Ryan Vizzions' Standing Rock photo accompanies news release: "TigerSwan Spy Documents at Standing Rock are Public Records. Victims Appeal Lawsuit"

 

Via IndyBay

May 1, 2022

The Water Protectors of Standing Rock were the focus of two court actions this week. The North Dakota Supreme Court ruled that 60,000 spy documents of TigerSwan are public records to be released. In a separate court action, Water Protectors injured by rubber bullets and projectiles fired by law enforcement filed an appeal of a class-action civil rights lawsuit. It was earlier thrown out by the court which sided with law enforcement.

Ryan Vizzions

Water protectors use their bodies to keep law enforcement vehicles from ascending on Last Child Camp, February 1, 2017

By Brenda Norrell

Censored News

Top photo by Ryan Vizzions

The North Dakota Supreme Court ruled that TigerSwan's documents from Standing Rock are public records. Confirming the ruling of the district court, the high court's ruling means that The Intercept and other news media will be able to obtain the documents.

The high court ruled that a state regulatory committee must comb through the 60,000 documents and remove those associated with trade secrets and litigation.

The lawsuit is a victory for free press. Documents that have already been leaked reveal the names of many Water Protectors who were targeted by TigerSwan at Standing Rock. Those leaked documents also expose infiltrators in the camps who attempted to entrap Water Protectors and provoke crimes.

In a separate court action, Water Protectors who were injured by rubber bullets and other projectiles fired by law enforcement filed an appeal of a case that was thrown out by the courts.

"Water Protectors filed an appeal in the Dundon v. Kirchmeier civil rights case. Dundon v. Kirchmeier is a federal civil rights class-action lawsuit in which six named plaintiffs are seeking redress on behalf of hundreds of #NoDAPL Water Protectors who were injured by law enforcement on the night of November 20, 2016," attorneys for Water Protectors said.

"On December 29, 2021, the North Dakota District Court threw out the Water Protectors’ lawsuit, finding that law enforcement was justified in unleashing a ten-hour-long barrage of impact munitions, chemical weapons, explosive grenades and freezing water on unarmed, nonviolent water protectors. The court decision was deeply flawed and let law enforcement off the hook relying heavily on the doctrine of qualified immunity."

"Despite the disappointing loss, the Water Protector Legal Collective and Cooperating Attorneys on the legal team promised to keep fighting not just in this case, but generally, reaffirming the commitment to supporting the Earth and all those in the climate justice movement who work to defend and protect Her."

"The appeal brief references over 1,700 pages of evidence refuting Morton County’s claims that law enforcement was under attack and had to inflict mass violence to avoid being overrun," attorneys for Water Protectors said.

Photographer Tony Vaccaro: Still Searching at 99

 Via ArtsWeschester

April 29, 2022

by Alyssa Monte

Tony Vaccaro, Leonard Cohen (photo courtesy of Rye Arts Center). 

This exhibition includes photographs drawn from 
the Monroe Gallery of Photography Collection, Santa Fe, NM, USA, and the Tony Vaccaro Studios, New York City, USA.

When looking at old photographs, one often instinctively wishes that they were present for the moment during which the photo was taken. Rye Arts Center (RAC)’s latest exhibition fulfills that desire. The works on display by Tony Vaccaro can make an observer feel like they are stepping into a time machine, placing them right behind the photographer’s lens.

Portraits, Personalities, Passion: The Photography of Tony Vaccaro showcases portraits of prominent artists, scenes of war and a selection of the artist’s cameras and personal memorabilia through May 13. 

The RAC exhibited a fifty-year retrospective thirty years ago. Still, co-curator Gail Harrison Roman, after a visit to the artist’s studio, decided it was time to display his work once again. She adds: “Vaccaro’s international reputation as an innovator of creative photographic techniques and artistic presentation is well deserved.” Roman curated the current show with Patrick Cicalo and Sarah Mackay.

Tony Vaccaro was introduced to photography at an early age, and shot more than 8,000 photos while serving in the army during World War II. During this time, he produced insightful, raw images that evoke intense emotion to this day. Cicalo emphasizes that “to do what Tony did, he had to have a certain amount of humility and empathy for his subjects [to be able to] bring back the horrors of war for all of us to see.”

These photographs are attributed to his bravery, fearlessness and trusty Argus C3 camera. This camera was able to withstand the extremely harsh environment, and stayed intact even when Vaccaro had to dive into the dirt to snap the photo he wanted. This camera, just one of many in his large collection, is on display in RAC’s gallery. 

Says Mackey: “These objects bring his past to the present in a very tangible way. I see them not just as vital aspects of his career and artistic practice, but as a collection of treasures.”

Following the war, Vaccaro worked as a photojournalist for several established magazines. On each assignment he was given, he developed a personal relationship with his subjects, helping them to feel comfortable letting their guard down in front of the camera. Whether it was Georgia O’Keeffe playfully posing with a piece of cheese on an unexpected car picnic, Willem de Kooning deep in thought as he stares into his painting or Peggy Guggenheim on a gondola with her dog, Vaccaro spotlights sides of these individuals that we would have never otherwise known. He achieved this by creating honest environmental portraits that unveiled his subjects’ true essence. 

Mackey adds: “Displaying Vaccaro’s celebrity portraits allows viewers to create their own narration and insert themselves into the experience. It humanizes these famous figures.”

This exhibition is a monumental culmination of Vaccaro’s work. It highlights his honest documentation of history and his innate ability to tell a story. “I am part of all these pictures,” Vaccaro says. “Each one is a story.”

As a pioneer of his craft, Vaccaro continues to lay the groundwork for generations of photographers to come. He remains curious and optimistic despite today’s unprecedented world, even after recently surviving COVID-19. 

“Even now, at 99, I’m searching,” he says. “What can I do differently? What can I do that I’ve never done before?”  Link to article

Tony Vaccaro's photography will be on exhibit during the AIPAD Photography Show at Center 415 in New York City May 20 - 22, in Monroe Gallery's booth #113. 

Photograph by John Dominis Inside legendary photo agent Lee Gross’ Manhattan apartment

 Via Wallpaper

April 29, 2022

John Dominis/©The Life Picture Collection

Jacques D'Amboise Playing with his Sons, Seattle, Washington, 1962

Featured in the exhibition The LIFE Photographers

May 6-June 19, 2022

Inside legendary photo agent Lee Gross’ Manhattan apartment

Lee Gross, a photo agent who pioneered the capturing of behind-the-scenes movie-set images in the 1960s, talks us through the treasures of her West Village apartment

"The dining room at Lee Gross’ apartment. ’As soon as we saw the unfurnished, undivided loft space I knew the dining table would fit somehow; it is a Bruno Mathsson dropleaf,’ says Gross. ‘The wood is oak, the table is light and graceful.’ Art in the room includes a photograph by the late Life magazine photographer John Dominis, part of a feature on the dancer Jacques d’Amboise, pictured here with his two baby sons. The painting behind the table is by an unknown Aboriginal artist, while the Charlie Chaplin photograph was a birthday gift to Gross’ husband. ‘I had found a 5x7 negative, had it blown up life-size and transported it on the subway to our then small apartment! It’s lived with us in every apartment we ever had.’ Above the table is suspended a pole ordinarily used to hang a boat’s sail; Gross had it transformed into a chandelier from which to rig Murano glass pendant lights"

Requiem to New York: Photographs by Ashley Gilbertson

 Via National Gallery of Victoria

April 28, 2022

Melbourne-born Ashley Gilbertson has crafted a career from his human, empathetic approach to photojournalism, most recently channelled through his images of New York City in 2020, when the metropolis was in the deepest throes of the COVID-19 pandemic. Gilbertson’s astute eye captured both sadness and moments of joy. Full article here.

View Ashley Gilbertson's photographs at The AIPAD Photography Fair May 20-22 in New York City, booth #113, Monroe Gallery of Photography.

Reflections of the L.A. uprising: Revisiting the photographs with David Butow

 Via The Los Angeles Times

April 26, 2022

Welcome to Los Angeles in the last few days of April 1992.

"David Butow witnessed many historical events through the lens of his camera as a freelance photojournalist, including the 1992 uprisings in L.A., the 2003 invasion of Iraq, and the 2019 protests in Hong Kong. Most recently, he was in Ukraine shooting photographs of the war."

David Butow recalls taking photos of burning rubble just a couple blocks from his L.A. apartment in 1992.  (View these historical images overlaid on present-day 360º video in this immersive piece, and hear from the photographers themselves. Scan the QR codes using Snapchat on your smartphone to walk through an augmented reality doorway to examine the space around you.)

Musee Magazine Review: Ed Kash: Abandoned Moments A Love Letter to Photography

 Via Musee Magazine

April 19, 2022

Ed Kashi: Sightseers visit the colorful Clifton Beach Amusement Park on Karachi, Pakistan, 1998

"Lives are shaped by moments, experiences lived, and actions played out. We wonder how these individual stories can be told in a way that is vivid enough to relate to, even if they took place oceans away. Renowned sociopolitical photojournalist Ed Kashi captures fleeting junctures in time, moments when the whim of an instant impacts everything nearby. Each photo chronicles a living, breathing occurrence. Kashi’s most immersive works, spanning over 40 years of his invigorating career spent around the globe, are showcased in his latest book, Abandoned Moments: A Love Letter to Photography and are now on display in an exhibit at the Monroe Gallery." click for full article

NY Times Features Gallery Photographer Sanjay Suchak's Photographs of Removal of Confederate Statues

 Via The New York Times

April 17, 2022

Sanjay Suchak: Removing Jackson, Richmond, Virginia, July 1, 2020

RICHMOND, Va. — As Devon Henry and his construction team take down the last remnants of statues that long dotted this former capital of the Confederacy, they have developed a grim game.

Random passers-by, some in vehicles, others on foot, often make known their disapproval of Mr. Henry’s work — so often, in fact, that Mr. Henry, who is Black, began to keep count of the many times he or a Black crew member were called an incendiary racial slur.

The count is 72 and climbing, according to Mr. Henry, who has emerged as the go-to statue remover not only for this city, but for all of Virginia and other parts of the South. (Full article)

Monroe Gallery will exhibit Sanjay Suchak's photographs at the AIPAD Photography Show in New York May 20 - 22 in booth #113

Photographs by Tony Vaccaro in "O’Keeffe in the Landscape" Exhibition Opening April 19

 Via The Georgia O'Keeffe Museum

April 19, 2022 - April 11, 2023

Tony Vaccaro: O'Keeffe and "the Smokestack", 1960

Portrait of O'Keeffe walking at the base of the "smoke stack" at "the White Place;" she is dressed in a black wrap dress, her Hector Aguilar belt, and a white broad-brimmed hat, landscape of white limestone cliffs, spires, and Hoodoos.

While living in New Mexico, Georgia O’Keeffe’s relationship with nature deepened as she spent extended amounts of time in the landscape, exploring the rivers, canyons, and painted cliffs that made up her surroundings during numerous camping and day trips. As a result, O’Keeffe created hundreds of paintings and drawings inspired by nature. O’Keeffe in the Landscape explores these excursions through the photography of her friends and the personal effects she brought with her on her trips, including camping gear and clothing. The exhibition will be on view at The O’Keeffe Welcome Center in Abiquiú, New Mexico from April 19, 2022 through April 11, 2023. The exhibition is free and open to the general public.

The O’Keeffe Welcome Center is the starting point for tours of The O’Keeffe  Home & Studio. While The O’Keeffe Welcome Center is free and open to the public, tours of The O’Keeffe Home & Studio require advanced reservations which can be made here.

Photojournalist Ed Kashi discusses his new book Abandoned Moments and his approach to photojournalism. Monroe Gallery of Photography, April 1, 2022

 

Ed Kashi signing his new book Abandoned Moments

Photojournalist Ed Kashi discusses his new book Abandoned Moments and his approach to photojournalism. Monroe Gallery of Photography, April 1, 2022.

We were thrilled to have Gallery photographers Gabriella E. Campos and 

Ryan Vizzions in the audience!

Gabriela E. Campos and Ryan Vizzions

David Butow's Photograph From Ukraine Leads NY Time Editorial Board Ukrainian Refugee Opinion Column

Via The New York Times

April 1, 2022

 

David Butow

"The mass flight of refugees from Ukraine has created a humanitarian crisis that dwarfs anything Europe has seen since World War II. More than four million people have poured into neighboring countries, and as long as Russia’s savage war continues, millions more will flee. Already, the flow of refugees from Ukraine is far greater than the number from Syria, Afghanistan and Iraq who fled to Europe in 2015, upending European politics. (more)