What's Going On

This blog's been quiet as of late not out of neglect but more out of schedule. A million projects, coupled with a million prints and a million pictures to make (ok maybe subtract 840,543 out of that equation).
I couldn't be happier then this morning to receive the news that good friend, mentor and artist Dawoud Bey has started up a blog of his own. Dawoud is a man of a thousand stories and now he has the forum to tell you all. He begins already with a post on the Art fairs in Chicago and a seemingly simpler era of the 4th St. Photo Gallery.
Check them out:
What's Going On?

I'll surely be checking daily for posts.

Hank, Melanie and Art Talking

Priceless #1
Lectures and artists are a funny thing. There is a lot of expectations on them. I'll hear people talk about how they liked an artists' work until they heard them speak about it. Most artists are well learned in visual and conceptual ideas but maybe because of movies or stand up comedy I think some people expect to be entertained. Others, it seems go seeking to discover if indeed the artist is sincere about what they're doing. I myself have certainly been swayed and even disappointed when someone clearly cannot discuss their own work or ideas, or wowed when a lecturer really expounded my understanding of their work. I like to tell students that the discussion of their work is the opportunity to steer and give framework to the dialogue and understanding of it.
Hank Willis Thomas tonight did some of my favorite things in a lecture at the School of the Art Institute. He was candid and earnest with the audience. I've been a fan of Hank's since I first met him at Review Santa Fe a few years back. Since, I've seen his excellent work in Adbusters, artfairs and we've even shared a few group shows. So even with having some degree of knowing his character there were still surprises. Hank showed a lot of work which described his beginnings in photography and development into a concept and concern. Hank even made is look easy, even though I know what's up on the screen is the result of much work. I left wanting to experiment and stop making my work so complicated. Ultimately what was nice was Hank was not performing or even stragetizing but that his work does many of these things without his words. Having his there to give us further insight was a treat (without the popcorn!).


Rainbow, 2006
Later this week Melanie Schiff gives a lunchtime talk also at the School of the Art Institute. I'm also a big fan of Melanie's work and ran up to the Whitney Biennial last week to get a closer peek at her celebrations of light, CD cases, spit rainbows and general rock history. Her prints themselves are painstakingly seductive, (I know we're always trying to find the perfect lambda print lab here in the city). Melanie also makes it look easy as I always run into her at artfairs on some street where I'm in a panic trying to get to some appointment and she's on her way to the beach. Looking forward to seeing more at her talk. Join us:

Melanie Schiff, part time faculty member
Wednesday, April 9th at NOON
280 South Columbus (at Jackson)
School of the Art Institute of Chicago

Next week is another I'm excited about, David Maisel at Columbia College on Thursday April 17th.

Robert Adams and Papageorge

Eric Etheridge points me to this interesting post of his on an interview w/ one of my faves, Robert Adams. Discussing my even more favorite book of his, What We Bought the New World.
Back when I worked at a gallery, good friend Tom Gitterman gave a copy of this book as a parting gift when I decided to head to the midwest in pursuit of more photography time. It was quite the book and I referenced it many times over the years, lending it out to students until someone told me it was out of print and worth some cash. As much as I loved the book I remember always thinking specifically that with the shopping pictures a lot more could be done there. This was reinforced on a trip to the UK and seeing many of the prints in person at the Cruel and Tender exhibition.
When the MP3 book by Aperture came out last year, I sent Robert a copy with a note explaining what an influence his work was on mine and to my surprise promptly received one back.
Aperture recently re-published the also rare book of his, The New West, which I also recommend. A traveling exhibit of Adams work begins touring in 2010.

Sarah Anne Johnson Needs Your Vote

Sarah Anne Johnson, Ben, 2005 from The Galapagos Project
I recall the first time seeing Sarah Anne Johnson's work thinking that if someone had explained the work before hand I would've scoffed. Thankfully I encountered her work without that knowledge and discovered her wonderful interplay between photographs, and memories/interpretations of an event through sculptures. Her installation at Julie Saul Gallery consisted of sculptures, photographs, photographs of sculptures, photographs of kids camping in the woods recreated after sculptures of a memory of the same event, etc... Sarah's work is one of the rare ones where she can effortlessly combine all this media and I can say that the work exists as a whole. (Though her portrait above has me downright jealous).
Well Sarah like many of us needs cash. In fact she's up for a sizable sum of $50,000 and she needs your votes to get it. The Grange Prize is an annual award given to Canadian and International photographers. You can vote easily online here for Sarah or any of the others.

Dawoud Bey Lectures at Aperture Tues. Feb 19

Dawoud is one of my favorite people ever. For those who have been fortunate enough to spend some time in a class listening to him, they have left the room feeling empowered. What Dawoud understands about portraits is like what a physicist knows about sub-atomic particles.
Here's your chance to listen too. He'll be talking with his friend and artist, Carrie Mae Weems (who is also quite a speaker herself) in conjunction with his exhibition and book Class Pictures. Show up and bring questions.


Dawoud Bey
Conversation with the artist
Tuesday, February 19, 2008
6:30 p.m.
Aperture Gallery
547 West 27th Street, 4th floor
New York, New York
(212) 505-5555

What Larry Sultan Eats for Breakfast

Wallpaper posts a short online interview with Larry Sultan.
More notable is selections of a considerable amount of new work.
Take a look.

Missed Opportunities... The Photographs Not Taken

I'm glad to see that the internet gives many photographers and artist the opportunity to have to write about their work and others. Photographer Will Steacy recently has been collecting essays by photographers with the topic 'The Photographs Not Taken'. There is some good stuff there (including a story from your truly). Take a look.

The Photographs Not Taken is a collection of essays by photographers about the times they didn't use their camera.

I Heart Portraits

Charles Van Schaick, Black River Falls, WI from Wisconsin Death Trip

Help! I Am Being Watched (Michael Wolf)

Michael Wolf has been in town these last few months working on a series of photographs from downtown rooftops. This morning he sent me this evidence of alien life. To my knowledge, Michael is the 2nd contemporary artist to have successfully documented extraterrestrials. Charlie White being the first.