprehensive introduction as well as individual entries on each series, and essays by David Levi Strauss (“Eros, Psyche, and the Mendacity of Photography”) and Anne Wilkes Tucker (“Living Memory”) add different, but equally illuminating perspectives to this work.
Sally Mann: Conversations: Join leading experts in the field of photography—Vince Aletti (The New Yorker); Melissa Harris (Aperture Magazine), Brian Wallis (International Center of Photography)—as well as Sally Mann herself, for an engaging discussion of the artist’s work and exhibition, Sally Mann: The Flesh and The Spirit.
Sally Mann (born in Lexington, Virginia, 1951) is one of America’s most renowned photographers. She has received numerous awards, including NEA, NEH, and Guggenheim Foundation grants, and her work is held by major institutions internationally. Mann’s many books include What Remains (2003),Deep South (2005), and the Aperture titles At Twelve (1988), Immediate Family(1992), Still Time (1994), and Proud Flesh (2009). She lives in Lexington, Virginia.