Ann Fessler at CSU

 

A special presentation by Ann Fessler on her installation art work will be held at the CSU Art Gallery, 1307 Euclid Avenue, from 10:30 to 11:30 a.m. on November 29. Call 216-687-2103 for more information for this free event. Sponsored by the CSU Galleries, the Michael Schwartz Library, and The Sculpture Center.

Cleveland State University Michael Schwartz Library in partnership with the Adoption Network Cleveland presents “Adoption’s Hidden History,” featuring the Cleveland debut of Ann Fessler’s documentary film, A GIRL LIKE HER, about women who surrendered their children to adoption in the 1950s and 1960s. Hear what they have to say about their experiences and the long-term impact on their lives. This free and open to the public program will be held on Thursday, November 29, 2012 from 7:00 to 9:00 pm in the CSU Main Classroom Auditorium, located at 1899 East 22nd Street. Doors open at 6:00 p.m.

Click here to learn more about these and other related events.

Jerry Uelsmann and Maggie Taylor

…and More Faking It  from Studio 360

Jerry Uelsmann is a giant of surreal photomontage — in the 1960s, he was a leading figure in the new field of Pop photography.  And he still works in that labor-intensive way.  “I’ve had images that I’ve worked on for two or three weeks in the darkroom,” he tells Kurt Andersen. “You know that the idea is a viable one but you’re not quite sure how to resolve it visually.”  Uelsmann’s work is featured in the exhibitionFaking It: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop at New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art.

In the late 90s, a representative from Adobe Photoshop approached Uelsmann, asking if he’d create an image on their new software.  He did – once – but didn’t cotton to the technology.  His wife, photographer Maggie Taylor, latched on to it. She creates her surreal photomontage almost exclusively on a computer. “I love sitting at a desk and working, I’m kind of nerdy about things,” she says. “The idea of using the computer and being able to manipulate the images more and get exactly what I wanted for a still life image was something that immediately appealed to me.”

Uelsmann admits he’s sometimes a little jealous of the tools at Taylor’s fingertips. But “I don’t think art is a competitive sport,” he says. Photography is “another system for making marks on paper. If you do it with a computer, if you do it in the darkroom, there’s a variety of ways of doing it — it’s not like one is better than the other.”

Listen to the Studio 360 podcast here.
There’s also a film out there about them. Check that here and here.

On a related note, also check out:

Faking It: Manipulated Photography Before Photoshop is a singular and surprising exhibit at the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York. It contains hundreds of strange and fascinating pictures from the first century and a half of photography, all of them altered in different ways. High art, amateur tinkering, satire, and purposeful deception mingle in the galleries.

Here’s the podcast.
…and another one about digital images and reality.

And if this has you wanting more, check out Studio 360’s most recent episode So You Think You’re Creative.

Photographer’s Forum College & HS Contest

• Winners will be inducted into Nikon’s Emerging Photographers Hall of Fame
• Exhibition opportunity at Brooks Institute’s Gallery 27
• All Winners, Honorable Mentions and Finalists published in the book
  Best of College & High School Photography 2013

[ Click Here to Enter Your Images ]

You Still Have Time to Enter
We’ve Extended the FINAL Entry Deadline to:
November 27, 2012
($5.95 per photo)

FIRST PLACE :: COLLEGE :: $2,000 cash grant
PLUS Nikon D7000 camera and lens system

FIRST PLACE :: HIGH SCHOOL :: $2,000 cash grant
PLUS Nikon D7000 camera and lens system

SECOND PLACE :: COLLEGE :: $1,000 cash grant
SECOND PLACE :: HIGH SCHOOL :: $1,000 cash grant

THIRD PLACE :: COLLEGE :: $500 cash grant
THIRD PLACE :: HIGH SCHOOL :: $500 cash grant

5 FOURTH PLACE AWARDS :: COLLEGE :: Five $100 grants
5 FOURTH PLACE AWARDS :: HIGH SCHOOL :: Five $100 grants

200 HONORABLE MENTIONS
All Honorable Mentions will be listed in the May 2013 issue of Photographer’s Forum magazine and will receive a certificate of outstanding merit.

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The top 16 winning photos will be published in the May 2013 issue of Photographer’s Forum and entered into Nikon’s Emerging Photographers Hall of Fame. Winners will also have their work exhibited at Brooks Institute’s Gallery 27. All contest finalists, top 8% of all entries, will be published in the hardcover book Best of College & High School Photography 2013.

• Final entry fee is $5.95 per photo entered.
  (all entries must be uploaded or postmarked on or before November 27, 2012)
• Rights remain with photographer.
• Subject matter is open.

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Photography is Easy, Photography is Difficult

It’s so easy it’s  ridiculous. It’s so easy that I can’t even begin – I just don’t know where to  start. After all, it’s just looking at things. We all do that. It’s simply a way of recording what you see – point the camera at it, and press a button.  How hard is that?  And what’s more, in this  digital age, its free – doesn’t even cost you the price of film. It’s so simple and basic, it’s laughable.

It’s so difficult  because it’s everywhere, every place, all the time, even right now. It’s the  view of this pen in my hand as I write this, it’s an image of you reading now.  Drift your consciousness up and out of this text and see: it’s right there, across the room – there… and there.  Then it’s gone.  You didn’t photograph it, because you didn’t  think it was worth it. And now it’s too late, that moment has evaporated. But  another one has arrived, instantly.  Now.  Because life is flowing through and around us, rushing onwards and outwards, in  every direction.

Read more of Paul Graham’s practical philosophy of photography here.

Cleveland Art Guide | 11/15

Among the many art events this weekend, CSU Drawing Professor George Mauersberger unleashes his mad skills on Bonfoey Gallery. Opening Friday 5-8pm.

So much art this weekend. In addition to George’s show at Bonfoey, it’s Third Friday at 78th Street Studios with several new exhibitions and a reception at SPACES. So how do you keep up with all the goings ons? One way is to subscribe to Cleveland Art Guide, a weekly email newsletter of gallery listings.

See this week’s edition here: Weekly 11/15 | Cleveland Art Guide.

Photography Forum Event

PHOTOGRAPHY FORUM

SATURDAY NOVEMBER 24TH

12:00 NOON

FRONT ROOM GALLERY & STUDIOS

3615 SUPERIOR AVE., 3RD FLOOR

CLEVELAND OH 44114

See a map here.

For both the audience and the presenters, the forum is designed to be an opportunity to participate in discussions about contemporary photographic practice, to give/receive constructive feedback and input for those seeking it, and to meet other photographers and photographic artists working in the region.

This is a great, casual, fun event organized by Greg Ruffing, with help from Michelle Murphy and Brandon Juhasz (friends of CSU photo all). Previous Photography Forums were held at Survival Kit and CSU’s Art Department. Students are welcome.

Also, one of the new aspects of the forum that I’m excited to tell you about is we’re adding an emphasis on any artist-directed publications (zines, catalogues, artist books, self-published works, etc.) that participants have made. So in addition to the scheduled presenters, we’ll also have a large sidetable set up to display those works. I encourage any of you who have published books or made any such zines or catalogues or handmade/self-published/indie published/print-on-demand artist books etc. that you’d like to share for browsing at the event, definitely feel free to bring them along. I am planning to leave some extra time at the end of the forum for book/zine browsing, follow-up conversations, and/or general meet-and-greet.

**PLEASE NOTE: this offer to bring your artist-directed publications for sharing and browsing is open to ALL participants in the forum and audience, including but NOT LIMITED TO the scheduled presenters**

Unfortunately though, because the focus will be on artist-directed publications in book/magazine form (or something similar), we regrettably will not be displaying traditional commercial portfolios, presentation cases (i.e. Pina Zangaro or Prat cases, etc.), portfolio packages, etc., in that particular part of the event. If anyone has any questions/concerns about this or would like further clarification, please don’t hesitate to call or email me.

Lastly, one important note about Front Room: as any of you with warehouse studios can attest to, these spaces can sometimes get a bit chilly in the winter. We will do our best to keep the space heated at a comfortable level, but otherwise please plan on bringing an extra layer shirt or jacket or whatever, just in case. Also, we may have some food and small snacks on hand, but otherwise consider this BYO for coffee, water, beer or other drinks.

Front Room is located in the Tyler Building, a large warehouse on the NE corner of Superior Ave. / E. 36th St.

From Superior Ave., turn north onto E. 36th St. and then an immediate turn into the first driveway on your RIGHT (no need to stop at the security guard shack). The entry door for Front Room will then be on your LEFT side, just past the guard shack — its the door with the Gotta Groove Records sign on it, and we’ll also put some signs up for the forum. You’ll find parking straight ahead in a large lot between the buildings.

Once in the entry door, take the steps to the 3rd floor, and Front Room will be the big red door on your left. If you have any questions or problems finding it, feel free to call Greg Ruffing (216.390.6329) or Michelle Murphy (216.225.4135)

We will have the doors open as early as 11:30am, so please feel free to arrive early if you’d like. I’m planning to get started right away at 12:00 noon — I’d like to be able to give our presenting artists a fair 20-30 minutes each for presentation and discussion, while also keeping the event from stretching too far into the afternoon.

James Balog, Photographer on a Mission

Check out James Balog’s project Chasing Ice, which documents global climate changes on our polar ice caps. Here are some links:

Chasing Ice film website
James Balog on Bill Moyers
James Balog on Bill Maher
James Balog on NPR
James Balog’s website

Spring 2013 Courses

 

Be sure to see you advisor and register if you haven’t already. If you’re a photo major, you should see me ASAP.

Photo I meets on Mon, Wed, Fri from 11am – 1:15 pm
Photo II & III meet on Mon, Wed, Fri from 1:30 – 3:45pm

I also wanted to share Dr. Bleeke’s upcoming Art Seminar on The Medieval Manuscript Book. This may be of particular interest to those of you working with the book form recently.

A Little Late for Halloween…

…and our painting with light demo.  This is the project I mentioned to you in class yesterday.  Click on the image below. If you dare.

An Executed Convict Returns to Life, in Mind Blowing 3-D Light Paintings

Gund Foundation Fellowship via Creative Compass

Date Posted: 10/23/2012

Application Deadline: 01/04/2013

Type of Position: Temporary

View Job Description (link): Click here to view job description

Submission Instructions: To be considered for the fellowship, each candidate must submit a cover letter, a detailed resume, two letters of recommendation and a short essay discussing why the fellowship opportunity is appealing. Please also indicate how you learned of the position. These materials are due no later than January 4, 2013. A Fellow will be selected by mid-April 2013. E-mail the application materials to hr@gundfdn.org. Letters of recommendation may be submitted as part of the application or sent separately via email or regular mail.

Organization: The George Gund Foundation

The George Gund Foundation Fellowship provides an oportunity for promising professionals to work inside the Foundation, a philanthropic organization that plays a vital role in supporting the civic life of Greater Cleveland and in various national policy deliberations that impact our community.  The Fellowship is a two-year, full-time commitment beginning in summer of 2013, requiring residence in Northeast Ohio during the term of engagement.

For more arts and culture employment, visit the Creative Compass employment page.