ART SANTA FE OPENS

Monroe Gallery of Photograph Booth # 25

Thank you to all who visited us during last night's ART Santa Fe opening! We we very honored to welcome to our booth New Mexico Secretary of Cultural Affairs Stuart Ashman, who was accompanying a representative from the Cuban Minister of Cultural Affairs; Santa Fe Mayor David Coss; as well as several of our friends and collectors from across the United States.

This year Art Santa Fe celebrates its ten-year anniversary. Art Santa Fe is pleased to once again present this well-established event to the international contemporary art community as well as Santa Fe’s own art world, now the second largest art market in the country. As in the past, we expect exhibitors and visitors from across the U.S. and around the world. Monroe Gallery of Photography is located in Booth #25. This year we are exhibiting new photographs by Eric Smith from his series "The Ruins of Detroit"; new work from Stephen Wilkes' "Day Into Night" collection; a very rare large format print of Ernst Haas' iconic "Albuquerque (Route 66), 1969", and several other special selections.

Monroe Gallery is featuring a large-format print by Bill Eppridge of "Jackie Kennedy Christens the "Lafayette", Groton, CT, 1962" at Art Santa Fe, concurrent with his solo exhibition at the gallery

ART Santa Fe was the feature cover arcticle in today's PASATIEMPO, and  Art Santa Fe Director Charlotte Jackson said: "We're going to have 3 photo galleries, which I am really excited about. Monroe Gallery has been with us for many years. They've been a great supporter of ART Santa Fe, and they've become part of our 'family', if you will.... This year Verve has joined us and then Photo-Eye. I think we are going to have a very nice mix of photography".

Watch for updated posts from the Fair here over the weekend.

Associated Press head of photography Hal Buell and former Vietnam Chief of Bureau Richard Pyle lead discussion to conclude "Eddie Adams: Vietnam" special exhibit at Bethel Arts Center

Eddie Adams in Vietnam

Some 250 people attended a July 11 panel discussion at the museum at The Bethel Woods Center for the Arts featuring former AP head of photography Hal Buell and former Vietnam Chief of Bureau Richard Pyle to conclude its "Eddie Adams: Vietnam" special exhibit.

The panel consisted of people who knew and worked with Adams (1933-2004), an AP photographer who won a Pulitzer Prize for his iconic "Saigon Execution" photo of Gen. Nguyen Ngoc Loan executing a suspected Viet Cong officer in 1968. Buell led the conversation in Bethel, N.Y., headlined "Capturing Vietnam: A Panel of Photojournalists Who Covered Vietnam." Other participants included former LIFE and Sports Illustrated photographer Bill Eppridge and Russell Burrows, son of LIFE photographer Larry Burrows, who was killed in a helicopter shootdown in Laos. Pyle says "the panelists discussed the important role that still photographers played in Vietnam and the camaraderie formed among the journalists." The museum is near the farm where the Eddie Adams workshop for aspiring photographers is held annually. The Eddie Adams: Vietnam exhibit ran from May through July 11.

MONROE GALLERY AT ART SANTA FE JULY 15 - 18

Monroe Gallery of Photography is pleased to exhibit at the 2010 edition of Art Santa Fe July 15 - 18. We are located in Booth #25. This year we will be exhibiting new photographs by Eric Smith from his series "The Ruins of Detroit"; new work from Stephen Wilkes' "Day Into Night" collection; a very rare large format print of Ernst Haas' iconic "Albuquerque (Route 66), 1969", and several other special selections.



This year Art Santa Fe celebrates its ten-year anniversary. Art Santa Fe is pleased to once again present this well-established event to the international contemporary art community as well as Santa Fe’s own art world, now the second largest art market in the country. As in the past, we expect exhibitors and visitors from across the U.S. and around the world. Adding to the excitement of commemorating ten years, ART Santa Fe will hold the 2010 fair in the new Convention Center in the heart of downtown Santa Fe. This new facility boasts 72,000 square feet including 40,000 square feet of state-of-the-art event space. Courtyards and plazas add to the Santa Fe charm of this new “green” conference center.


Inside Art Santa Fe, viewers explore the best of the art world, with participating galleries from across the United States, China, Japan, Europe, and Latin America. Art Santa Fe’s style offers a perfect balance of breadth and intimacy, allowing visitors to speak to dealers and artists while experiencing a full range of art in a comprehensible context.


The experience doesn’t stop outside the doors. A series of events takes place in conjunction with ART Santa Fe, including our gala opening night Vernissage, and the prestigious Art Santa Fe Presents lecture that features an eminent keynote speaker from the art world: Roberta Smith,  Senior Art Critic for The New York Times. (Saturday, July 17, 6:30 pm, New Mexico History Museum 113 Lincoln Ave., Santa Fe)

Art Santa Fe 2010 offers exhibitors and visitors the opportunity to enjoy the most beautiful time of year in this unique and interesting city, a city that Conde Nast Traveler magazine’s 2009 Reader’s Choice Awards named as the third best U.S. city to visit. Santa Fe’s rich cultural mix includes performances at the award-winning open-air theater of the world renowned Santa Fe Opera, with sunset and stars forming part of the backdrop; and the Santa Fe Chamber Music Festival. Numerous outdoor activities take advantage of our ideal climate and allow visitors to enjoy the famed beauty of the New Mexico landscape


SANTA FE CONVENTION CENTER 201 W. Marcy, Santa Fe, NM July 15 through 18


GALA OPENING and VERNISSAGE, July 15, 5-8 PM

FAIR HOURS: Friday, 11-7; Saturday, 11-6; Sunday, 11-6

TICKETS: Lensic box office (505-988-1234) or at the door

More information here.

Art Santa Fe on Facebook.

BILL EPPRIDGE EXHIBIT OPENS TO ACCLAIM

Bill Eppridge: White Barn, New Preston, CT, 2007

Its been a hectic week since Bill Eppridge was here to celebrate the opening of his exhibition, "Bill Eppridge: An American Treasure". Governor Bill Richardson and New Mexico Secretary of Cultural Affairs Stuart Ashman were in attendance to welcome Bill to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

A good summary of the opening night is provided by M.G. Bralley on his blog here.

The exhibit continues through September 26.

STEVE SCHAPIRO EXHIBITION REVIEW IN SUMMER ISSUE OF ARTNEWS

Steve Schapiro


Monroe Gallery of Photography

Titled "American Edge," this survey brought together 57 photographs taken primarily in the 1960s, highlighting Steve Schapiro's many iconic images from the apex of the civil rights movement. There is a cinematic quality to the handheld camera work featured in his slightly grainy black-and-white prints.

Steve Schapiro: Summer of 1964 Freedom Bus

Images like On the Road, Selma March, 1965 and Summer of 1964 Freedom Bus convey the restlessness of the time. Martin Luther King Jr's Motel Room Hours After He Was Shot, Memphis, Tennessee,1968 is particularly penetrating and mournful. The photograph shows an open suitcase on the floor next to a television set tuned to the local news. The TV announcer is frozen in time with a picture of King (and the dates 1929-1968) floating just above and to the right of his head.

Schapiro photographed many of the seminal political events of the decade, receiving his assignments through the legendary Black Star agency. which sent him to cover Robert F. Kennedy's successful 1964 run for the New York Senate seat.

Several candid and nostalgic photographs of the young senator were featured in the show.

A respected and sought-after portraitist, Schapiro also photographed numerous celebrities of the day, including Allen Ginsberg, Ray Charles, Andy Warhol, and Muhammad Ali. Yet, the photographs of RFK and MLK held real sway here. They have the emotional power and documentary immediacy to place us in the midst of those turbulent and crucial years. - Darius Himes

©ARTnews
SUMMER 2010

See the exhibit on-line here.

HAPPY INDEPENDENCE DAY, 2010

Bill Eppridge: White Barn, New Preston, CT, 2007

BILL EPPRIDGE: AN AMERICAN TREASURE ON AMERICA'S BIRTHDAY

©Bill Eppridge: Bobby Kennedy campaigns in Indiana during May of 1968, with various aides and friends: former prizefighter Tony Zale and (right of Kennedy) N.F.L. stars Lamar Lundy, Rosey Grier, and Deacon Jones

Monroe Gallery of Photography is honored to announce a very special exhibition of photographs by the renowned photojournalist Bill Eppridge. Mr. Eppridge will be our guest at the opening reception in his honor on Friday, July 2, from 5 to 7 PM. Mr. Eppridge will also be in the gallery Saturday, July 3. This is a rare opportunity to meet one of the most accomplished photojournalists of the Twentieth Century. The exhibition will continue through September 26.

Bill Eppridge has captured some of the most significant moments in American history: he has covered wars, political campaigns, civil rights, heroin addiction, the arrival of the Beatles in the United States, the summer and winter Olympics, Vietnam, Woodstock, (see the special 40th Anniversary audio and slide shows from the New York Times and Life), and perhaps the most dramatic moment of his career - the assassination of Senator Robert Kennedy in Los Angeles. Over the last 50 years  his work has appeared in numerous publications, including National Geographic, Life, and Sports Illustrated. He is the recipient of the 2009 Missouri Honor Medal for Lifetime Distinguished Service in Journalism awarded by The Missouri School of Journalism.

©Bill Eppridge: The Chaney family as they depart for the burial of James Chaney, Meridian, Mississippi, August 7, 1964

Recently, The Beatles! Backstage and Behind the Scenes, a photography exhibition of Bill's images of the band was displayed at the Smithsonian Institution, National Museum of American History in Washington, D.C, before starting a world tour. In 2008, his photographs were included in the exhibition Road to Freedom: Photographs from the Civil Rights Movement 1956 - 1968 at the High Museum, Atlanta, Georgia, later traveling to the Skirball Center in Los Angeles and the Bronx Museum of the Arts in New York. Additionally, Eppridge's photographs are included in the exhibitions Voyeurism, Surveillance, and the Camera since 1870; Tate Modern, London; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art (2010); and A Star is Born: Photography and Rock Music Since Elvis Presley, Museum Folkwang, Germany (2010).

View the exhibition on-line here.

ERIC SMITH'S PHOTOGRAPHS OF DETROIT'S HAUNTING DEPOT IN PRESERVATION MAGAZINE

Detroit's Haunting Depot


No one knows whether the historic Michigan Central Station has reached the end of the line

By James H. Schwartz

© Preservation magazine
July/August 2010
 
How can a building so glorious face such an uncertain future?


That question drew photographer Eric Smith to Detroit's Michigan Central Station, a 1913 Beaux-Arts landmark that closed in 1988 and now stands in a state of ruin. "A few years ago, I heard that artists were finding ways to secretly get into the station—a treacherous proposition, but one I couldn't resist," he says. "And the experience, once I got inside, was incredible. That main waiting room is enormous and, despite its current condition, still wonderful. I photographed the destruction caused by water and neglect—and vandals—and tried to capture the sheer drama of the interior."

Smith employs a photographic technique called High Dynamic Range Imaging, or HDRI. "By shooting a series of exposures that are later processed with a computer program, I can reveal all the color, shadows, highlights, and depth that standard photography misses."

In the months since Smith captured these striking images, the graffiti-filled station has been secured and fenced to prevent trespassing. Phil Frame, director of communications for CenTra Inc., a diversified holding company that owns the station, says, "The site is dangerous, and we don't want anyone hurt. We're trying to keep it structurally very sound, and would prefer to save it if we can."

Proposals under consideration include adapting space for law enforcement or judicial offices, Frame says. "We also think it would make a great site for the Michigan State Police Crime Lab. We're studying feasibility, but no project has been lined up at this time."

Designed by Warren & Wetmore and Reed & Stem (the firms responsible for Grand Central Terminal in New York City), the depot complex includes an 18-story office tower and a three-story station.The cavernous 54-foot-high waiting room was inspired by the Roman baths of Caracalla.

"If it wasn't so beautiful it might have disappeared long ago," Frame says. "But it survived. It's absolutely unforgettable."

Photographs courtesy the Detroit Historical Society and Eric Smith. see more of Smith's photographs here.

STEPHEN WILKES - ELLIS ISLAND: GHOSTS OF FREEDOM

Ellis Island: Ghosts of Freedom

June 26 through October 10, 2010

Stephen Wilkes: Corridor #9, Ellis Island

Fred Beans Gallery - James A. Michener Art Museum

It's hard to imagine a place that says more about the American experience than Ellis Island. For twelve million people, Ellis Island was the doorway to a new life. The hopes and dreams of several generations of immigrants began and sometimes ended there, and there are few American families who can't trace their heritage back to someone whose first footsteps on American soil happened at Ellis Island. For five years, renowned photographer Stephen Wilkes had free reign of the island's hospital complex. Neglected for nearly fifty years, the buildings were in an extreme state of disrepair: lead paint peeled from the ceilings and walls, vines and trees grew through the floorboards of once cramped wards. In these long-abandoned spaces, Wilkes discovered an unyielding solitude, yet also found undeniable evidence of life, not only in the implicit remembrances of the people who resided there, but in the radiant, beckoning light in which these scenes were captured.

Organized by the Michener Art Museum with the cooperation the George Eastman House, Rochester, and ClampArt Gallery, New York, this exhibition presents a selection of Wilkes's evocative contemporary images of Ellis Island as well as a group of vintage prints from the Eastman House collection by the legendary photographer Lewis Hine (1874-1940), who began documenting the immigrant experience around 1904 and produced a major body of work focusing specifically on Ellis Island.

View the full collection of Stephen Wilkes' Ellis Island photographs here.



James A. Michener Art Museum

138 South Pine Street
Doylestown, PA
Tuesday through Friday: 10 am to 4:30 pm

Saturday: 10 am to 5 pm
Sunday: 12 pm to 5 pm
More information
Map here

FATHER'S DAY, 2010

John Dominis: Jacques D'Amboise playing with his sons, Seattle, Washington, 1962 ©Time Inc.

Guy Gillette: Arnold's, Cafe, Lovelady, Texas, 1956

Nina Leen: Wife and children of insurance broker Charles Hoffman waiting for Hoffman at commuter train station, Darien, CT, 1949 ©Time Inc.

Sal Veder: Released prisoner of war Lt. Robert L. Stirm is greeted by his family at Travis Air Force Base as he returns from the Vietnam War, Foster City, CA, March 17, 1973 © 2004 The Associated Press