LIFE Magazine and the Power of Photography October 9, 2022–January 16, 2023

 Via Museum of Fine Arts Boston

Margaret Bourke-White, Flame Burner Ann Zarik, 1943

From the Great Depression to the Vietnam War, almost all of the photographs printed for consumption by the American public appeared in illustrated magazines. Among them, Life magazine—published weekly from 1936 to 1972—was both wildly popular and visually revolutionary, with photographs arranged in groundbreaking dramatic layouts known as photo essays. This exhibition takes a closer look at the creation and impact of the carefully selected images found in the pages of Life—and the precisely crafted narratives told through these pictures—in order to reveal how the magazine shaped conversations about war, race, technology, national identity, and more in the 20th-century United States. From Neil Armstrong’s photographs of the historic moon landing to Charles Moore’s coverage of the Birmingham civil rights demonstrations, the photographs on view capture some of the defining moments—celebratory and traumatic alike—of the last 100 years.

Drawing on unprecedented access to Life magazine’s picture and paper archives as well as photographers’ archives, the exhibition brings together more than 180 objects, including vintage photographs, contact sheets, assignment outlines, internal memos, and layout experiments. Visitors can trace the construction of a Life photo essay from assignment through to the creative and editorial process of shaping images into a compelling story. This focus departs from the historic fascination with the singular photographic genius and instead celebrates the collaborative efforts behind many now-iconic images and stories. Particular attention is given to the women staff members of Life, whose roles remained forgotten or overshadowed by the traditional emphasis on men at the magazine. Most photographs on view are original working press prints—made to be used in the magazine’s production—and represent the wide range of photographers who worked for Life, such as Margaret Bourke-White, Larry Burrows, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Frank Dandridge, Yousuf Karsh, Gordon Parks, and W. Eugene Smith.

Interspersed throughout the exhibition, three immersive contemporary “moments” feature works by artists active today who interrogate news media through their practice. A multimedia installation by Alfredo Jaar, screen prints and photographs by Alexandra Bell, and a new commission by Julia Wachtel frame larger conversations for visitors about implicit biases and systemic racism in contemporary media.

“Life Magazine and the Power of Photography” offers a revealing look at the collaborative processes behind many of Life’s most recognizable, beloved, and controversial images and photo essays, while incorporating the voices of contemporary artists and their critical reflections on photojournalism.

The exhibition is accompanied by a multi-authored catalogue, winner of the College Art Association’s 2021 Alfred H. Barr Jr. Award. “Life Magazine and the Power of Photography” is co-organized by the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, and the Princeton University Art Museum.

Visit the Monroe Gallery of Photography exhibition "The LIFE Photographers"

Photographs from Ed Kashi's groundbreaking project, Aging in America, were recently acquired by the Library of Congress

Ed Kashi: Ageing in America

 

30 photographs from Ed Kashi's groundbreaking project, Aging in America, were recently acquired by the Library of Congress, the world's largest library and the national library of the United States. Its collections comprise the world's most comprehensive record of human creativity and knowledge, and as such Kashi's work will take its place in the annals of history. 

Aging in America: The Years Ahead chronicles the unprecedented changes confronting America as old age goes mainstream. Ed Kashi and writer Julie Winokur first began the project as an award-winning story published by The New York Times Magazine. They then embarked on an eight-year-long journey across the topography of aging in search of what it means to have a “good old age” by collecting scores of personal histories that, when viewed together, challenge the culture of aging in America.

From the upsurge of elderly immigrants following their children to America to the overwhelming toll a tornado exacted on a rural elderly community, to the intimate vignettes of people who are living the new old age, the book and its companion film traverse the vast experiences of our elders. We are able to travel with the Loners of America, an RV club for mature singles and delve into a retirement community where Alzheimer’s patients work in a child daycare facility. We track the campaign of a 76-year-old politician running for office for the first time, follow a woman launching her modeling career in her 60’s, and celebrate the wedding of a couple of octogenarians. Through their stories, we laugh and cry as the “wellderly” to the elderly tackle life’s challenges, celebrate their freedom, apply their wisdom, and suffer the consequences of their bodies’ limitations.

This original award-winning body of work was published in The New York Times Magazine, July 13, 1997.

Ed Kashi's fine art prints are available from Monroe Gallery of Photography

Ageing in America book available here

Stephen Wilkes: Visualizing Time

 Via The Westport Library

Stephen Wilkes: Flatiron Building, New York City, Day to Night, 2010

Stephen Wilkes: Visualizing Time, a presentation of Wilkes’s work, in conversation with Stacy Bass on September 8 at 7pm,  in person in the Forum.

Note: The program will be preceded by a reception with the photographer at 6:15. Q&A will follow.

PLEASE REGISTER HERE

This exhibit, which will encompass all 3 of the library’s galleries through 11/29 and will explore how Wilkes' visualization of the concept of time has evolved from the earlier days of his career through his latest series “Day to Night” and “Tapestries.” 

 September 8 - November 29, 2022

The Westport Library

20 Jesup Road

Westport, CT 06880 

View Stepehen Wilkes' photography here

Ed Kashi's Book "Abandoned Moments" Receives 2022 Prix de la Photographie Gold Medal

 

The “Prix de la Photographie, Paris” (P×3) promotes the appreciation of photography, discover emerging talent and introduce photographers from around the world to the artistic community of Paris.

Gold in Book/Monograph

If the decisive moment reflects reality in tune with the photographer’s intuition, flawlessly combining composition and timing, then the abandoned moment is the consequence of a fractional instant of surrender. This collection, made over a 40-year period by renowned photographer Ed Kashi, reveals imprecise glimpses of transitory events filled with frenetic energy - the chaos of everyday life. Embodying photography’s intrinsic power, they preserve moments that can never occur again in exactly the same time and space.

Ed Kashi is a photojournalist, filmmaker, speaker and educator dedicated to documenting the social and political issues of our times. A sensitive eye and intimate relationship to his subjects are signatures of his work. A member of VII Photo Agency, Kashi is recognized for his complex imagery and compelling rendering of the human condition. In addition to producing 9 books, he is a pioneer and innovator of multimedia, whose award-winning work has been published and exhibited worldwide.

Ed Kashi: Abandoned Moments Gallery Talk

Awards

Awards Aaron Siskind Foundation Individual Photographer's Fellowship Grant, American Photo, Applied Arts, Artivist Film Festival , Black Maria Film & Video Festival Jury's Stellar Award, Communication Arts Photography Annual, Days Japan Photojournalism Awards, Festival Photoreporter, Freddie Awards, International Photography Awards, Nathan Cummings Foundation Grant, National Endowment for the Humanities Grant, National Geographic Explorer's Grant, National Press Club Journalism Award, New York Photo Festival Awards, Open Society Institute Grant, Photo District News (PDN), Photocrati Fund, Pictures of the Year (POYi), Prix Pictet Commission, Robert Wood Johnson Foundation 2-year fellowship grant, UNICEF Photo of the Year, USA Book News National Best Books Award, Village Voice Best Photo Book, World Press Photo

The National Press Photographers Foundation is pleased to announce the Michel du Cille $15,000 fellowship is awarded to Anna Boyiazis

 Via Nation Press Photographers Foundation

August 29, 2022

Kijini Primary School students walk to shore after a swimming lesson, Muyuni Beach, Zanzibar, 2016

The National Press Photographers Foundation is pleased to announce the Michel du Cille $15,000 fellowship is awarded to Anna Boyiazis.

Judge's Comments

In 2016, Boyiazis began photographing her long-term project, Finding Freedom in the Water, in the Indian Ocean off of the Zanzibar Archipelago. The project bears witness to women and girls learning to swim, an act of emancipation. Taking this project to the next level, Boyiazis will expand upon existing work to create a nuanced portrayal of first-generation women and girls to acquire this potentially life-saving skill. 

 “I’m extremely grateful to be named the 2022 Michel du Cille Fellow to expand upon my existing work focused on aquatic safety and drowning prevention. With a deep sense of humility, I welcome this opportunity to celebrate Michel du Cille’s enduring legacy and compassionate spirit!” 

“The approach that Anna used was very refreshing. She took an issue with some complications and issues that needed to be solved. But she also took the high road and said that these humans have other lives. This is not just a downtrodden approach. Anna uplifted these women. And by doing that, she uplifted the viewer in the process of their plight. It is refreshing to see happen!” – juror Dudley Brooks.

 “Anna’s work has a beautiful lyrical feel,” said juror Clinton Cargill. Cargill said, “Anna approached this story with grace, dignity, nuance, and texture. That’s what our coverage of the world should be.”

 Michel’s wife and juror Nikki Kahn added, “Michel loved Africa. Anna shows Africa in the light that was extremely important to Michel, so thank you. We look forward to seeing what comes out of the next body of work.”

 The 2022 fellowship jurors were Dudley Brooks, The Washington Post, Deputy Director of Photography; Clinton Cargill, The New York Times, Assistant Photo Editor; and Nikki Kahn, Sierra Magazine, Photo Editor.

The 2022 fellowship jurors were Dudley Brooks, The Washington Post, Deputy Director of Photography; Clinton Cargill, The New York Times, Assistant Photo Editor; and Nikki Kahn, Sierra Magazine, Photo Editor.

Coming in October: See ‘Life Magazine and the Power of Photography’ at the MFA Boston

 Via Boston.com

August 26, 2022

Flame Burner Ann Zarik, taken in 1943. Photo by Margaret Bourke-White, Life picture collection

The museum displays photos from the archives of the publication that shaped American photojournalism.

The Museum of Fine Arts will display dozens of original photos from Life magazine’s archives in “Life Magazine and the Power of Photography” this fall, highlighting Life’s cultural impact and the way its photos shaped American media throughout the mid-twentieth century.

Life printed in some capacity from 1883 through 2000. Published independently until 1936, Life was a light entertainment magazine heavy on illustrations, featuring the likes of Charles Dana Gibson and Norman Rockwell. Publisher Henry Luce bought the publication in 1936, turning it into the notable American photographic magazine we know it as today. The first of its kind, it defined photojournalism and chronicled historic moments of the last century, like the moon landing and the Birmingham civil rights demonstrations. Life was the first to publish Alfred Eisenstaedt’s “V-J Day in Times Square.”

The exhibit will display original photos alongside objects from Life’s paper archives like assignment outlines, memos, and layout drafts, taking a close look at how Life photo essays were constructed from assignment all the way through to completion. In peering behind the scenes of the magazine’s creation, the exhibit also examines how Life shaped conversations around topics like race, war, technology, and national identity. 

“Life Magazine and the Power of Photography” also displays three immersive contemporary works interspersed throughout the exhibit—a multimedia installation by Alfredo Jaar, screen prints and photos by Alexandra Bell, and a new commission by Julia Wachtel all examine modern news media and themes like implicit biases.

The exhibit features the work of photographers like Margaret Bourke-White, Larry Burrows, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Frank Dandridge, Yousuf Karsh, Gordon Parks, and W. Eugene Smith, and runs Oct. 9 through Jan. 16 in the Ann and Graham Gund Gallery.

Related: Monroe Gallery Exhibition "The LIFE Photographers"

LIFE Magazine Show Opens At Monroe Gallery Of Photography

Miami University Art Museum exhibit: “A Lens For Freedom: Civil Rights Photographs by Steve Schapiro”

 Via Dayton Daily News

Augst 26, 2022

Steve Schapiro: "We Shall Overcome" Summer of '64 Freedom Bus, Oxford, Ohio, 1964

OXFORD — “A Lens For Freedom: Civil Rights Photographs by Steve Schapiro” will be one of the three featured exhibitions on display this fall at Miami University Art Museum and Sculpture Park. The exhibitions will be on view through early December.

“‘A Lens For Freedom’ consists of 17 photos and three photo murals that are based on photographs of contact sheets that all pertain to civil rights photographs by Steve Schapiro with particular focus on developments leading up to and involving Freedom Summer,” said Jason Shaiman, curator of exhibitions at Miami University Art Museum.

Schapiro was there in the 1960s with his camera to capture some of the most iconic moments of the civil rights movement. Schapiro was also one of the leading photographers to document the historic 1964 Freedom Summer Campaign. His photographs are on view in the McKie Gallery.

“At the Art Museum, we have been very involved in exhibitions and programs for a number of years that support civil rights and social justice, and we’ve done other exhibitions pertaining to Freedom Summer,” Shaiman said.

This foundation for this exhibition really came about in 2019, when we worked with Steve Schapiro and his now widow, because unfortunately, Steve passed away in January of this year, of providing a partial gift as well as a museum purchase of 20 photographs. So, that’s where the 17 photos are from. We took the three contact sheets, and we’ve blown them up as photo murals, he said.

“This was a wonderful collaboration with Steve, because, as you might know, the grounds where the Art Museum stands is part of what used to be the Western College for Women. Now, it’s considered the Western Campus for Miami University. In 1964, the Western College for Women hosted the two-week training for volunteers, who were going into the Deep South, particularly Mississippi, to support Black voter registration, and the setting up of Freedom Schools and Freedom Libraries,” Shaiman said.

Freedom Summer was hosted by Western College for Women.

“The photos that we have piece together how Steve Schapiro got involved in photographing the civil rights movement. Then, with a particular focus on Freedom Summer, some of the photos were taken in Oxford during the first week of training. Steve was only present for the first week of training,” he said.

The rest of the photos in the exhibition record what he was seeing and documenting in Mississippi, around the region of Neshoba County, which is where a lot of the trouble in Mississippi took place, Shaiman said.

“Steve had a diverse career. He really made a name for himself within civil rights photography. He took some of the most amazing photos of Dr. King, of people like John Lewis, Medgar Evers, Rosa Parks, and so many major figures in the civil rights movement, especially in the 1960′s. His involvement really started with James Baldwin, who was a very well noted writer, poet, speaker on the Black experience,” he said.

Baldwin introduced Schapiro to a lot of major civil rights figures, and that transformed his trajectory as a photojournalist, which continued through the 1960′s. In the 1970′s, he started working in Hollywood, and he was doing still photos on and off-set for a lot of major movies like “The Godfather,” “Taxi Driver,” and a number of big-name films and he became very well known and respected for that work, which kept him busy for several decades.

“Schapiro has said in interviews, that as wonderful as those opportunities were, he still felt like his civil rights photos were his most important contributions to photography,” Shaiman said.

He said Schapiro was able to capture the individual personalities of the people that he recorded in his photos.

“He had a unique approach,” Shaiman said, “There was nothing that felt staged about his photos.”

“He was really capturing who these people were, and what they were fighting for, and I think his approach moved beyond photojournalism, and it really captured a sense of humanity of the people that he was photographing,” said Shaiman.

The exhibition and related programming are supported with a grant from FotoFocus as part of the FotoFocus Biennial 2022. The Art Museum also received support from Richard and Susan Momeyer. The exhibition is dedicated to the memory of Schapiro, who passed away on Jan. 15.

How to go

What: “A Lens For Freedom: Civil Rights Photographs by Steve Schapiro”

When: 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m. Saturday and 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. the second Wednesday of each month. The exhibition will be on display through Dec. 10. Closed on Sundays, Mondays and university holidays.

Where: Miami University Art Museum and Sculpture Park, 801 S. Patterson Ave., Oxford

Admission: Free and open to the public. Visitor parking passes are available at the museum.

More info: (513) 529-2232 or www.MiamiOH.edu/ArtMuseum. It is optional for visitors to wear a mask.

Stephen Wilkes' pictures document effects of climate change

 Via Good Morning America

August 23, 2022

Stephen Wilkes has been photographing national parks for more than 20 years and his newly born granddaughter inspires him to continue bearing witness to how they're affected by climate change.

Mount Sinai Health System Unveils Photo Exhibit "We Find A Way" by Ashley Gilbertson

Via Mount Sinai Health System

August 22, 2022

We Find a Way is a photo installation that captures a glimpse inside the Mount Sinai Health System community in various moments of employees caring for patients through compassion, skill and often times going beyond in. Australian photojournalist and writer, Ashley Gilbertson, who typically covers war zones and social unrest, was able to capture powerful moments between a patient and health care worker.

This photo installation is part of Mount Sinai’s overarching branding and advertising campaign that launched in June 2021 and presents an emotional and raw view of what it takes to overcome challenging and complex health and scientific problems. The We Find a Way campaign and exhibit drew inspiration from the entire Mount Sinai community who went above and beyond to save countless lives during the pandemic, and how it seeks to do so for all health conditions. Their work has led to the development of new COVID-19 protocols, diagnostics, and therapeutics.

“This campaign reveals the soul of our organization, the resilience of our people, and our humanity,” said Kenneth L. Davis, MD, Chief Executive Officer of Mount Sinai Health System. “I’m inspired by the people who make us who we are, who entered into this profession because they care and are unsatisfied with the status quo, and who embody the Mount Sinai way.”

Throughout the photos, Mr. Gilbertson was able to showcase the deep humanity in how Mount Sinai’s staff finds a way to go above and beyond for the care of patients. Within the exhibit, Mount Sinai doctors, nurses, researchers, and other staff are seen committing to every single patient, even through the worst of the crisis.

“This casts an authentic spotlight on what we do and who we are,” said David A. Feinberg, Senior Vice President and Chief Marketing and Communications Officer of the Mount Sinai Health System and Dean for Marketing and Communications for the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. “The distinctive experiences captured beautifully and thoughtfully reveal the essence of our community and Health System.”

Images include a physician’s assistant braiding a patient’s hair while the patient was under anesthesia and wouldn’t know, a patient in the operating room when their heart starts beating again, an occupational therapist helping a patient through rehab, quiet moments before surgery, researchers looking for solutions, a toddler patient returning home after a life-saving transplant, and more. The photo installation can be seen within The Mount Sinai Hospital at 1 Gustave L. Levy Place New York, NY 10029-6574.

Grant Baldwin's 2019 Pride Festival image featured: Officials in counties outside Charlotte censored LGBTQ+ content. Can they do that?

 Via The Charlotte Observer

August 18, 2022

The Gaston County manager ordered this photograph of two newlywed men kissing at the 2019 Charlotte Pride Parade & Festival pulled from a photography exhibit at the Gaston County Museum, according to a county statement and the photographer, Grant Baldwin/Grant Baldwin Photography

"Before the pandemic put a pause to the Queen City’s in-person festivities, Charlotte Pride hired local photojournalist Grant Baldwin to document its 2019 parade. Among the shots, Baldwin snapped a portrait of two men — Justin Colasacco and Bren Hipp — kissing in celebration just after getting engaged.

As a rainbow-festooned gaggle of cheers erupted behind them, Baldwin thought the shot would be perfect for the Gaston County Museum’s roundup of artistic and documentary photographs. Museum officials agreed initially. They accepted the photo and displayed it as part of the summer 2022 “Into the Darkroom” exhibit, Baldwin said. Ultimately, county manager Kim Eagle told museum staff to replace the photograph with one “more considerate of differing viewpoints in the community,” county spokesman Gaub said. It remains shelved, but the removal has sparked calls for more LGBTQ recognition in the county. It garnered praise for Baldwin and the couple elsewhere. The photo will take a place of honor in a New Mexico exhibit soon. “It’s reaffirmed in me that there’s still more work to be done to live up to the motto of Gastonia being an All-American city – live, work and play – when a subset of the population is not viewed as equals,” Charlotte Pride spokesman and Gastonia resident Clark Simon said. “So there’s more work to be done.”

Read more here

Grant Baldwin's photograph is featured in the exhibition "Imagine A World Without Photojournalism", on view through September 18, 2022.