Recently, I was fortunate to be excepted into Review Santa Fe, a 3 day event that connects photographers with major decision makers – big-time curators, publishers, consultants and representatives. I thought the jurors’ comments about the selection process are instructive. They stress the communicative power, aesthetic and formal qualities, the content and concepts, the technique, and the artist statement. Even if you resist interpreting your own work, make no mistake that others will. Even if your process is largely driven by intuition – GREAT! Just take time to reflect on your work to determine what it means to you, what it might mean to others, and how you might make it better. Then do it.
It’s time for a big final push as the end of the semester is approaching.
STATEMENTS FROM REVIEW SANTA FE JURORS
“Overall, the quality of the work I reviewed was excellent. Most of the photographers were technically competent, and the majority of the work was solid in terms of idea, execution and cohesion.
The criteria I employ to evaluate a photographic series is difficult to articulate, but as a starting point it is essential that form and concept work in tandem to express an idea. I feel that an artist must be aware of how their photographs fit into current contemporary practice, what traditions in art history they are extending, and most importantly, a clear sense of why they are making their work. They must be able to recognize not only what their work means to them, but also what it might communicate to a viewer who sees the work without any prior knowledge and perhaps no inclination to read titles or accompanying texts. In other words, to understand why the work might be relevant toanyone, and what it has to say about the world around us.
Good photographs typically hook the viewer through purposeful composition, appropriate and skilled technique, and then slowly reveal a strong and personal point of view. In general I believe that the photographer has just a few seconds to grab a viewer’s attention using style, composition, framing, color, and subject matter, but then needs to keep his or her attention by having something to say. Compelling images usually have a sense of mystery, layers of meaning, and ask more questions than they answer. In other words, they go beyond what they literally depict, and from a broad idea offer us a variety of more subtle directions for our imaginations to take.
There were some submissions entered without artist statements, which is a mistake. In some cases the pictures were very good, and I might guess what was going on, but without confirmation it was too big of a risk to assume that what I was taking away from the pictures was consistent with the artists’ intentions. Since this review is all about giving serious photographers the chance to network and receive critical feedback on their work, I felt it was essential to be 100% sure that the artist is able to position his or her work in an intelligent, informed, and meaningful way.
I congratulate everyone on putting together what were mostly very thoughtful, professional submissions. It was a privilege for me to see so much good work in one place.”
Karen Irvine, Curator and Manager of Publications
Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago
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“I was honored to be a part of the Selection Committee for Review Santa Fe this year. Out of the hundreds of entries, the projects that rose to the top were visually cohesive and accompanied by a clear statement.
I recently published a two-page spread by a photographer whom I met at Review Santa Fe. While the weekend does lead to concrete outcomes, it is primarily a venue for a dialogue about the work, with both industry professionals and fellow photographers; the review should be the start of an ongoing conversation, or relationship with an editor, gallerist, or curator. These connections with the photographic community make the weekend inspiring, and a great deal of fun.
For those photographers not selected, I’d encourage you to look closely at your work as a whole; being able to write and speak about your work is essential.”
Whitney C. Johnson, Director of Photography
The New Yorker
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“Photography remains one of the most powerful tools for communicating in and understanding the world. And as the world has become exponentially more globalized, multipolar, and technological, photographers have to meet these conditions with fearless engagement and sophistication. The honor of selecting entries for inclusion in Review Santa Fe 2011 is matched with the responsibility of evaluating how contemporary photographic practice responds to, and in turn conditions, this complexity.
Few of these selections came easily, but I sought out those photographers who display the level of technical finesse, artistic individuality, and a desire to go beyond the merely personal that positions them for relevance. This is not to say that the best work is “political,” or that intimate work cannot attain this status. But in that photographic practice has arguably multiplied exponentially in recent years due to some of the same conditions that make the world a more interesting place to photograph (globalization, technology), photographers more than ever have to do the additional challenging task of knowing how their work fits in an ever more vast field. Your potential audience, peers, and field of employers/collectors/patrons are now probably larger and more accessible to you than ever before. But they are also more specific, and this challenges photographers to keep making coherent and relevant work that continues to press the limits and expectations of the medium, fostering its unique ability to help us see the world anew.”
Alan Rapp, Alan Rapp Studio
CSU Photo 