Lishui Photo - Meg Birnbaum

I had the pleasure of meeting Meg and seeing her beautiful series Corn Dogs and Blue Ribbons in Portland during PhotoLucida, and was taken with the romantic notions of the fair, the texture and emotional pull that took me back to living in the southwest, and small county fairs I couldn't wait to get to. Of course, I can hardly wait any day until a good carny, fair or rodeo, but these images I found really lovely.

I will be excited to see the response in China to this work. I hope you like it as well.

More of Meg's work can be seen on her website, at photo-eye, and we are excited to be working with her to create an edition for collectible this winter.

Here is more about Corn Dogs and Blue Ribbons. -

Corn Dogs and Blue Ribbons is a portfolio of photographs that I took over a two-year period at fourteen summer fairs in New England ranging in size from small 4H fairs to giant ‘expos’.

Passing through the gates of the first fair since I was a teen, I found myself smitten again. I was surprised and delighted by the open and generous sharing of information from all ages of the 4H community. The deep connection with their animals was particularly intriguing and enviable to me. I found that fairs are still a complicated balance of startling innocence and huckster sleaze. Everything is for sale; from whirlpool baths to religious salvation. All of these disparate elements exist in harmony against a backdrop of gleeful screams, bells and whistles and the aroma of fried dough mixed with the pungent essence of livestock and exotic poultry.

This portfolio presents an emotional and somewhat wistful visual record of this long-standing American tradition. I chose to photograph in black and white using extremely basic plastic toy cameras because I purposely wanted to lose sharp detail and instead capture a fleeting moment, a broad stroke, the distillation of the experience in the hope of capturing an iconic image. The fairs have changed so little over the last century I felt that using toy cameras and black and white film were a good match for capturing these timeless activities and that these tools
work well at going beyond documentation but to instead illustrate the memory, the then-or-now of it.

Will organizations like the Future Farmers of America and 4H continue to educate, nourish and interest tomorrow’s students in an agricultural career? Will the future of these summer fairs rely on a continuing shift
away from agriculture to entertainment…. mostly food, specifically fried food; fried Oreo cookies, fried cheesecake “We’ll fry anything” one sign read.

Lishui Photo Festival, China

I have been told Lishui, in Zhejiang Province, is one of China's smaller provinces, with a population of two million. However, in November it will swell with hundreds of American and international guests, as part of the Lishui Photography Festival.

I am honored to be invited by the festival to represent wall space as well as have the great privilege of showcasing two of the gallery's talented artists. Aline Smithson's Arrangement in Green & Black and Jay Tyrrell's Wind Army will be among the many exhibitions that will fill Lishui from 28 November to 3 December.








I wanted to highlight the festival, as well as the number of talented artists I will have the pleasure of seeing over the course of the festival. look for new posts (finally) about the participating artists and their work.

and if you are headed to China with us - let me know, and I'll make sure we cross paths.

PCNW - opportunity and call for entries.

Here is an opportunity to get your work in front of a highly regarded, influential figure in shaping Pacific Northwest arts. Eric Fredricksen, the Director of Western Bridge, has a creative curatorial eye, so don't miss this opportunity to support PCNW and arts here in the Northwest. They have extended the entry deadline to October 25th.



(Lillian Sullam)

The Photographic Center Northwest invites you to participate in our 14th Annual Members' Juried Exhibition December 1- January 15, 2009. You must be a current member or become a member of PCNW to participate (memberships are annual). First, second, and third prize winners will take home $175, $135 & $100 respectively. The awards will be presented at the artists' reception on Friday, December 4, 6-8 p.m. The competition is open to all photographic processes, all themes and photographers. The entry fee is $5 per jpeg. You may submit up to ten images total. You may not submit work that has been shown in past PCNW Members' Exhibitions. Entry fees are non-refundable. All entries must be received in an envelope by Saturday October 25th, 5 p.m. Selected artists will be notified by phone. A list of the selected artists will be posted on the website.

THE JUROR

Eric Fredericksen is the Director of Western Bridge. He is a former editor and writer at The Stranger and Architecture. Collections and exhibitions are managed by Matthew Cox, a former preparator at the Henry Art Gallery and Bellevue Art Museum. www.westernbridge.org

HOW TO ENTER

Click on the pdf entry form and print it out. Send the completed entry form with your labeled CD to PCNW, 900 12th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122 and follow the instructions below. Deadline: Must be received by Friday, October 16th, 8 pm.

CD Submission: Images submitted on CD must be jpgs formatted for a PC. Maximum jpeg size is 10 inches or 1024 pixels in the longest dimension and scanned at 72 ppi. Each jpeg must be titled with the photographer's name, correlating letter to match the entry form, the title of the image and the year it was taken. Example: JohnSmith_A_Untitled_2006.jpg, JohnSmith_B_Untitled_2005.jpg. You are strongly encouraged to have a file on your CD with an artist's statement (word document or pdf). The CD must be labeled with the photographer's name as well as the case it's in. Materials will not be returned.

SUBMISSION OF ACCEPTED WORK

Selected artists will have approximately 3 weeks to prepare their work for delivery for the exhibition due: November 21st. The work must be framed or mounted with a wire or sufficient hanging method on the backside. Although your work will be handled delicately by PCNW staff, we will not be responsible for the damage of any work. All works selected for exhibition must be offered for sale at a price determined by the artist. Artists will receive fifty percent of the sale price. Please note that images selected for the show may be used for promotion of the exhibition and PCNW.

New Directions 2010 juried by Carol McCusker

Opportunity knocks here at wall space for our annual New Directions 2010 exhibition.

Our juror this year is Carol McCusker, of the Museum of Photographic Arts, in San Diego.

We are also excited to announce our collaboration with 23 Sandy Gallery to give the exhibition an additional showcase in fabulous Portland during the month of February 2010.

Here is the critical information -

New Directions 2010
Down & Out

in Seattle at wall space - 5 January - 31 January 2010
in Portland at 23 Sandy - 5 February - 27 February 2010

submissions open now until 15 November, 2009.
Artist notification - 15 December, 2009
Prints due to wall space - 4 January, 2010


Ms. McCusker's vision for Down & Out -

This call for entries privileges two points of view: looking down from a high vantage point, and looking out to a vanishing horizon. Art historian, Albert Boime, described the former as a "Magisterial Gaze" that gave early Americans, through painting and printmaking, a view at one with God, hence, Manifest Destiny. The latter may simply be the romance of the road, or curiosity about what lies just out of sight - an American impulse from early pioneers to Jack Kerouac.

Numerous painters and photographers have employed these vantage points, subsequently, they run the risk of cliché. When done well, however, each reveals the unexpected, as in Szarkowski's photograph above (he captures both in one image). The optimist in me delights at the disorienting perspective of looking down whereby familiar objects become abstract and dizzyingly beautiful, to looking out, with that forward motion promising adventure or escape.

The title Down & Out might conjure images of ne'er-do-wells (risky, if the public decides not to inquire further). What I hope the photographs provide, however, is pleasure in the variety of ways 'down' and 'out' can be imaged, and what emotional liberation such points-of-view can have on our often confined and overly responsible psyches.

About Ms. McCusker -

Carol McCusker is curator of photography at the Museum of Photographic Arts, San Diego. She received her Ph.D. in art history with an emphasis on the history of photography and film history at the University of New Mexico (UNM), Albuquerque. She has curated numerous exhibitions at MoPA and UNM, and is contributing author to Paul Outerbridge (Taschen, 1999); First Photographs: William Henry Fox Talbot and The Birth of Photography (powerHouse, 2002); James Fee: The Peleliu Project (Seraphin, 2002); Phil Stern: A Life's Work (powerHouse, 2003); Terry Falke: Observations in an Occupied Wilderness (Chronicle, 2006); and Breaking the Frame: Pioneering Women in Photojournalism (MoPA, 2006) The Roads Most Traveled: Migration Photographs by Don Bartletti (2006), Rebels & Revelers: Experimental Decades 1970s-1980s (2007), Public Privacy: Wendy Richmond's Surreptitious Cellphone (2007), and The Photographer's Eye (2008)

McCusker's freelance writing has been published in The Photo Review, Communication Arts, and she is a regular contributor to B&W and Color magazines. In recent years, McCusker has reviewed portfolios at Houston Fotofest, Review Santa Fe, Photo L.A., Atlanta Celebrates Photography, Photo Lucida, and in November, the Lishui Photo Festival, China. She was also a nominator for the 2009 ICP Infinity Awards, and a Juror for the 2008 Julia Dean Berenice Abbott Award.

for more information find the New Directions page on the gallery's website, or contact the wall space or 23 Sandy for details.

Opportunity Knocks at Foley Gallery

I am a huge fan of Michael Foley.
He is talented, thoughtful, creative and now, giving of himself to help promote and support artists in a huge way.
I was honored to have him jury our very first New Directions exhibition in 2006, and some of his choices have been a great part of our gallery's vision since then. Cynthia Greig, Joseph O. Holmes, Joelle Jensen to name a few.

Now he has the Summer Project. Go now, do not delay, and submit to get the opportunity not only to get in front of the collection of talented artists and curators, but to have the ability to work with Michael is not to be missed.

Submissions are being accepted until 15 October, 2009.

here is more information.



The Summer Project offers the unique chance for artists to work directly with the gallery, creating new work to be curated in a group exhibition.

This new initiative will provide an opportunity for emerging photographers to have their work seen, recognized and reviewed by fellow artists, gallery directors, book editors, as well as curators from museum and corporate collections.

Upon acceptance, you will work on your own and with the guidance of gallery owner Michael Foley to create new work dedicated to a theme that will be suggested by the curatorial panel. A total of 12 photographers will be selected by the panel to participate.

From January to April you will meet with Michael Foley either in the gallery or via iChat/Skype for two 30 minute sessions where you can discuss your progress and share what you have been working on.

In May, a final edit will be made and two photographs from each photographer will be curated into a group exhibition at FOLEY Gallery opening in June 2010. In addition to the work of these 12 photographers, additional selections will be curated into the show from some of the most well known contemporary photographers working today.

This is the first year for The summer Show Project. We invite you to submit your work to participate in this unique opportunity and share the experience of exposure, guidance, feedback, community, recognition and support.

We invite photographers from all disciplines to apply. The Summer Show Project is open to all photographers world wide.

for the online application click here.

Opportunity at Rayko Photo

Here is a great opportunity for a photographer to have access to a great facility, staff and the fabulous town of San Francisco.

Apply by 2 October.

We here at the gallery are big fans of Rayko and its gallery director, the ever talented, clever and creative Ann Jastrab, and how can you pass up the option of working in such a cool, creative environment?

Give it a shot.

PhotoNola

I am telling you - go forth on September 1st, plunk down your ducats and plan on being in New Orleans on December 12& 13. This is a great portfolio review, and alas I won't be there, but really talented, hardworking and creative people will be.

Last year I met so many great people, it will be a weekend you won't soon forget.

Here is the link for more info, the fabulous reviewers who will be there to help further your career, and all the festivities surrounding the event. And did I mention its in New Orleans? Can't beat that with a stick.

don't hesitate - its a small event with a big impact. just go.

photo's by some of PhotoNola 08 participants - Wallace Merritt, Maja Georgiou, Sarah Wilson and Victoria Ryan