"The function and mission of photography is to explain man to man and man to himself"

Universal message … Garry Winogrand shot of Coney Island bathers, New York, 1952, from Edward Steichen's groundbreaking exhibition, The Family of Man. Photograph: Fraenkel Gallery/Garry Winogrand

 

Via The Guardian

 

 

Double exposure: photography's biggest ever show comes back to life

The Family of Man, a groundbreaking post-war exhibition seen by more than 10 million people, reopens in Luxembourg

 

Giovanna Dunmall

Friday 5 July 2013

 

In 1955, Edward Steichen changed the world of photography forever. When the visionary curator and photographer decided to mount an exhibition to promote world peace and equality after two world wars, he was breaking the mould. He gathered 503 photographs of people from around the world, taken by 273 different (often unknown) photographers, and grouped them by theme. That exhibition, The Family of Man, opened in January 1955 at New York's Museum of Modern Art, where the Luxembourg-born Steichen was director of photography from 1947 to 1961. It went on to tour the world and become the most successful photography exhibition of all time – more than 10 million people have seen it. It will go back on show this weekend in a castle in Luxembourg, after renovation work that has taken three years.

"Family of Man changed the way we view photographs today, and how we think about exhibitions," says Anke Reitz, conservator of The Family of Man in Luxembourg, where the collection has been since 1994. "It is a milestone in the history of photography." Steichen chose images grouped by themes intended to be so universal that anyone in any culture could identify with them: birth, fathers and sons, mothers and children, education, love, work, death and religion. The images were hung in particular formations, some dangling from wires overhead or attached to poles. The birth photos were arranged inside an intimate circular structure, while theatrical lighting created further drama and atmosphere. Steichen hung the photos without captions. "The exhibition was meant to be understood around the world without the need for words," says Reitz.

Alfred Eisenstaedt's image of a University of Michigan marching band drum major practising his high-kicking prance, followed by admirers in Ann Arbor, Michigan, 1950

 

 

Now, in its renovated setting in Luxembourg, The Family of Man is just as striking, dynamic and emotional as it must have been all those decades ago. The photographs are laid out precisely as in the original MoMA exhibition; only the lighting has been altered, for conservation reasons. Images of children playing and crying, men and women marrying, dreamily staring into space, dancing or fighting – including work by Dorothea Lange, Bill Brandt and Elliott Erwitt – are beautiful or intriguing. Others appear more as historic documents, such as the photo of crowds gathered in London for Princess Elizabeth and Prince Philip's wedding in 1947, or the image by Henri Cartier-Bresson of Gandhi lying in state in Delhi after his assassination in 1948.

American anthropology … Leon Levinstein, Couple in New York, 1952 Photograph: Howard Greenberg Gallery/Leon Levinstein

Sections of the show are now dated and gendered, and there is no doubt that the main worldview being expounded was white, western and male. One theme, "household and office work", shows only women cooking and cleaning, while the predominance of the nuclear family in many photographs, themes and arrangements feels reactionary and simplistic (as if the family could conquer all – even issues such as racism or social inequality).

For Reitz, such criticisms are founded, but are "part of the history of the exhibition". The Family of Man is very much a product of its time and its creator, she says. As a contemporary viewer, it is hard to appreciate quite what an impact this anthropological photographic survey must have had, nearrly 60 years ago, when viewed in places as culturally diverse as Indonesia, Russia, Japan, Italy and Laos. "For many people, it was like seeing the world for the first time," says Reitz. "A lot of them didn't have TVs or access to magazines."

A world revealed … Peruvian Flute Player, Pisac, Peru, 1954, by Eugene Harris

The Family of Man has stood the test of time because of how innovative Steichen was as a curator. He displayed photos without frames and blew them up into lifesize formats; he took images away from museum walls and into the centre of rooms where visitors could interact with them. Not long before dying, Steichen said: "The function and mission of photography is to explain man to man and man to himself." That is the reason The Family of Man continues to capture our imaginations.

Exhibition explores extraordinary people who have influenced the course of modern history

Michael Rossmann, an organizer for the Free Speech Movement at UC Berkeley, Berkeley, California. 1964©Paul Fusco/Magnum Photos.

Via artdaily.org


SANTA FE, NM.- Monroe Gallery of Photography, 112 Don Gaspar, is pleased to announce “Those Who Dared”, a major exhibition of compelling and provocative photographs depicting brave, courageous, intrepid, and audacious people and personalities that celebrates the human spirit of daring, drive, and determination to make a difference. The exhibition opens with a public reception on Friday, July 5, from 5 to 7; the exhibition will continue through September 22.

“Those Who Dared” explores the characterization of extraordinary people who have influenced the course of modern history. The more than 50 photographs in the exhibit depict major personalities, historical figures, and everyday people who, through words, actions, and endeavors have made a difference; explored our world; made life-changing scientific discoveries, and inspired us all. These people broke records, broke ground, blazed trails, and suffered trials, shattering ceilings of glass and even tougher stuff. While some are obvious and some obscure, all acted to increase our liberty, safety, prosperity, and imaginations, often enduring an agonizing cycle of hope, progress, and crushing setback.

Photographs depict people "who have dared", including: Amelia Earhart, Ann San Suu Kyi, Charles Lindbergh, Gandhi, Malcolm X, Martin Luther King, Nelson Mandela, Rosa Parks, Al Weiwei, Robert F. Kennedy, Eleanor Roosevelt, Indira Gandhi, Anwar Sadat, a lone protester stopping tanks at Tiananmen Square in Beijing, 1989, protesters in Tahir Square in 2011; Nobel Laureate Dr. James Watson, co-discoverer of the DNA molecule, Jonas Salk, discoverer of the first successful polio vaccine, astronauts; Albert Einstein, Simone de Beauvoir, Jean Paul Sartre, Muhammad Ali, Jackie Robinson, Cesar Chavez, Simon Wiesenthal, and many others.

Photographers in the exhibition include world-renowned photojournalists such as Eddie Adams, Harry Benson, Bill Eppridge, Paul Fusco, Margaret Bourke White, Robert Capa, John Dominis, Alfred Eisenstaedt, Burt Glinn, Yuri Kozyrev, Carl Mydans, Martin Parr, Ken Reagan, Steve Schapiro, Jeff Weidner, and others.

Monroe Gallery of Photography was founded by Sidney S. Monroe and Michelle A. Monroe. Building on more than four decades of collective experience, the gallery specializes in classic black & white photography with an emphasis on humanist and photojournalist imagery. The gallery also represents a select group of contemporary and emerging photographers.

Apple Co-Founder Steve Jobs, California, 1982© Charles O'Rear/NGS.

“This day the Continental Congress declared the United Colonies Free and Independent States.”

 

Eric Smith: Warren, Michigan, 2006

"Freedom is nothing but a chance to be better." ~Albert Camus

 

The Declaration of Independence

 

Five things everybody should know about July 4th

 

July Fourth: Pancakes, and Photography

Photo  © www.sfreporter.com

 

2013 Pancakes on the Plaza

Santa Fe’s Favorite Local Event

It's almost automatic. When locals think Fourth of July in Santa Fe, Pancakes On The Plaza comes to mind first. From the deliciousness of the pancakes to the cool cars on display ... from the toe-tapping music to the unique art show, Pancakes On The Plaza has something for everyone. And as it brings the communities of Santa Fe and Northern New Mexico together to celebrate our nation's birthday, the proceeds generated from Pancakes on the Plaza make a big difference in the lives of people in need.

Details here.


Then, stop in for an advance look at the exhibition "Those Who Dared" at Monroe Gallery of Photography. The gallery will be open until 3 PM on July Fourth, and please join us Friday from 5 - 7 for the opening reception.

One Life: Martin Luther King Jr.

Martin Luther King Jr. and Ralph Abernathy ride the first integrated bus in Montgomery, Alabama
Ernest Withers (1922–2007)

Gelatin silver print, 1956 (printed later) King proved to be the ideal choice to orchestrate and sustain the Montgomery bus boycott. As a relative newcomer to Montgomery, he was able to bring together all factions of the black community without regard to past rivalries. Through inspirational addresses delivered at mass meetings in Montgomery’s black churches, King galvanized support for the boycott and clearly articulated the case for nonviolent action, declaring, “We must meet the forces of hate with the power of love; we must meet physical force with soul force.” He found a strong ally in fellow Montgomery minister Ralph Abernathy, and during the course of the boycott the two men forged a strong working relationship and a deep friendship. Continuing for an unprecedented 381 days, the bus boycott ended only after the United States Supreme Court ruled bus segregation unconstitutional. When the first integrated bus rolled through Montgomery on December 21, 1956, King and Abernathy sat side by side.

National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution

June 28, 2013 through June 1, 2014


Selected Portraits / Curator's Statement
As we mark the fiftieth anniversary of the 1963 March on Washington for Jobs and Freedom and Martin Luther King Jr.’s iconic “I Have a Dream” speech, I believe it is important to remember King not merely as a dreamer but as a doer. In his thirteen years of public life as an advocate for civil rights, economic opportunity, and world peace, King motivated others not only by communicating his vision for a brighter future but by acting boldly to challenge injustice. Despite enormous odds and the ever-present risk of failure, King led by example, exhibiting courage and character as he maintained his steadfast commitment to nonviolent resistance and direct action. Anyone can dream of a better and more just world. Martin Luther King Jr. dedicated his life to making that dream a reality.

—Ann M. Shumard, Senior Curator of Photographs

 

Martin Luther King Marching for Voting Rights with John Lewis, Reverend Jesse Douglas, James Forman and Ralph Abernathy, Selma, 1965

Steve Schapiro

This exhibition has been funded by the Guenther and Siewchin Yong Sommer Endowment Fund and an anonymous donor.


http://npg.si.edu/exhibit/MLK/portraits.html

The Washington Post: Martin Luther King Jr. exhibit is brief but powerful

INTERACTIVE PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT AT GEORGIA O"KEEFFE MUSEUM

Will Wilson, Self Portrait, Critical Indigenous Photographic Exchange (CIPX), 2012

INTERACTIVE PHOTOGRAPHY PROJECT
MON.–FRI. JULY 8–19 10 AM–4 PM
EXHIBITION
MON.–FRI. JULY 15–19, 10 AM–NOON & 1–4 PM
PHOTOGRAPHIC PORTRAIT SESSIONS
The Critical Indigenous Photographic Exchange (CIPX) is a photographic inquiry and exchange of artist Will Wilson (Diné) and his subjects as he creates studio portraits that engage participants in dialogue and a portrait session using the wet-plate collodion process. Wilson re-creates and re-enacts this performative ritual, which is intensified and refined by his use of a large-format (8 by 10 in.) camera to create a tintype for the sitter. This beautifully alchemic photographic process dramatically contributed to the collective understanding of Native American people and, in so doing, the American identity, demonstrating how an understanding of our world can be acquired through fabricated methods.

Museum visitors can register to be photographed. Each portrait takes approximately 30 minutes. An exhibition of digitally printed portraits from the CIPX series will be on view at the Education Annex July 8—19.

LOCATION: O’Keeffe Education Annex, 123 Grant Avenue.
COST: FREE

Register at Georgia O'Keeffe Museum front desk.

BBC: Vivian Maier: Who Took Nanny's Pictures?

Untitled, no date

Via BBC1

Duration: 1 hour, 10 minutes

The incredible story of a mysterious nanny who died in 2009 leaving behind a secret hoard - thousands of stunning photographs. Never seen in her lifetime, they were found by chance in a Chicago storage locker and auctioned off cheaply.

Now Vivian Maier has gone viral and her magical pictures sell for thousands of dollars. Vivian was a tough street photographer, a secret poet of suburbia. In life she was a recluse, a hoarder, spinning tall tales about her French roots. Presented by Alan Yentob, the film includes stories from those who knew her and those who revealed her astonishing work.

Click to watch here via YouTube

(Part One)

 

 

Related:  Vivian Maier: lost art of an urban photographer

Related: Vivian Maier Discovered

 

White House Photographer Eric Draper Live Interview on Local Radio June 27

Via The Bob Clark Show on KKOB

Eric Draper of Rio Rancho, who was the official White House Photographer for President G.W. Bush, is on our show next Thursday, June 27th, at 9 AM (Moutain Time). He will be discussing his new book, Front Row Seat. (Link to listen live here)


The new book by the University of Texas Press, “Front Row Seat: A Photographic Portrait of the Presidency of George W. Bush,” presents an extraordinary collection of images, many never before published, by former Chief White House Photographer Eric Draper. Part of the Focus on American History Series with The University of Texas at Austin’s Dolph Briscoe Center for American History, “Front Row Seat” offers a compelling, behind-the-scenes view of the entire presidency of George W. Bush, from dramatic events to relaxed, intimate moments within the Bush family.

The book’s publication this spring coincided with the opening of the new George W. Bush Presidential Library and Museum on the campus of Southern Methodist University in Dallas, Texas, on May 1.

America’s 43^rd president George W. Bush presided over eight of the most dramatic years in recent history, from the 9/11 attacks early in his administration to the worldwide economic crisis of 2008. By his side, recording every event, was his personal White House photographer, Eric Draper. From a collection of nearly 1 million photographs, Draper has selected more than 100 images of Bush that portray both the public figure and the private man.

Through Draper’s lens, we follow the president through moments of crisis that called for strong leadership, such as 9/11; emotional meetings with troops in war zones, wounded soldiers at home and Katrina survivors; and happy, relaxed times.

White House Photograper Eric Draper: "Front Row Seat

Eric Draper, Front Row Seat on Time LightBox

50 Years Ago Today: 'Ich bin ein Berliner'

John Dominis: President John F. Kennedy looking over Berlin wall to Eastern Sector, 1963

©Time Inc.

Via BBC  1963: Kennedy: 'Ich bin ein Berliner'

The US President, John F Kennedy, made a ground-breaking speech in Berlin offering American solidarity to the citizens of West Germany.

A crowd of 120,000 Berliners gathered in front of the Schöneberg Rathaus (City Hall) to hear President Kennedy speak.

They began gathering in the square long before he was due to arrive, and when he finally appeared on the podium they gave him an ovation of several minutes.

The president had just returned from a visit on foot to one of the Berlin Wall's most notorious crossing points, Checkpoint Charlie.

He was watched from the other side of the border by small groups of East Berliners unable even to wave because of the presence of large groups of the East German People's Police.

In an impassioned speech, the president told them West Berlin was a symbol of freedom in a world threatened by the Cold War.

"Two thousand years ago," he told the crowd, "the proudest boast in the world was 'civis Romanus sum'.

"Today, in the world of freedom, the proudest boast is 'Ich bin ein Berliner.'"

"Freedom has many difficulties and democracy is not perfect," he continued. "But we never had to put up a wall to keep our people in."

His speech was punctuated throughout by rapturous cheers of approval.

He ended on the theme he had begun with:

"All free men, wherever they may live, are citizens of Berlin, and therefore, as a free man, I take pride in the words, 'Ich bin ein Berliner.'"

After the speech, the mayor of West Berlin, Willi Brandt, spoke out for the citizens of East Germany, saying they would be brought out in a few days to greet the Soviet leader, Nikita Khrushchev, whether they wanted to or not.

"But they would much rather be with us, freely gathered here," he said.

"We tell them, we will not give up. Berlin is true to those behind barbed wire as to fellow countrymen in the West and friends in the whole world."

His words were followed by the tolling of the Freedom Bell from the belfry of the Rathaus in remembrance of those in East Germany.

For the first time that day, the massive crowd fell silent.

A Summer Series on "The Law and Business of ART”

Via The Albuquerque Journal

Art and the law subject of talks

A series of panel discussions on art and the law will be presented through the summer at the Santa Fe Community Gallery, 201 W. Marcy St., located in the convention center.

The free sessions are being offered by the Santa Fe Arts Commission with New Mexico Lawyers for the Arts.

The topics include:
• June 25, 6-8 p.m., “Understanding the Artist-Gallery Consignment Agreement,” a lecture by Peter Ives.

• July 16, 6-8 p.m., “The Art of the Dealer: Best Practices for the Modern Gallery/Artist Agreements: A Panel Discussion.” Panelists will be Katherine Erickson, Samantha Furgason, Pascal Pierme, Sid Monroe, Darrah Wills and Peter Ives.

• Aug. 6, 6-8 p.m., “Public Art, Censorship and the Visual Artists Rights Act: A Panel Discussion.”