OPENING TONIGHT: Debbie Grossman's My Pie Town at Julie Saul Gallery.

Debbie Grossman, My Pie Town "Jessie Evans-Whinery, homesteader, with her wife Edith Evans-Whinery and their baby." 2009-10, 10 1/2 x 14 inches

Tonight is the opening for friend and fellow SVA Alum, Debbie Grossman's project, My Pie Town. I really enjoyed her project when I first saw it at the MFA Thesis show. They popped up again at Pulse in Miami this past winter. I'm looking forward to seeing the collection of images together. The project does a good job of combining appropriated images with a seamless Photoshop collaging that results in a interesting new narrative. Also, in conjunction with the show the gallery has published a monograph of My Pie Town in an edition 100.

Statement: My Pie Town is a project by Debbie Grossman in which she reworks and re-imagines a body of images originally photographed by Russell Lee for the United States Farm Security Administration in 1940. Using Photoshop to modify Lee’s pictures, she created an imaginary, parallel world - a Pie Town populated exclusively by women. The images are revised in subtle ways, making the reading of them very complicated and compelling. The sixteen images in the series are both color and black and white, and are all based on Lee’s unpublished series on Pietown, a homesteaded community in New Mexico.

The original photographs are available either through the Library of Congress or through the Web. Grossman says of the project "I’ve begun to think of Photoshop as my medium – I’m fascinated by the fact this it shares qualities with both photography and drawing…..I enjoy imagining My Pie Town working as its own kind of (lighthearted) propaganda".

In conjunction with the show, the gallery is publishing a small monograph of My Pie Town in a limited edition 100 copies.

Debbie Grossman My Pie Town April 14-May 21, 2011 further information

For further information contact the gallery

Also opening at Julie Saul Gallery tonight:

Jeff Whetstone Seducing Birds, Snakes, Men April 14-May 21, 2011 further information

Approaching Deadline: 2011 exposure, the annual PRC juried exhibition

Last year I had the honor of being included in the Photographic Resource Center's (PRC) annual Juried Exhibition. The deadline to enter this year's competition is fast approaching (April 22nd). I encourage everyone to consider entering. More information below.

exposure: the annual PRC juried exhibition

Are you ready for some exposure? Then line up a selection of your best photographs and get ready to enter EXPOSURE 2011, the PRC’s 16th annual juried exhibition of work by its members.

Awards

• The juror will choose up to ten photographers for the exhibition at the PRC in July and August.
• The juror will select one of these artists for the Juror’s Award of $500.
• The PRC’s Executive Director Glenn Ruga and Curator George Slade will also select awards for publication in the PRC magazine Loupe and for inclusion in NEO, our monthly on-line showcase of work by regional members.
• Each of the three winners will also receive a free one year Pro account with Viewbook.com, a leading online portfolio and image sharing website, valued at $190. Viewbook.com is a sponsor of this year’s juried exhibition.

Submissions All submissions will be electronically uploaded through a 90-day trial account with Viewbook.com. Application fee for the juried exhibition is $35. Applicants must have a valid membership through August 31, 2011. If you have questions about your membership status, please contact the PRC at info@prcboston.org

STEP 1: Click here to download submission guidelines

STEP 2: Click here to pay application fee and to join/renew your membership.

Whitney Johnson, EXPOSURE 2011 Juror

The juror for EXPOSURE 2011 will be Whitney Johnson, picture editor at The New Yorker. See below for more information on Ms. Johnson.

Whitney Johnson is the picture editor at The New Yorker where she produces and researches photographs for political and cultural stories, including award-winning portfolios on the United States military and world leaders. She also writes for the magazine’s photography blog, Photo Booth. Prior to joining the magazine, Whitney worked at the Open Society Foundations, where she coordinated the documentary photography exhibition Moving Walls and an international grant competition for documentary photographers. Whitney also works with the Magnum Foundation, which supports independent documentary photographers in the field through its Emergency Fund.

Timeline Tuesday, March 1 – Submissions Open Friday, April 22, 11:59 pm – Deadline for Submissions Monday, May 23 – Announcement of Accepted Photographers Thursday, July 21 – Opening Reception for EXPOSURE 2011 Sunday, August 21 – Exhibit Closes Friday, September 2 – Deadline For Removal of Work

Updates will be posted in the PRC eNewsletter, including specifications for preparing submissions.

When the submissions open, the application form will be available on the PRC web site.

They Call Him Eddie

There is something really nice about the story of Eddie Oshiro. I stumbled upon this video recently. I can’t find his pictures online. It looks like the VC Center is working on that project. In a way, I don’t mind. I like the act of photographing and giving prints to people just for the joy of the act. All done with no pretense.

More info on this project below:

This summer, VC has began work on preserving the photos in the Eddie Oshiro Collection – treating the water damaged negatives and photographs of the Little Tokyo community from the 1980s to early 2000s.

The photos in the collection were taken by Eddie Oshiro (pictured right), a resident of Little Tokyo until his untimely death in 2005. Known as the “people’s photographer,” Eddie captured Little Tokyo’s landscape and its people through his unique lens.

When completed, the preserved Eddie Oshiro Collection will add tens of thousands of photographs to the VC Photo Archives, a rich repository of Asian American life in southern California. This project is made possible in part with generous support from the Japanese American Community Services and the Getty Foundation Multicultural Undergraduate Internship program.

WE NEED YOUR HELP! VC needs volunteers to help with sorting, matching and arranging the negatives and photos in the collection. To volunteer your time, please call us at 213-680-4462 or email jeff@vconline.org.

We are also seeking additional funds to support the completion of the project in 2009. Support VC’s preservation program and ensure that future generations have access to our visual history. Purchase a VC Membership online and add “Preservation” in the Purchase Order Number field to indicate your special support for this project.

The video clip at the top was created by Tadashi Nakamura.