Shameless gallery pride - Tom Chambers

I am so thrilled when one of our artists has an incredible event.
I just received a recap from Tom, and can't wait to share.

Here is what Tom sent me about the event -

Imagine attending four to six daily art openings over the course of a week showing the work of diverse international contemporary photographers in the heart of Bogotá, Colombia. Then, imagine the opportunity for informal conversation with fellow photographers over coffee or a sumptuous Colombian dinner. Now, imagine exchanging ideas with your colleagues about the creative process in the relaxed and supportive atmosphere of the Bogota arts community.

The biennial Fotográfica Bogotá 2009 sponsored by Fotomuseo, the national museum of photography, provided me with these artistically and intellectually stimulating experiences during the first week of May 2009. Along with sixteen international photographers, twenty-four Colombian photographers, and a cadre of university professors and museum curators from around the world, I shared my work and ideas about contemporary photography in both formal and informal settings.

Following the theme of the Fotográfica I displayed various portraits at the Museo de Bogotá located in the historic Candeleria district. Teaching a class at the Universidad Nacional I explained the process of creating my photomontages to five hundred enthusiastic art students, all remarkably appreciative of their educational opportunities. In a public conversation at the Universidad Central with Guatemalan photographer Luis Gonzalez Palma, we compared and contrasted the themes and symbols in our photographic work. At the city radio station called RadioNica I chatted in a live conversation about the meaning of my photography, as some of my favorite music by Iron and Wine and Andrew Bird bookmarked my comments.

In the spirit of the Fotomuseo's mission to bring photography into the lives of the Colombian people, my photographic portraits were displayed on the exterior of public buildings and along the thoroughfares of Bogota. Most remarkable was the piece Fetch measuring 24 by 65 feet displayed prominently on the front of the Archivo de Bogotá. A bit of a surreal experience, perhaps a parallel to my photography, I was amazed and grateful to view my work on such a large scale in the international arts community of Bogotá.

If you have the opportunity to participate in a future Fotografica, I would highly recommend this experience. Please disregard any unfounded concerns and stereotypes about travel to Bogotá. Throughout my stay I was well taken care of by Gilma Suarez and her attentive staff at Fotomuseo, as well as warmly embraced by the people and arts community in Bogota.

Katrina d'Autremont

Katrina's Si Dio Quiere is a beautiful, romantic look at family.

Her soft color palette, beautiful portraits, and wonderfully warm home makes me wish I could be an extended member of the family. Her narrative of being caught between two worlds, the United States and Argentina, examining her identity, showcases the emotional connection to her surroundings, her family. Her sense of self becomes ours, and we become a larger extended family as a result.

I met Katrina in New Orleans, and ran into her again recently at Photolucida, and have seen that she has been selected as a Hey Hot Shot contender for 2009 - congratulations! She has also been selected at as 2008 top 50 winner at Photolucida's Critical Mass. I think she has good things happening to her, as well as along career ahead of her. I look forward to what's next.

Rayko Photo Center - call for entries

It's Still Life.

Rayko Photo Center, and the fabulous, entertaining and talented Ann Jastrab are putting out the call for entries an upcoming show, based on inanimate objects and spaces. Entries are due by 25 June, 2008 - so set those alarms and reminders so you don't miss out.

The basic details -
The competition is open to artists photographing inanimate objects and interior spaces. Subject
matter can be anything as commonplace as a pear (and man, are there some amazing pear
pictures out there!) or as strange as a dead animal, perhaps too literal. Subjects may be either
natural: food, flowers, plants, rocks, shells, hair clippings, and so on. They can also be man-
made: books, toys, glasses, vases, fishing lures, etc. Settings may be artificial/set-up or simply
found and perfect. There’s a lot left up to interpretation…as well as artistic freedom!

for more information about submitting - check out rayko's website.

do you not know about this space yet? You should. Ann does a great job curating shows, finding new work and giving artists opportunities to showcase their talents. Not to mention the facilities itself, with a darkroom, lab and digital area. If you are in town, stop in.

About RayKo Photo Center and Gallery -
RayKo is the largest public photographic center in the Bay Area. Our diverse facilities include
rental darkrooms, pro-digital lab, affordable studio, year-round classes and workshops, and a
spacious community area to finish work. The RayKo Gallery serves to advance public
appreciation of photography and create opportunities for regional, national and international
artists to present their work. We are located in the SOMA arts district of San Francisco in walking
distance of SFMOMA, the Moscone Center, Yerba Buena Center for the Arts, and AT&T Ball
park.

Dave Jordano

Another one of our New Directions 09 submissions, Dave Jordano's images tell the story of Prarieland.

Reaching into his backyard, Dave looks at the rural environments of Illinois, finding the unanticipated culture on the edge of a major metropolitan area. Quirky, full of life and eccentricities, or certainly a life so different from what most of us see or live, Dave shows us a slice of ourselves we don't often see, or know exists.

Dave makes a living as a commercial photographer, and his fine art work reflects his desire to showcase who we are, with sensitivity, humor and vibrant color. He is a 2008 Top 50 Critical Mass winner, and Prarieland will be shown at the Silver Eye Center for Photography in Pittsburgh, PA this year.

I was honored to see his name in our submissions for ND09, and while he may not have fit George's list, his work certainly made mine.

Lydia Panas on Flak Photo

It's a big day here at wall space - an Artist's Reception AND a highlight of Lydia's work on Flak!

In honor of her artist reception this evening at the gallery, It's a Matter of Perspective, Mr. President is flying across the internets. See the show on the gallery's website.

Have you heard of Flak Photo? If you haven't you are missing out on a solid collection of artists and ideas, as well as your daily dose of photography. As Andy has said on his site - "Flak Photo celebrates the art of publishing contemporary photography online." The site is produced by Andy Adams and highlights new series work, book projects and gallery exhibitions from an international community of contributors.
Sign up for a daily email and get a great image in your email box every morning. I get a visual treat each day.

Here's a look at today's front page showcasing Lydia's great work.



Please join us tonight from 6-8pm at the gallery, rain or shine, and chat with Lydia about her work.
If you can't join us tonight, here is a link to an interview Lydia did with Humble Arts by Julie Fishkin about the visual stories she tells, her process and ideas.

For more on Flak - head to their website.

Jim Kazanjian

I really sympathize with everyone who blogs.
I personally can't keep up.
So many artists, so much information, and so little time.

This artist is one of those who stuck in my mind, but my fingertips can't keep up moments. Jim submitted to our New Directions show, and I loved the work. Last night I was down at 23 Sandy in Portland, celebrating our artist Loren Nelson's opening, and realized when I walked in the door, I had seen the other artist's work somewhere before, but couldn't place it.

I'll tell you what, the jpgs don't do the prints justice. The prints are gorgeous and rich.

Not to be missed. So if you are in Portland any time between now and the 30th of May, do not miss this show.

The work is smart, clever and really well meshed. His images are seamless, and you need to really dig deep, spend some time with them and keep coming back to enjoy them.

A new opportunity from Camerawork

This just in from Chuck Mobley at Camerawork. It sounds like a great opportunity.

In lieu of a juried member's exhibition, Camerawork has chosen to craft an exhibition with a more egalitarian outline and it's open to everyone!
Hence the title: Ersatz Group Exhibition—meaning literally a substitute group exhibition—in reference to our shift away from the juried exhibition model. Utilizing the strategies and conceptual links of mail art allows for a more inclusive process with a broad reach. The idea is provide a service to help artists meet one another, help artists promote their work and to get their work in front of a large group of international curators. Artworks mailed in should reflect each artists' practice in some way, think of it as an advertisement for yourself! This Wikipedia link provides useful background on the history of mail art: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mail_art Several artists and curators were consulted about what would be most beneficial to artists and all of those suggestions have been included within the structure of the exhibition:

YOUR WORK WILL BE FEATURED IN AN EXHIBITION:
Your lens-based work will be included in an exhibition at SF Camerawork from June 4 to August 22, 2009.

YOUR WORK WILL BE FEATURED IN A PUBLICATION:
A reproduction of your contributed artwork, name, and personal website URL will be included in the exhibition catalog, available mid-summer 2009 via blurb.com and as a PDF download via sfcamerawork.org Curators Lawrence Rinder and Evelyne Jouanno will tour the exhibition and respond to the work by contributing a text to this publication.

YOUR WORK WILL BE FEATURED ON CAMRAWORK'S WEBSITE ARTIST LINKS PAGE:
Artists' personal website URLs will be included on the sfcamerawork.org links page as a resource for curators.

YOUR WORK IS INCLUDED IN AN INTERNATIONAL GIFT EXCHANGE:
In the spirit of a creative exchange economy, once the exhibition closes all participants will receive a work from the exhibition to be redistributed randomly with the Fall/Winter issue of Camerawork: A Journal of Photographic Arts in September 2009. Your own work will not be returned to you.

YOUR WORK COULD BE ON THE COVER OF CAMERAWORK'S JOURNAL:
One (or more) work(s) will be chosen for the cover of the fall issue of Camerawork: A Journal of Photographic Arts.


For more information, to sign up for our email list and to view the call for participants, please see:
http://www.sfcamerawork.org/getinvolved/membership/index.php