The “diptych” exhibition juried by Kevin James Tully, was in the Salon gallery from January 18 to March 10, 2019.  Kevin selected thirty six  images from thirty one artist.  Julie Mixon’s images”A Seemingly Short Swim to the Other Side” and “What If…” received the Juror’s Award.  Lisa Nebenzahl’s’s image “Fall/Clouds” received the Director’s Award.  Juror’s Honorable Mentions were given to Wayne Montecalvo’s “The Wall” and Rob Whitcomb’s “Jurors Must Be”.  Director’s Honorable Mentions were given to Ray Bidegain’s “Bloom” and Lucinda Nicholas’ “Hear the Sounds of Closing Wings, of Falling Wings”.  Pat Brown’s image “Lunar” received the Visitors’ Award.

The “black/white” exhibition juried by Jennifer Schlesinger, was in the Main gallery from January 11 to February 17, 2019.  Jennifer selected fifty two images from forty five artist.  Philip Augustin’s images”Negative #17-003-03 with Photogram”, “Negative #18-008-14 with Photogram” and “Negative #18-009-14 with Photogram” received the Juror’s Award.  Sharon Covert’s image “Love is Blind” received the Director’s Award.  Juror’s Honorable Mentions were given to Susan de Witt’s “Séance”, Jerry Ranch’s “Carry That Weight” and Sandra Chen Weinstein’s “Serenade”.  Director’s Honorable Mentions were given to Ron Cooper’s “Two Friends Confront the Camera”, Robert DeRosa’s ‘”Combined Memories 6″ and Eric Kunsman’s “July 4th, Plamyra, NY”.  Liz Stubbs’ image “Chrysalis” received the Visitors’ Award.

The “light” exhibition juried by Geoffrey Koslov, was in the Main gallery from November 23, 2018 to January 6, 2019.  Geoffrey selected fifty  images from forty three artist.  Nataly Rader’s “Woman with Red Shoes” received the Juror’s Award.  Nadide Goksun’s image “You’re So Self-Controlling” received the Director’s Award.  Juror’s Honorable Mentions were given to Laurence Chellali’s “Untitled 1”, Diane Fenster’s “Cat’s Cradle” and Eduardo Fujii’s “Regrets”.  Director’s Honorable Mentions were given to Sandy Alpert’s “Man With Briefcase”, Ray Bidegain’s ‘”Dress”, Barbara duBois’ “When You’re Thinking of Me, I’m Dreaming of You” and Jo Fields’ “At Rest”.  Eddie Erdmann’s image “Driftwood Beach No. 3” received the Visitors’ Award.

The “interiors” exhibition juried by Elizabeth Avedon, was in the Main gallery from October 5 to November 18, 2018.  Elizabeth selected fifty two images from forty five artist.  Delphine Queme’s “Cinema” received the Juror’s Award.  Kathleen Taylor’s image “Linda’s Home” received the Director’s Award.  Juror’s Honorable Mentions were given to Ray Grasse’s “Storefront”, Leslie Jean-Bart’s “Window Curtain 1” and Caren Winnall’s “Pool Hall”.  Director’s Honorable Mentions were given to Gary Beeber’s “Interior, Mike’s Truck, Dayton, Ohio”, Mark Caceres'”Ancestors”, Marcella Hackbardt’s “Second Floor Window” and Darcie Sternenberg’s “Left Behind”.

The “unique: alternative processes 2018” exhibition juried by Diana Bloomfield, was in the Salon gallery from September 7 to November 18, 2018.  Diana selected thirty three images from twenty four artist.  Susan de Witt’s “Kimono” received the Juror’s Selection Award.  Scott Bulger’s image “Memento Mori” received the Director’s Selection Award.  Juror’s Honorable Mentions were given to Ray Bidegains’s “Sara” and Donna Moore’s/Sara BlairMcNally’s “Diem Memoria:1”. Director’s Honorable Mention was given to Richard Hricko’s “Growth 1”.

As the “Other” gallery director of A Smith Gallery my daily life is awash in photography. Not only do I frame (many times more than thirty images) and hang sometimes up to three exhibitions in a month, we live in the back of the gallery – we are woven into photography, it sends us off to sleep and greets us in the morning.  Currently there is much talk and speculation about where photography is headed.  The phrase heard ‘round the photography world is “now with cell phones everyone is a photographer.”  It may be slightly derisive, however, it’s true?  One can argue until the cows come home about what constitutes a “photographer,” unfortunately for those with their minds made up – it is a very fluid and subjective thing.

It is my observation that photography currently, that is compelling and attention getting, is divided into three categories: experimental /conceptual, narrative/storytelling and one-off unique one-of-a kind images produced using alternative, analogue processes.  And, of course, a really good photograph of any subject, taken with whichever camera and well-presented will always get its due. I think choosing the path to becoming successful/contented is not unlike an art student pondering and experimenting with what will become their oeuvre: painting, sculpture, ceramics or drawing?

The reason I am writing this is because Amanda and I do ten to fifteen reviews per month with photographers on all levels.  For me it is a wonderful, immensely fulfilling and gratifying experience every time. We get to meet sincere, committed folks from all over the world.  We are very lucky.  Over the course of the reviews, we many times get asked about the direction a photographer should go or to comment on the totality of their entries.  This can become a difficult moment. Not because their images are not good or well done but because they technically or expositionally are not kin.   Naturally, because of the calls being based on a one word theme it can be hard to pull together images from a single body of work.

As a gallerist, an artist — a painter as well as a photographer, I come from a world that values and encourages “bodies of work.”  From my experiences in school as well as with other working artists, many people chafe and rebel against the idea of constraining oneself to working within the “limitations” of a body of work. I had many reasons for resenting the suggestion that I explore a cohesive body of work, the least not being my ADD – what fun could that possibly be?

Focusing on one subject, one technique, one manner of portraying what you are seeing gives one the ability and freedom to explore and go deeper into the soul of the work.  It opens the door and allows empathy to walk on in.  It is my opinion that most compelling art is made when the artist has empathy for their subject.  It allows for some sort of, hard to explain, reciprocal thing to happen – the artist is giving something to the work and the work is giving it back.

So, my two cents, for what it’s worth, is if you are a beginning or journeyman photographer and you are not satisfied with where you are in your journey or are not sure which direction to go — pick something and explore it.  It does not have to be a particular subject.  It can be a technique.  Think about what moves you: gives you goosebumps, pisses you off, excites you, saddens you, touches you.  From my experience you don’t know if you are compatible with or connected to a way until you take it out on a date.*

Kevin Tully

*I have to give credit to Dr. Keith Kesler for the “take it out on a date” phrase.

The “forgotten” exhibition juried by Blue Mitchell, was in the Main gallery from August 24 to September 30, 2018.  Blue selected fifty four images from fifty four artist.  Jelisa Peterson’s “Haunting” received the Juror’s Award.  Michael Weitzman’s image “Silent Witness” received the Director’s Award.  Juror’s Honorable Mentions were given to Susan de Witt’s “Hollow Memories #2”, Nancy Goodrich’s “Begging Bowl” and Steven T Smith’s “Lost in Thought, Frankfurt Zoo”.  Director’s Honorable Mentions were given to Ray Bidegain’s “Circle”, Melody Locke’s “20th Century Pastime”, Christopher Priebe’s “Offering” and Josh Raftery’s “Memento Mori”.

This is the fourth in a series of blog posts, conversations, focusing on the many entries we received for our call “The Photographic Performance 2018”.  Deborah Sfez’s exhibition “The Mummies from Dresden” was in the gallery from August 3 to September 2, 2018.

“Photography, for me, means a creative research. It is a tool in the process of creating an image. I believe that the strongest and quickest way to communicate an idea is through an Image. This year I found in Dresden (Germany) a small Album with very small pictures of a German family during the years of World War II 1930-1948. I photographed them again digitally and covered all the faces with handmade red embroidery to make them anonymous and look like Mummies. There are no evidences of any war in the pictures, no soldiers, no signs of destruction, only peaceful photos of a traditional German family of those years, except one picture of 1947 showing a couple on their wedding day sitting on a bench while behind them we notice two buildings: on the right a building in good shape and on the left a completely destroyed one and this is the location they have chosen for their wedding photo to show to their children.

I have decided to give these little photos a new life and shoot them again with a digital camera, enlarge them and cover all the faces with red embroidery, first technically to cover their identity, make them unrecognizable and anonymous, by erasing their identity they become like marionettes all alike and we can concentrate on their body attitude and the way they are dressed up, their posture and the fashionable looks of their time. These members of one family become like corps with no faces like Mummies of an ancient time. In ancient Egypt they believed that when a person died it was the beginning of a long journey for her, therefore they believed the body should be preserved, wrapped up in many layers of resin coated linen cloth to keep the moist away and prevent the body from decomposing after death.

I certainly think that photography is a living evidence of its dead subjects. Therefore by “injecting” red thread into the photography paper I add a material that, like for the Mummies, preserve the photography, as a living material piece of an artistic document, that starts a journey in the eye of the viewer and goes beyond the photography and deals with the essence of the media itself. Now we have a series of unknown existences in a known historical period that lead me to asking myself many questions like: what is a Family Album? What is photography? What is the role of photography as a historical document? Can we trust it? What do people choose to show in their albums and what do they choose to omit? These are hard, disturbing questions dealing with truth, honesty, education to the next generation, memory and truthful history narrating.”

Deborah Sfez, 2017

The “street” exhibition juried by Harvey Stein, was in the Main gallery from July 6 to August 19, 2018.  Harvey selected fifty four images from forty nine artist.  Robert Moore’s “Faith Series No. 4” received the Juror’s Award.  Marsha Mahoney’s image “Paris Rain” received the Director’s Award.  Juror’s Honorable Mentions were given to Geoffrey Agrons’ “They Wrangle Through the Night”, David Dennard’s “Entering the Temple, Tibet, 2013” and Kip Harris’ “Smoke Break, NYC”.  Director’s Honorable Mentions were given to Leigh Oviatt’s “The Procession”, Louise Pedno’s “The Market” and Terry Wild’s “Bus Stop 1968”.

The “still life” exhibition juried by Kate Breakey, was in the Main gallery from May 18 to July 1, 2018.  Kate selected fifty five images from fifty one artist.  Susan Fenton’s “Untitled (WOOD) 3” received the Juror’s Award.  Ashton Thornhill’s image “Floating Still Life #1” received the Director’s Award.  Juror’s Honorable Mentions were given to Geoffrey Agrons’ “Elixirs”, Evy Cohen’s “Fragments (2)” and Charlotte Watts’ image “Perhaps It Is Not Dark Inside After All”.  Director’s Honorable Mentions were given to Patricia Dudley’s “Untitled from the series DELIGHTful”, Jimmy Salmon’s “Lemon Curls” and JP Terlizzi’s image”Orange Swirl”.