Farewell!

on track to the future © Rona Chang

We are very proud of NYMPHOTO and what the collective has accomplished and stands for.
Over the years we have done it all: exhibits, charity auctions, competitions, lectures, events, meet ups, books, blogs, and interviews. We have met and worked with some amazing people and the collective has been an unrivaled experience.
What's next?
Well, we have decided to take a break.
For how long? We don't know. It might be a permanent vacation.
Why? There are many reasons, all of them positive and having to do with our members living life to the fullest.
Thank you for your support and readership. We are grateful.

So long & see you around!

The NYMPHOTO Collective

PS: The blog will stay up as an archive and we encourage you to check in on our personal blogs and websites (find them on the sidebar) to stay in touch.

Nymphoto's Art for Haiti Auction now online!

Artist: Tiana Markova-Gold
Title: Bathing/Benyen: A woman bathes in the sacred waterfall at Saut d'Eau, near Ville Bonheur, about 60 miles north of Port-au-Prince, Haiti. The annual three day holiday, which takes place in July, honors Our Lady of Carmel, the patron saint of Ville Bonheur, and Erzulie Dantor, a Vodou spirit associated with water and sometimes also portrayed by the Virgin Mary.
Date: July 2004
Size: 11x14"
Medium: Chromogenic Print (this analog c-print was printed by the artist herself)
Edition: Limited Edition of 25, signed and numbered

Nymphoto's Art for Haiti Auction has begun! Everyday this week, we will feature artwork from our participating artists. Please feel free to spread the word on this auction to any art lovers!

Click here to our eBay page to see all the artwork available in our auction.

The Art for Haiti auction will be coordinated by eBay Giving Works and 100% of the proceeds will go to Partners in Health. The auction & print sale will begin February 27, 2010 at 7:30 PM (EST) and end March 9, 2010 at 7:30 PM (EST).

Artist: Maria Passarotti
Title: "Illumination"
Date: 2006
Medium: Digital C-print from negative
Size: 10.5"x13.25" on 11x14" paper
Edition: 4/10, signed

Artist: Jeff Cate
Title: "Untitled"
Date: 2003
Medium and Size: 11"x14" sepia toned silver gelatin print, unsigned

Partners in Health is a recognized non-profit organization that, over the course of 20 years, has established 12 medical non-profit facilities in Haiti. Partners in Health is committed to continue to work with the people of Haiti for better health care.

Work by (in alphabetical order by last name) Keliy Anderson-Staley, Nina Büsing Corvallo, Jeff Cate, Rona Chang, Cameron Goodyear, Candace Gottschalk, Laura Heyman, Geoffrey Hutchinson, Hee Jin Kang, Michelle Kloehn, Yijun Liao, Minette Lee Managhas, Tiana Markova-Gold, Stephen Meierding, Maria Passarotti, Suzanne Révy, Jon Shireman, Emily Shur, Brea Souders, Tema Stauffer, Julianna Swaney, Jane Tam, Hidemi Takagi and Jennifer Williams.

A warm thanks to our media partners:

Today: Reception for Nymphoto's Talia Greene

© Talia Greene

Talia Greene
Dis(order)
At Delaware Center for Contemporary Arts
200 S. Madison Street, Wilmington, DE 19801
www.thedcca.org
Reception: Friday, December 4th 5pm-11pm

Revisit our interview with Talia by clicking here and also see her work at:

New Prints 2009/Autumn at International Print Center New York
October 30-December 12, 2009
www.ipcny.org

That show will also be travelling to the Leonard Pearlstein Gallery at Drexel University in Philadelphia, part of Philagrafika 2010
January 11 – February 13, 2010
www.philagrafika2010.org

Emergence at Bahdeebahdu in Philadelphia
March 9-April 3, 2010

Corcoran College of Art and Design, Washington, DC
August, 2010

A Conversation with Rona Chang

I met Nymphoto member Rona Chang while we were pursuing our BFA's at the Cooper Union for the Advancement of Science and Art. Our friendship developed over long hours shared in the darkroom and during critiques. I feel very lucky to have witnessed the evolution of Rona's work over the last decade and to watch as she continually adds to the vast array of images she has collected from her travels around the world. Although the locations she portrays are diverse, Rona presents scenes with a singular vision; her perspective, color palette and the themes she explores tell the viewer a distinctive story about human nature and the way we interact with our environs.

Rona's work and process has always been an inspiration to me and it is with great pleasure that I introduce her conversation.


Man on Roof after Typhoon, Taoyuan, Taiwan from Moving Forward, Standing Still © Rona Chang


Fireworks, Kuanyin, Taiwan from Moving Forward, Standing Still © Rona Chang

Nymphoto: Tell us a little about yourself.

Rona Chang: I was born in Chungli, Taiwan. I spent my early childhood there and moved to the U.S., when I was seven when my parents divorced. My mom, sister, and I settled in Queens, New York, and we're all still here. Some of my summers were spent with my dad and relatives in Taiwan. Even though I didn't grow up living with my dad full time, he has had a profound influence over my work and me. He had a distinct and strong persona. He lectured philosophy to people that would show up at his house at night, wrote calligraphy for an assembly man, was involved in the politics of Taiwanese independence, smoked pipes, drank lots of tea, bull-shitted, and he never had a true profession. By the time I was in college, he owned about thirty dogs, which consisted mostly of German Shepherds, Boston Terriers, and Taiwanese mutts (a breed). He wasn't a professional breeder, but someone who dabbled in it. My relationship with my dad grew closer during those years and I fell in love with many of the dogs that passed through the gates and our lives. My dad passed away in 2002 and I'm still working that out in my head and through my work.


Shaving Business, Wuhan, China from Moving Forward, Standing Still © Rona Chang

NP: How did you discover photography?

RC: My first venture into art was a craft class I took on Saturdays at Buffalo State University while in second grade. (We lived in Buffalo for our first year in the US.) I picked up sewing in elementary school and by the time I was in junior high, I was entering sewing competitions. When it was time to pick a high school, I wanted to go to the H.S. of Fashion Industries. But a family friend suggested that I should try out for LaGuardia H.S. (a specialized high school for music and art and the performing arts in NYC). I ended up going there because the academic emphasis at the school was as strong as the art. It was sophomore or junior year of H.S. when I took a photo class with Ann Hunt Currier and promptly fell in love with the medium. Photography is very hands-on, and really appealed to me in the way that craft paper and glue did when I was seven.

NP: Where do you find inspiration?

RC: I am very lucky to work as a photographer at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The quality of the collection and the dedication of the staff has created a nurturing environment for me. Photographing the entire collection of Japanese woodcut prints was one of the most inspirational things I've ever done.


Weather, Norway from Frost og Funi © Rona Chang

The biggest inspiration for me overall has been traveling. The beautiful light in Iceland has forever changed the way I perceive light and print color. The ruins of Peru are hauntingly magical. The pulse of Asia, especially Hong Kong is in my blood. I cannot live without Thai food. Each of the places I've landed marks a place in my heart. Plus, I could not possibly have made all of these years in N.Y. worthwhile without the ability to go to other places to produce work and come back with a fresh set of eyes.

NP: How do your projects come about?

RC: I grew up fishing with my dad at man-made fishing ponds, going to the local dam (which happened to be a big one), and living in an area affected by devastating floods from summer typhoons. Taiwan is a little country with lots of dams, which are places of public recreation, unlike the U.S., where many dams seem to be sealed off. Aware of the many water issues, I began photographing parched riverbeds and dams in 1999, which marked the beginning of The Hold Over Water series. The sheer volume of water that a dam can hold impresses me. The idea of humans engineering their landscapes to alter river courses and the flow of nature has always held me in awe. The images that comprise this body of work speak of my fascination with the temporary power man can hold over water. I've continued this past-time of visiting dams with my uncle, whenever I'm in Taiwan. When I travel, I try to check out the maps to see if there is a dam or reservoir close by to visit.


Reservoir Drain, Miaoli, Taiwan from The Hold Over Water © Rona Chang


Hoover Dam, Nevada, USA from The Hold Over Water © Rona Chang

Throughout the last couple of years as I have traveled to record an extended portrait of society through landscapes, I have found the need to get closer and photograph people. Moving Forward, Standing Still began unintentionally when I was in Shanghai in 2000. Walking back from the morning market with a friend, I noticed a man stooped by the side of the road with a small fire burning in front of him. I took the photo Man with Fire and he never once looked up. What he was burning I could not tell, why he was doing it, remains a mystery. What I found in subsequent trips to China and in various other places such as San Francisco, Peru, Macau, Mexico, and even Taiwan were cultures that were both foreign and familiar. Frankly, many of the activities that people were involved in struck me as interesting and bizarre.


Long Johns, Macau, China from Moving Forward, Standing Still © Rona Chang


Fixing the Colosseum, Macau, China from Moving Forward, Standing Still © Rona Chang

NP: What's next?

RC: I would like to show The Hold Over Water and Moving Forward, Standing Still so I've been busy getting the word out. At the same time, I am working on a project inspired by my Dad that is titled Breathing In. It will be a collaborative book project with the poet, Ann B. Knox. I am participating in the Exposure book project and the two upcoming Nymphoto shows at Sasha Wolf. I am going through the images I shot during my recent month-long trip to Peru and I also plan on taking some more time to improve my Spanish. I fantasize about being fluent and dream of living for a while somewhere in Central or South America.


West Baray, Siem Reap, Cambodia from The Hold Over Water © Rona Chang

NP: Thank you so much!

To see more of Rona Chang's work and stay up to date on her newest projects visit her website: http://www.ronachang.com, and her blog: http://www.plumandlion.com.

Rona's work is on view in 2 exhibitions this month at Sasha Wolf Gallery, NYMPHOTO: CONVERSATIONS VOLUME 1 and NYMPHOTO Presents @ Sasha Wolf.

Opening Reception & Book Launch Tomorrow Night

Cover Image: Natasha, Ukraine 2005
Courtesy of Michal Chelbin/Andrea Meislin Gallery

We hope to see you tomorrow night for the opening reception & book launch of NYMPHOTO Conversations Volume 1 at Sasha Wolf Gallery in Tribeca!

NYMPHOTO Conversations: Volume 1
Sasha Wolf Gallery
10 Leonard Street (bet. W.Broadway & Hudson)
New York, NY 10013
May 6-20, 2009
Opening Reception: 6-8 p.m.

Work by Michele Abeles, Juliana Beasley, Rona Chang, Nina Büsing Corvallo, Candace Gottschalk, Jessica M. Kaufman, Klea McKenna, Michal Chelbin, Talia Greene, Maria Passarotti, Susana Raab, Emily Shur, Tema Stauffer, Jane Tam, Garie Waltzer & Jennifer Williams.

And if you can't stop by the show while it is up, there is the companion book/catalog is available for purchase via Blurb.

Nymphoto on NPR's Picture Show

Nymphoto's "good old-fashioned girl power" is featured on NPR's Picture Show.

Nymphoto Shows & Book

We at last finished the final revisions to Nymphoto Books: Conversations Vol. 1 and it is off to the presses! We are so excited and labored extensively over this project.
The book will go on sale the day of the opening of the accompanying show at Sasha Wolf Gallery May 6, 2009. See you there!

We have received a lot of inquiries about when we will announce the line-up for the second show. Well, we are almost there! We are putting much thought and great effort in curating the most dynamic and exciting show possible. It's been a great experience and it has been invaluable to have Sasha by our side guiding us in this process and it looks like this will be a really exciting show.

The collective spirit at Nymphoto is high. It has been a tremendous amount of work for us all but it is also very rewarding and it feels very positive to be part of an active artist initiative -- and to create outlets for our work and that of other fellow women artists.

So please stay tuned! More news to follow very soon.

Margot Quan Knight @ Seattle Media Arts Center

If you are in Seattle do not miss Nymphoto's Margot Quan Knight!

Sur face

(a show of video works by Margot Quan Knight)

911 Seattle Media Arts Center

402 9th Ave N. Seattle, WA 98109

April 16- May 30

Opening Thursday April 16, 6-9pm - Artist Talk @ 7pm

You can revisit our conversation with Margot by clicking here.

Call for Entries is Now Closed

Submission for Nymphoto's Call for Entries is now closed.
Thank you to everyone who entered and to those who helped us spread the word!
We received a wonderful response and it was great to see so many talented women artists submitting.
We hope to announce line-up for Nymphoto Presents @ Sasha Wolf Gallery sometime next week. Stay tuned!

Last Chance: Nymphoto Call for Submissions Ends Today

Nymphoto Presents @ Sasha Wolf- Group Show Call for Submissions deadline is today -Tuesday April 7, 2009 11:59 PM EST.

Find out more about the Call for Entries at www.nymphoto.com and submit here.

Call for Submissions: Deadline Extended!

Nymphoto Presents @ Sasha Wolf- Group Show Call for Submissions deadline has been extended until Tuesday April 7, 2009 11:59 PM EST.

Find out more about the Call for Entries at www.nymphoto.com and submit here.

Deadline Friday for Call for Entries

(Ed. The deadline has been extended until Tuesday April 7, 2009 11:59 PM EST)

Just wanted to remind you all that this Friday is the deadline for our Call for Entries!

Nymphoto is pleased to announce its fourth group show and first call for entries to be exhibited at Sasha Wolf Gallery.

Nymphoto is looking for the best in female contemporary and emerging photography. Work will be curated by the core members of the collective, in conjunction with highly respected curator and gallery owner, Sasha Wolf. Works selected will be included in "Nymphoto Presents at Sasha Wolf Gallery" and be on view from May 23 to June 6, 2009. Sasha Wolf Gallery is located in lower Manhattan, conveniently located and easily accessible from both Chelsea and Dumbo, two of New York's artistic centers.

For more details, head to the submission page.

Nymphoto: 2 Shows, 1 Book & 1 Call for Entries

UPDATE: CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS EXTENDED UNTIL APRIL 7, 2009 11:59 PM!

The Nymphoto Collective is pleased to announce its first self-published book & the accompanying exhibit at Sasha Wolf Gallery.

"Nymphoto: Conversations Volume 1" is a collection of interviews (initially published as blog entries) with various women photographers in varying stages of their careers. The interviews reveal not just the work of the artist, but discuss the thought process involved in the creation of work. While some conversations are more revealing than others, they all expose the persona behind the work; they are all a brief glimpse into the minds and thoughts behind the art. In order to establish continuity, all of the questions in the interviews are in essence the same. General and non-specific, they allow the artist to determine how much of the process and self she wants to expose, lending her the power to dictate.

Accompanying the release of "Nymphoto: Conversations Volume 1" is the exhibit of the same title at Sasha Wolf Gallery in New York.

Nymphoto: Conversations Volume 1
Group Show III
Sasha Wolf Gallery
10 Leonard Street
New York, NY
May 6 – 20, 2009
Opening Reception: May 6, 6 – 8PM.

Work by Michele Abeles, Juliana Beasley, Rona Chang, Nina Buesing Corvallo, Candace Gottschalk, Jessica M. Kaufman, Klea McKenna, Michal Chelbin, Talia Greene, Maria Passarotti, Susana Raab, Emily Shur, Tema Stauffer, Jane Tam, Garie Waltzer & Jennifer Williams.


Nymphoto is equally excited to announce its 4th group show and the collective's first public call for entries.

Nymphoto Presents @ Sasha Wolf Gallery - Call for Entries

Nymphoto is looking for the best in female contemporary and emerging photography. Work will be curated by the core members of the collective in conjunction with highly respected curator and gallery owner Sasha Wolf. Works selected will be included in "Nymphoto Presents at Sasha Wolf Gallery" and be on view from May 23 to June 6, 2009. Sasha Wolf Gallery is located in lower Manhattan, conveniently located and easily accessible from both Chelsea and Dumbo, two of New York's artistic centers.

Nymphoto Presents @ Sasha Wolf Gallery
Group Show IV
10 Leonard Street
New York, NY
May 23-June 6, 2009
Opening Reception: May 28, 6-8 PM
Nymphoto is a collective of women in photography that provides a supportive community for (its) artists and strives to send a positive message to the creative world: We firmly believe in the power of community. Through "Conversations" we are able to expand our community by including new artists in each interview and present their work to our growing audience. The collective is a fusion of disciplines: the scholastic, the representative and the museum. The call for entries exhibit serves to expand on this idea and our growing community, and aims to encourage connections and discourse among female photographers. The efforts of the collective are directed to correct the gender imbalance that continues to prevail in today's (art) world.

Find the submissions guidelines at www.nymphoto.com.
(ed.) Submission Deadline: extended until Tuesday April 7, 2009 11:59 PM EST
For more information, please contact Nymphoto at contact(at)nymphoto.com.

Writers Wanted

Nymphoto is looking for additional contributors for its Op-Ed Series. Don't be shy, apply!
What is Nymphoto Op-Ed?

Nymphoto Op-Eds are written by artists, curators, bloggers, collectors, historians,critics and students; the Op-ed pieces share the reflections and opinions of its authors relating to & about photography. We are interested in a broad range of opinions & experiences and are encouraging everyone involved in the arts to submit.

If you you would like your op-ed published on the Nymphoto Blog please submit it via submissions(at)nymphoto.com along with a CV and a link to your web-presence (if you have one).
Please note that we are primarily looking for op-eds written by women in photography or by men writing about subjects relevant to women artists.

You can find the Nymphoto Collective's Mission Statement at: www.nymphoto.com.

PhotoNOLA Showcase Winners Annouced

Fastfood © Susana Raab

Susana Raab and Sarah Wilson are the two award winners from the PhotoNOLA reviews in December 2008!

NYMPHOTO is proud to say that Sarah participated in Nymphoto's "Filtered" exhibit and that we have had the pleasure of featuring Susana Raab in Nymphoto Conversations last year, you can re-visit that interview by clicking here.

If you head over to photo-eye you can see showcases featuring Sarah and Susana's work, as well as purchase prints.

Congrats Susana & Sarah!

Nymphoto on Twitter

You can follow Nymphoto also on Twitter now: www.twitter.com/nymphoto

Op-Ed Wanted

Nymphoto is looking for additional contributors for its Op-Ed Series. Don't be shy, apply!

What is Nymphoto Op-Ed?

Nymphoto Op-Eds are written by artists, curators, bloggers, collectors, historians,critics and students; the Op-ed pieces share the reflections and opinions of its authors relating to & about photography. We are interested in a broad range of opinions & experiences and are encouraging everyone involved in the arts to submit.

If you you would like your op-ed published on the Nymphoto Blog please submit it via contact(at)nymphoto.com along with a CV and a link to your web-presence (if you have one).
Please note that we are primarily looking for op-eds written by women in photography or by men writing about subjects relevant to women artists.

You can find the Nymphoto Collective's Mission Statement at: www.nymphoto.com.

Tuesday

Tomorrow is a day of new beginnings.


© Jane Tam

Fittingly our newest member Jane Tam is publishing her first op-ed piece Tuesday, which speaks about her new life post college.
Last week Candace Gottschalk talked about juggling motherhood & art making, and this week Jane will share her experience as a 22 year old artist and speak about where her priorities lie.

A Quick Glance Back

from Discarded Delights © Jane Tam

2008 was a good year for Nymphoto. We gained an invaluable new member: Jane Tam, connected with some other great people in the community, laid the ground work for new Nymphoto Projects and we started the Nymphoto Conversations series.
We are excited about 2009 and much pleased to start of 2009 with a conversation with the formidable Amy Stein. The conversation will publish at it's usual time: 12:01 AM EST Thursday on this blog.

We all wish you a fantastic 2009 and thank you for your support!

Nina Buesing on Flak Photo

Our own Nina Buesing is featured on Flak Photo with the picture of the day!

Flak Photo is an incredible photography blogzine that features work from an international community of photographers and artists. The blog is produced by Andy Adams and features work from photo essays, book projects, exhibitions, and work from both emerging and established photographers.