The Awards Collective was created to feature the works of artist who have received a Juror’s Award or Director’s Award in ASG’s Online exhibitions.  Abbey Hepner’s  image “The House is Just a Metaphor“ received the Juror’s Award in the “interiors” exhibition juried by Ann Mitchell.  Abbey’s exhibition “Monument Plinth” was featured from September 1 to September 30, 2024 and is discussed in our GalleryTalk with Abbey.

Artist Statement

Uranium disposal cells are geometric mounds engineered to isolate radioactive material from the surrounding environment. The mounds sit above the ground and cover surfaces from a few acres to half a mile and consist of an outer shell of riprap rock and a clay soil layer that covers the radioactive material. They are designed to allow for rain runoff and to prevent plant growth from forming on top and penetrating the clay layer. Typically, the cells in the Southwest are made from demolished buildings at uranium mines, and the cells in the Midwest and East are most commonly from uranium metal engineering and processing sites. [1]

Some sites that produced the waste contained in the cells date back to the Manhattan Project and were created to mine and construct nuclear weapons; some of the sites continue to operate today for the nuclear energy industry. The amount of radioactivity in the cells varies, but most radiation comes from Uranium-238 with a half-life as old as the earth or 4.47 billion years. There are over 100 sites like these that exist in the US and the number is growing. [2]

Disposal cells are architecturally fascinating sites. They are often designed to blend in with the landscape, but their shapes form mounds on the earth, and their suture materials seldom remain as invisible as intended. They are otherworldly to see up close, but even more fascinating to see from an aerial view where their odd geometry takes shape. While some sites are constructed away from populated cities, others such as those in Weldon Spring, just outside St. Louis, Missouri, are difficult to ignore and function as recreational destinations.

Monument Plinth features aerial images from forty uranium disposal cells across the US. The images were collected with the assistance of Dr. Mark Finco and acquired by the National Agriculture Imagery Program. I printed and mounted each image on black acrylic and laser engraved the cell detail into the surface, reflecting an internal space or void.

(Uranium Disposal Cells and Spent Nuclear Fuel Storage Sites Map created by Dr. Scott White)

Abbey Hepner
September, 2024
______________________

[1] “Perpetual Architecture: Uranium Disposal Cells of America,” The Center for Land Use Interpretation, accessed June 5, 2020, http://www.clui.org/newsletter/winter-2013/perpetual-architecture.
[2] “Perpetual Architecture,” The Center for Land Use Interpretation.

Bio

Abbey Hepner is an artist and educator based outside of St. Louis Missouri. Hepner holds an M.F.A. in Photography from the University of New Mexico. She teaches at Southern Illinois University Edwardsville as an Assistant Professor of Art and Area Head of Photography.

Hepner’s artistic practice examines health, technology, and our relationship with place through photography, performance, video, and installation-based work. She frequently works at the intersection of art and science, investigating biopolitics and the use of health as a currency. Hepner is originally from Utah, where her ancestors were downwinders who suffered in the aftermath of the United State’s nuclear testing. Her work on nuclear issues began shortly after the Fukushima disaster in 2011 when she traveled across Germany documenting the decommissioning of nuclear plants. Shortly thereafter, she lived and volunteered in Japan before attending graduate school in New Mexico. Hepner’s work has been exhibited widely in such venues as the Mt. Rokko International Photography Festival (Kobe, Japan), SITE Santa Fe, the Krannert Art Museum, the University of Buffalo Art Galleries, Noorderlicht Photofestival (Groningen, Netherlands), the University of Notre Dame, and the Lianzhou Foto Festival (Lianzhou, China). She has been an artist in residence at the Banff Center for Arts and Creativity in Canada and has presented at numerous Society for Photographic Education conferences. Her monograph, The Light at the End of History, about nuclear issues was published by Daylight Books in 2021.

website: abbey-hepner.com
instagram: @abbeyhepner

link to online exhibiton

The Photographic Performance was created to feature the works of artist with completed bodies of work and a strong narrative. John Hesketh’s exhibition “Los Angeles (revisited)“ is the first of four performances to be exhibited during Act II 2024.  John’s exhibition is discussed in this GalleryTalk.

Artist Statement

In 1992, Los Angeles was aflame with riots and insurrection after the verdicts of Rodney King’s beating. I was among many artists who created a call for healing in the wake of the conflict. In my original project, Los Angeles (1992-2007), I collaborated with 101 members of my community to create angels in a darkened studio. Each subject stood for nearly an hour while I used strobes, flashlights, and filters to mark light across their bodies and onto a stage of bedsheets and cardboard wings. These large angels were ablaze with vibrant colors and forged in the tumult. They stood as guardians, calling for peace and understanding.

It is painful to stand in one position for nearly an hour. This was my subjects’ intimate and spiritual sacrifice. After arranging the personal items and clothing that they brought for their angel, I would say, “Take a comfortable stance, relax and breath normally. Your body will settle and wilt. I’m here to interpret that. And I’ll take care of you.” Many of my subjects recalled the experience as a meditative inward journey at the center of lights flashing, swirling, and beaming into ethereal space. Together in the dark, with their energy and my light, we created their angels.

Los Angeles (revisited), (2024) includes the same angels from the past, reissued in response to the same brutal authority and political violence that is still with us today. I have reinterpreted these guardians as icons, illuminated with gold and silver leafing to reflect their scared status. Luminously floating on collection pins, their likeness seems fragile, but their strength was proven in the original sacrifice. Their spiritual nature is a prayer for hope and peace to prevail, all these years later.

John Hesketh, 2024

Bio

John Hesketh (b.1955) is an artist based in Anaheim, California. Interested in performative narrative, his work explores the psychodrama of identity as well as lost in family and community.  John uses multiple and extended exposures, often working in front of the camera to perform with light. Each work is a constructed tableau to explore the unconscious and rummage through the nature of chance.

John has taught photography at Orange Coast College for 25 years and more recently at Santa Monica College. His work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. His art is found in many public and private collections including Principal Financial (Des Moines, IA), the California Museum of Photography at UC Riverside, Maison Europeenne de la Photographie (Ville de Paris), and the Biblietheque Nationale de France.

Directors’ Statement

We first met John and this body of work as reviewers for The Los Angeles Center For Photography. We are honored and very glad that he chose to enter The Photographic Performance call for entry.

When we first saw the work, the images appeared to me like contemporary, prismatic holy cards or a sanctified tarot. They seemed avenging angels. Seeing them again brought the Los Lobos song “The Tears of God” to mind.

We fight back tears in times of trouble and joy. They can leave us momentarily vulnerable. Experiencing the tears of others can cause us to shed some of our own. Our tears are a recognition, an answer, and a release in response to matters of the heart.

Whether avenging angels or tears, John’s images are a gift. Thank you John.

Amanda Smith and Kevin Tully
September, 2024

website: johnhesketh.photography.com
instagram:  @jchesketh

link to online exhibition

After many years of owning a photography gallery, hanging hundreds of exhibitions, matting and framing thousands of images and visiting with and watching visitors to the gallery, there is an issue that comes up frequently in reviews – should I have any verbiage*, story, or narrative attached to my images?

There is no definitive answer, but there is one answer that is promulgated across the art world in general, as if it were sacrosanct, a proverb from the art bible – “Let your art speak for itself, Let the viewer come to their own conclusions.” Specifically, can be good advice, generally, is a bunch of baloney, and can be destructive to certain bodies of work.

As an artist I agree that with much of what I have made I want the viewer to be free to interpret what they are seeing without narrative, beyond a title. However, titles can be clandestine narratives. Titles are important if you want them to be. Then, there is other work that demands a narrative, that is not complete, or less without verbiage. Typically, these are images or bodies of work with which the artist is intentionally trying to tell a story, and to achieve the desired effect, narrative is necessary because the imagery alone does not flesh out the entire story or lead the viewer where the artist wants them to go.

Having been an artist most of my life and spent almost fifty years arguing with other artists, one thing is pretty clear – artists are terrible businesspeople. This is natural and most of us are guilty. Artists have a tendency to think that somehow what they do transcends most business principles. Maybe so, but one is inescapable – marketing. And, what is not generally recognized is that the use of titles, narrative, verbiage, story are all aspects of marketing. You don’t go to the hardware store and buy the newest, most cutting-edge toilet plunger without the manufacturer telling you what it is. Most potential customers are not toilet plunger experts. Most purchasers of art are not artists.

Again, I am not suggesting all art requires a story. But, if your body of work has a strong narrative and you want the viewer to get it – consider verbiage, just enough to lead them where you want them to go. This can be achieved with an artist statement, as a handout or part of the exhibition as verbiage on the initial wall of the installation, inclusion of verbiage in the art, a bit of verbiage included in the title block, etc.

Over the years I have watched visitors to the gallery come in, make a brief, cursory pass through the exhibition, find the artist’s statement, etc., then go back and take time looking at each image. Remember – you have control, you are the author of your work.

*Verbiage can have negative connotations, but I like it as another word for words.

Kevin Tully
August, 2024

The “portraits” exhibition, juried by Donna Garcia, was in the online gallery from August 16 to September 26, 2024.  Donna selected forty seven images from forty artist for the exhibition. Linda Plaisted’s image “Rose Red” received the Juror’s Award. Seveta Butko’s image “Alona” received the Director’s Award.

Juror’s Statement

There аre many different types of portraits: studio portraits, environmental portraits, conceptual portraits, self-portraits, personless portraits, and more.  The one commonality they share is that they should say something about the person being photographed, or the persona that you are creating/reflecting via the camera – the images in this exhibition truly reveal that deep and diverse richness of narrative that has the ability to connect with the viewer, in a way that can help them to know something that they didn’t know before.

Being a juror for this call for portraits allowed me to gauge the temperature of the “field” and witness thematic and formal trends that emerged across these submissions, which was incredibly insightful. Without a doubt, the conceptual threads always surprise me. Perusing hundreds of pictures in a concentrated period of time gives me a glimpse into the questions artists are posing to address and what is relevant for them right now.

I believe that the work here allows us to see how portraiture artists (traditional and non-traditional) see the world through the lens of human representation, whether it is the face of a joyful father, or the complicated relationship of two grandparents whose generational trauma still lingers. It also shows us how we, as artists, can push the boundaries of the definition of portraiture.  Can we utilize portraiture to connect with residual memory through a shadowy space once occupied by a loved on? Can we deconstruct then reconstruct the past through photographic portraiture archives to expose new truths? Can we find joy and common purpose in the faces of those around us? Can we understand the connection between us, as humans, and all living things through expressions of empathy?  These artists have shown us that the answer to these questions is “YES”!

Photography’s relationship with time and memory, grief, family, identity, compassion and community are among the various themes that flow through these tremendous submissions for portraiture. Some artists represent these ideas conspicuously while others touch on a number of them indirectly. Most importantly with each submission, what is invariably palpable is a genuine love of exploration through the medium of photography– its endless possibilities and rich potential to inspire and shape new perspectives of the world.

Donna Garcia
Director of Education and Programs – Griffin Museum
August, 2024

link to online exhibition

The Awards Collective was created to feature the works of artist who have received a Juror’s Award or Director’s Award in ASG’s Online exhibitions.  Lev L Spiro’s  image “The Secret“ received the Juror’s Award in the “sanctuary” exhibition juried by Kevin Tully.  Lev’s exhibition “Thin Places” was featured from August 1 to August 31, 2024 and is discussed in our GalleryTalk with Lev.

Artist Statement

Thin Places are what the ancient Celts named rare locales where the separation between our earthly world and another, spiritual world becomes hazy and indistinct. They’re places where one feels touched by the otherworldly, a feeling not necessarily transmitted by our known senses.

This series grew out of conversations with my father, a religious man despite his breaking a 16-generation chain of rabbis to become a psychiatrist. Before he passed in 2023, I’d confided in him that for me, deep feelings of spirituality never occurred in the practice of religious observance but rather in the embrace of the natural world – in these Thin Places, where time seems to slow, something resonates in me, and I experience an unexpected sense of connection to a world beyond my consciousness.

Thin Places are elusive – they may only reveal themselves when the light dances with them to a very specific rhythm. They speak to us through vibration more than sight or sound. Where the veil between this world and the other becomes porous, these are Thin Places.

Lev L Spiro
August, 2024

Bio

Lev L. Spiro is a fine art photographer and filmmaker, whose work tries to convey the sense of mystery and wonder he finds in the natural world.

Work from his series “Fugitive Light”, “Night Creatures” and “Thin Places” has been juried into more than 55 exhibitions, including A. Smith Gallery, Davis Orton Gallery, Southeast Center for Photography, Ph21 Gallery, Midwest Center for Photography, and Praxis Gallery, as well as featured in publications including What Will You Remember?, Dodho Magazine, Art Ascent Magazine (Gold Artist, June 2021; Silver Artist, July 2023)  Shadow & Light Magazine, All About Photo, and Black + White UK.

Lev currently teaches the fine art photography course “The Artful Garden” for Santa Fe Workshops.  He’s also well known for his tv and film directing work, having helmed more than 160 episodes, pilots and features for tv including multiple Emmy-award winning series such as Orange is the New Black, Ugly Betty, Modern Family, Weeds and Arrested Development.  He lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife, screenwriter Melissa Rosenberg, and their two dogs T.Beau and Luna.

website: levlspiro.com
instagram: @llspiro

link to online exhibiton

The “light” exhibition, juried by Laurie Klein, was in the online gallery from July 5 to August 15, 2024.  Laurie selected fifty five images from forty three artist for the exhibition. Bob Tully’s image “The Bu” received the Juror’s Award. Linda Caldwell’s image “The Potter” received the Director’s Award.

Juror’s Statement

Light is one of the most fundamental elements in our creations, shaping our narratives and bringing our visions to life. When we blend light with our subjects, our stories grow magically, imbued with depth and emotion. We see light or we don’t, we feel light, or we won’t. It’s an ever-present force that guides our eyes and our hearts. Without light there would be no photography.

Congratulations to the many photographers who submitted work to LIGHT. The range of incredible stories and artistic expressions was truly inspiring. Henceforth, let us continue to celebrate the beauty of light. It isn’t everyday that light and objects take on feelings and gestures. Truly it was difficult jurying this exhibit, it was so open ended, metaphorically and profoundly. That is what happened with Bob Tully, not only were they urinals but they represented a rigidity of a march, light to the quick, and so many conversations being told, silently.

Laurie Klein
July, 2024

link to online exhibition

The Awards Collective was created to feature the works of artist who have received a Juror’s Award or Director’s Award in ASG’s Online exhibitions.  Bob Tully’s  image “Sacred Water“ received the Juror’s Award in the “water” exhibition juried by Elizabeth Avedon.  Bob’s exhibition “Venice Carnival” was featured from July 1 to July 31, 2024 and is discussed in our GalleryTalk with Bob.

Artist Statement

This body of work explores my recent travels, through photography, unveiling the misty magic of Venice in winter.

Her timeless beauty costumes itself in elegance and color. Her quiet streets and canals beckon those clad in both grandiosity and grace to celebrate Carnival.

My love affair with Venice’s architecture, history, and its people inspires me to visually reveal the rare enchantment of this magically beautiful city. These images are created with the specific desire that they function as metaphors, with a unique inner vision. They are not my possessions; they don’t belong to me. I simply attempt to bring the scenes to life with the intention of eliciting an emotional response from those who experience them.

Bob Tully
June, 2024

Bio

I was born in the South Bronx and experienced my early life in the many diverse neighborhoods of New York. My introduction to the imaginal world of photography materialized in a unique place and time. I witnessed my first print slowly appearing in the swirling liquid- filled pan, it was on a base camp during the Vietnam war. I knew immediately what I wanted to pursue when I returned home. I attended the New York Institute of Photography where the majority of the instructors were working professionals. I relocated to California and entered the City College of San Francisco which had an excellent two-year photography program. I then managed a rental photo lab which catered to local artist and photographers of the North Beach community. Shortly after I operated and owned a photography studio.

I became interested in video production and attended the College of Marin to study television production. I relocated to Los Angeles to pursue a career in the Entertainment Industry. I was fortunate to be a member of five Emmy Award-winning camera crews. Before retiring I attended Santa Monica College to refresh and learn the contemporary techniques of the digital world of photography.

website: tullyphoto.com
instagram: @tullyphoto

link to online exhibition

The Awards Collective was created to feature the works of artist who have received either a Juror’s Award or Director’s Award in ASG’s Online exhibitions.  Ronald Butler’s image “somebody see you up there“ received the Director’s Award in the “interiors” exhibition juried by Ann Mitchell.  Ron’s exhibition “First and Oldest Dream” is discussed in this GalleryTalk.

Artist Statement

My memory goes way back to the ages of two or three. One of those memories was of a reoccurring dream. It was simple, lacking sound, lacking images, almost lacking feelings. It was a state of being. A state of contentment. In that contentment, a wave of tension would slowly build and then release. The waves would come in a random pattern. Upon waking I knew that this was not the first time I had this dream. Each time the dream reoccurred more elements were added to it. One time it was just the play of light and dark with the light building up to a blinding glare and releasing back into darkness. As I grew into childhood images and sounds began to be attached to the frame work of this dream. It was not my only dream but it was one that would return like an old friend. The relaxed darkness became a part of me riding the wave of the stresses of life. It became a place of centering. As I began to express myself through my teens into adulthood this calm place would inform me. Quietly it would point out something (music, art, or an event) I should notice and retain for later. In times of trials and troubles I could retreat to this place to heal and create. Decades later, when I started on my path of photography, I noticed, that on occasion, this place in me would say “frame that…take the photo…the meanings come later.” I listened and the more I listened that voice and its sensibility grew stronger. After years of following this direction, I also noticed that it always reflected the place in me and would echo the dream. No matter the subject matter, it was in essence the same photo. When the resonance happens, I feel a “yes, that is it.” Sometimes I know it as the shutter clicks and other times it rings true after the film is developed. Not all my work is based on this, but this is a constant to which I return. My first and oldest dream manifests itself into the world one frame at a time.

Ron Butler
June, 2024

Bio

I was born and raised in Mississippi and have lived in New York City since 1983.

I have lived many lives and try to bring that experience to the camera. There is what I intend and there is what actually happens. I try to stay open to what is in front of me and experiment with all processes, antique to modern, to tell the story. I like to play.

instagram:  @ronbphotography

link to online exhibition

Susan Burnstine, artist and educator, has curated the work of twenty three of her students who have studied with her either through classes or private mentorships.  The resulting exhibition was featured from July 1 to July 31, 2024 and is discussed in our GalleryTalk with Susan and the participating artist.

Exhibition Statement

Some artists shoot the world around them, some shoot from within.  This group of artists create from their unique worlds, perspectives and experiences with a clear, consistent intention – a staple of my teachings.

While this collection reflects a diverse spectrum of subjects and processes, the consistency lies in each artist’s unique connection to their work. This connection is not only personal, it’s unusual and not easily replicated in the redundancy of today’s market, as it mirrors their distinctiveness as creators.

In a time when algorithms dictate our lives, I feel compelled to encourage my students to reach deeper, be themselves and find original ways to express their most profound passions, interests and beliefs. As artists, the uniqueness of the human experience is what we all seek to express, and it’s my honor to encourage and shepherd the pathways of understanding for my students.

Selected artists have studied with me for an extended period of time, either in classes or private mentorships.

Susan Burnstine
May, 2024

Directors’ Statement

It was an honor to host Susan Burnstine’s Alumni Student Exhibition and talk. Susan has been a photographer enlarging and pushing the boundaries of fine art photography for many years. She, along with her unique vision and approach to photography, has inspired and fostered a diverse group of photographers — as is wonderfully demonstrated in this exhibition.

Mentorship and the attachment of artists to the work and atelier of seasoned, accomplished artists has always been a part of the art world. Studying with an accomplished artist is a path whereby the student can explore and refine their personal aesthetic – embracing or redefining the way of the teacher, taking away the spirit of phrases and marks,  quickening their own work.

Looking at the images and listening to Susan and the students speak there is no doubt that all are fortunate to have found each other. We want to thank Susan and her students for spending time with us and giving the world a glimpse into their inspiring relationship.

Amanda Smith and Kevin Tully
July, 2024

link to online exhibition

Artist websites and instagram

Lynn Breitfeller:
website  lynnebreitfeller.com
instagram  @lynnebreitfellerphoto

Jim Bailey:
website  jimbaileyphotographs.com

Catherine Panebianco:
website  catherinepanebianco.com
instagram  @panebiancophotos

Marsha Guggenheim:
website  guggenheimphotography.com
instagram   @marshagugg

Susan Isaacson:
website  susanisaacsonphotography.com
instagram   @sbisaacson  

Jennifer Pritchard:
website  jenniferpritchardstudio.com
instagram  @jenniferpritchardstudio

JP Gibson:
website  jamesparkergibson.com
instagram  @j.pgibson

Laura Goin:
website  lauragoin.com
instagram  @lauragoinphotography

Lee W Bass:
website  leewbass.com

Iveta Lazdina:
website  yvettaphoto.com
instagram  @yvettaphoto

Brigitte Bourger:
website  brigittebourger.com
instagram   @brigittebourger

Linda Hacker:
website  lindahackerphoto.com
instagram  @stretchhack

Daniel Sackhiem:
website  danielsackheim.com
instagram  @daniel.sackheim

Rebecca Moseman:
website   mosemanstudios.com
instagram   @mosemanstudios

Elizabeth Bailey:
website  elizabethbaileyphoto.com
instagram  @elizabeth_bailey01

Philip Sager:
website  philipsagerphoto.com
instagram  @philipsagerphoto

Richard O’Neill:
website  richardoneill-photography.com
instagram   @richardmichaeloneill

Sharon Kain:
website   sharonkainphotography.com
instagram   @sharonkain

Sarah Hadley:
website   sarahhadley.com
instagram   @sarahhadleystudio

Sarah Hood Salomon:
website  sarahhoodsalomon.com
instagram  @sarahhoodsalomon

Renee Lynn:
website   reneelynnimages.com
instagram   @reneelynnimages

Linda Caldwell:
website  lindamcaldwell.com
instagram   @delikizinyeri1

Lev L Spiro:
website  levlspiro.com
instagram  @llspiro

Terry Bleser:
website   terrybleser.com
instagram   @twble

The “town & country” exhibition juried by Michael Kirchoff, was in the online gallery from May 24 to July 4, 2024.  Michael selected fifty five images from forty thirty six artist for the exhibition. Jennifer Wannen’s image “September Reds” received the Juror’s Award. Linda Posnick’s image “Last Days Of The 6th Street Bridge” received the Director’s Award.

Juror’s Statement

I’m writing this statement using a method I’ve never done before. I’m doing so while going through the full gamut of submissions and taking notes and writing short blurbs along the way. This is all in the hope that there is a full understanding of how and why I might come to the conclusions you will find in the final selections. I’m letting it take me into the land of all lower case writing, so please bear with me and maybe the road I take will become clearer…

i’m looking for quiet moments full of form, texture, color, meaning, and most importantly to me – light. scenes that somehow provided clarity in the midst of chaos. i’m definitely leaning away from cities more, though not eliminating them by any means, as they too can provide calm in the midst of a storm.

if you didn’t already sense this, my mind is quite often a wild jumble of duties, images, people, to-do lists, conversations, technical details about myriad things, and most often, noise. on a weekly basis i fear the cacophony of clamoring about deadlines. it can be easy to get lost in this constant sea of madness. however, i don’t have it in me to slow down, let alone stop. it’s a flaw, let me tell you. there’s a lot of static in here.

so when an opportunity like this appears, i jump at it. “hey michael, would you like to juror an exhibition themed ‘town & country’?” uhhhh, hell yea, i would. that sounds exactly like what i need. so this is healing for me. a chance to escape, relax (still figuring out what that really is), and take in the simple pleasures not often afforded to me.

i grew up in, and still reside in, a big maddening city. as much as i like it, it can wear a mind and body down. ushering my tired brain into a land of lonely roads, abandoned buildings, country fairs, and moments without anxiety that offer a sense of place and home, is gold to me. thank you for this refuge.

oh, and don’t get me wrong. i freaking love this! every time i feel as though I should take a break, i double-down and say i’m going at it 100% for as long as i possible can. time is short and i feel as though there is much to do. just look through these images and tell me you wouldn’t want to be in these places and experience these brief moments in time. seriously, you’d be bonkers to think that. these photographs give so much more with every glance than they could ever take.

every single photographic artist who submitted their work to this call needs to be commended for their efforts. i’m coming to the end of my selections and i’m feeling a wonderful sense of ease. this was sooooo worth the time and effort. it turns out that i do know how to relax. this was it all along. my love for the photographic medium fills every nook and cranny of my soul, and these images are the building blocks of a vessel that carries me forward. thank you all for opening my eyes and my heart to it. let’s do this again soon, shall we?

Michael Kirchoff
April, 2024

link to online exhibition