Jane and Louise Wilson @ 303 Gallery

Jane and Louise Wilson
June 14-August2, 2008
303 Gallery
525 West 22nd Street
New York, NY

Olivia Arthur

(via Conscientious) Olivia Arthur is a Magnum nominee.

1000 Words Photography

(via Liz Kuball's blog) Check out this brand new online photography magazine edited by Tim Clark: www.1000wordsmag.com and its blog: www.1000wordsphotographymagazine.blogspot.com -- on the blog you can find a post showing great new work by New York Photo Festival winner Alana Celii, from a series titled Odd Symphaty.

Julia Margaret Cameron @ The Met

Through September 2008 on view at The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is an exhibit titled "Framing a Century", curated by Malcolm Daniel, including works by Julia Margaret Cameron, Brassai, William Henry Fox Talbot, Roger Fenton and more.
You can read a review of the show by Roberta Smith titled "Aristocracy of Talent for an Egalitarian Art" for the New York Times here and see a Times slide show of some of the works here.

Cara Phillips: Risk & Reward

A little delayed, but here is a link to Cara Phillips' June 6th post "Risk & Reward" which very eloquently talks about what it is like to be a women in the arts, how much effort & energy it takes to be in the arts and/or to run a project and about doing the right thing.

A Conversation with Dina Kantor

Heli & Andre © Dina Kantor

Dina Kantor was first introduced to us via Joerg Colberg's Conscientious blog. Joerg highlighted Dina's recent project "Finnish & Jewish" - which explores & documents a very small community in Scandinavia.




Avi & Keren © Dina Kantor

Dina kindly agreed to answer a few questions (see below) and to share her artist statement, in which she explained her project and her connection to the community that she has been photographing. Dina sees an intrinsic ability in the photographic medium to record details which is underlined by her stylistic choice of clear lines and her use of a sober palette. Dina has an interest in exploring the role of photography in the construction of identity & community building. An important issue that she collaboratively explores with her subjects in "Finnish & Jewish": Dina through the act of picture taking - thus becoming an active participant in the process of identity construction -- and her subjects by sitting for the project.


NP: Tell us a little about yourself.

DK: I grew up in Minneapolis, MN, and am now based in Brooklyn. I studied Journalism at Studio Arts at the U of MN. After college, I lived in London for a while before moving to New York. When I got here in worked in advertising for a few years. The only thing that really kept me sane at the time was photography, so I decided to go to graduate school. I received an MFA in photography from the School of Visual Arts in 2007.

My photographs have been featured in various publications, including Photo District News. I was named to Heeb Magazine's Heeb 100 list in 2007 and have received grants from both the Finnish Cultural Foundation and the Finlandia Foundation National. My photographs have been exhibited nationwide.


NP: How did you discover photography and what inspires you?

DK: The first time I took a photography class was in the 4th grade.
Unfortunately, I was trying to use old cameras that belonged to my grandfather, and none of them really worked. I didn't really get back into photography until I was in college.

I'm always inspired when I meet new people. I love seeing the way people dress, how they choose to present themselves, and what sort of things they choose to surround themselves with. It's no surprise, I guess, because my father was a sociologist. He used to drive me and my siblings through Uptown in Mpls in the 80s and we'd go "people watching." It's still one of my favorite pastimes.

NP: How did this project (Finnish & Jewish) come about?

DK: My mother was born in Finland and emigrated to America as a child in 1947.
Almost thirty years later, when she married my father, she converted to Judaism. I began photographing in Finland as a way to explore my own heritage, but as the project continues, it has come to embody a larger exploration.

Finland has a population of 5.3 million people, with only an estimated 1,500 Jews (and just two synagogues). I am interested in how such a small community maintains its cultural identity.

With these pictures, I am investigating the ways in which photography contributes to the construction of identity and community. Today’s society is increasingly complex and multi-cultural. As our heritages blend, our identities are no longer definable by a generic social stereotype of community, but by our unique experiences and backgrounds. Photography has an intrinsic ability to record details. I am employing it to record cultural signifiers and traditions as they blend, as well as to depict physical characteristics of a hybridized community.

NP: Do you think people were open to being photographed for this project because they want to preserve and project/share their identity & heritage?

DK:I'm sure each of my subjects had slightly different reasons for wanting to be photographed. But I'm guessing that the opportunity to help preserve their community's identity played into it for some of them.

I also think that, in a religious community, there are no real physical boundaries or exact definitions of who belongs or why. I chose to photograph anyone living in Finland who self-identified as being Jewish, not only the official members. Somehow the photograph helps establish these boundaries, both for the community itself and for the viewers. I think choosing to participate in my project may, in some way, have confirmed their sense of belonging to this specific community, whether that was conscious or not.

NP: Thank you so much! We are looking forward to seeing more of your work.

Take a look at more of Dina's photography via her website: www.dinakantor.com

Reminder: Opening Tonight - Sasha Wolf's "In Our Dreams"

In Our Dreams
Sasha Wolf Gallery
June 26 to August 9, 2008
10 Leonard Street
New York, NY

(tx for the reminder, Rona)

The Girl Project Invited to SCOPE Miami!

The Girl Project has just been invited to show at SCOPE Miami this December.
Kate Engelbrecht says:

"This is a huge honor and opportunity. As a result I am making a huge push for new participants. Please forward the following jpg. around to friends, family and colleagues and ask them to forward it as well. And of course if you know a teenage girl interested in photography please send her my way! Thank you for your support."

So please make your sisters, nieces, daughters, godchildren and friends aware of this fantastic project! More info here: www.thegirlproject.com
Find out more at www.thegirlproject.com or by reading yesterday's interview with Kate Engelbrecht. ©The Girl Project

Garie Waltzer

The amazingly beautiful work of Garie Waltzer will be on view through September in Cleveland. (tx, Jane)

Garie Waltzer
June 23 - Sept. 5, 2008
Humphrey Atrium Gallery at University Hospitals
11100 Euclid Avenue
Cleveland, OH

The Girl Project: A Conversation

© The Girl Project

The talented Dina Kantor recently made us aware of the ongoing The Girl Project --"A national collection of photographs taken by teenage girls. The photographs represent teenage girlhood and life as seen through the eyes of young women in America", states the project's website.
Reminiscent of projects such as "Kids With Camera" and "Through The Eyes of Children - The Rwanda Project", this project however gives viewers a unique look at girlhood in America today and encourages and empowers girls to express themselves and take ownership.


© The Girl Project

The project intrigued us and made us curious about who is behind the idea. The Girl Project is spearheaded by New York based photographer Kate Engelbrecht, who took the time to answer a few questions for us:

NP: Tell us a little about yourself.
KE: I am from Minnesota originally. I grew up in Northern MN but have lived in NYC for the past 10 years. After college I didn't have a clue what to do with myself. I had majored in sociology and was not interested in a career in academia, so I moved to NYC and started working in advertising. Shortly after I learned I didn't want to work in advertising.

NP: How did you discover photography?
KE: It was at the ad agency I worked for. While I was quickly becoming uninterested in advertising I was even faster falling in love with photography. I bought a used Minolta with a 50mm lens for $150 and started shooting. It is still my favorite camera.

NP: How did this project come about?
KE: I had been toying with the idea for some time - looking for a way to blend two things that interest me (photography and girlhood). At some point I realized that the opportunity was bigger than just examining female adolescence through photography... and that it could also be a way to understand girls in an entirely new way. I figured why not go to the source - why not let the subject speak for herself.

NP: What would you consider to be the ideal venue to show an exhibit of these images you are collecting and curating?
KE: Great question. And I'm torn between two answers. One is institutional, by where my dream is to see The Girl Project on exhibit at ICP, Mass MoCA or The Walker. The other is to make it more approachable... more accessible... and get Target to sponsor a traveling exhibition in their stores.

NP: Thanks so much! We are much looking forward to seeing how the project progresses.


The Girl Project also has a blog: thegirlprojectblog.blogspot.com