It looks as though a recently closed Dupont Circle photo gallery will be replaced by a shop that repairs, buys and sells phones.
The Claude Taylor Photography gallery at 1627 Connecticut Ave. NW closed two weeks ago. Owner and gallery namesake Claude Taylor opened the store in 1998, according to an Exposed DC post.
The dozens of framed photographs that once lined the shop’s windows are gone. Now, a drab white banner hangs in the blue storefront’s window:
PHONE REPAIR STORE
COMING SOON
BUY AND SELL
Down the street, photo supply shop Embassy Camera is also slated to leave the neighborhood on Sept. 17. But that store will reopen at 1225 I St. NW “on or about” Oct. 15, its owners said.
It’s unclear whether that store’s former home, too, will become a phone repair shop.
A longtime Dupont camera shop slated to shutter soon will reopen downtown.
District Camera — also known as Embassy Camera — is set to close its location at 1735 Connecticut Ave. NW and reopen near the Carnegie Library, according to store employee AJ Glover. Though the store previously planned to leave the neighborhood earlier this month, it now plans to leave by Sept. 20, Glover said.
Glover said that although he doesn’t know the exact address, the new store “will be on I Street a few blocks west of Carnegie Library.”
“A lot of people are shocked that we won’t be in the same place that we’ve been at for 12 years but many are relieved that they’ll still have a place to go to,” Glover added. “Personally, I think that moving can only bring good things; we’ll have a bigger space with more products so we’ll be able to please a larger variety of clientele.”
A new bar aimed at local artists and photography enthusiasts could soon develop along Florida Ave. NW.
The hangout, dubbed “The Darkroom,” is in the works at 207 Florida Ave. NW, according to a liquor license application recently filed with D.C.’s Alcoholic Beverage Administration (ABRA).
The forthcoming business will be “a venue dedicated to building community through the art of photography,” the application reads.
If all goes according to plan, the bar will feature “a working darkroom, photography studio, bar and art gallery,” and will host screenings, art shows, lectures and classes “designed to preserve the history and and explore the future of the medium.”
The Darkroom will also serve charcuterie, cheese and olives in addition to alcohol, the application notes.
We were unable to reach a representative from the business to comment on the opening. We’ll update this story if we hear back from them.
Exposed DC, a forum for local photographers. (Luis Gomez Photos)
If you love to photograph DC you have a new place to go and share your images, and improve your skills. The city’s DCist Exposed, created by Heather Goss, has evolved into an independent year-round venture. The annual competition lives on, but on Tuesday, June 25 Exposed DC will launch its website in hopes of becoming a forum for local photographers as well as:
- Organize events throughout the year for photographers to get together.
- Host informal competitions leading up to the Exposed Photography Show in December.
- Compile the most comprehensive event calendar available for photo-related exhibits, lectures, workshops, contests and other opportunities in D.C.
Come out Tuesday, June 25, to Meridian Pint (3400 11th St NW) from 6 pm to 8 pm and take pictures as you get to meet your new community of Exposed DC.
Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.
From ArtSee. Email contact[AT]artseedc.com and follow ArtSee @ArtSeeinDC on Twitter.
Photography: “Process and Perspective.” (Courtesy Gallery plan b)
With the advent of the iPhone, it’s hard arguing the art of photography hasn’t been lost to an impulsive urge to snap a pick and instagram.
Coming June 19 gallery plan b is exhibiting a slew of talented photographers — yes, their work still exists beyond our palm-sized screens — in the collaborative show, “Photography: Process and Perspective.”
The show features both national and local photographers who use a variety of techniques — printing on aluminum, abstract imagery and archival digital photography to name a few–in conveying their personal world view through the lens.
Amongst this talented bunch is photographer and New York University Professor Donna Cameron, who holds a U.S. Patent for her specialized cinematic paper emulsion process (CPE) and who’s work is in the permanent collection at the MOMA in New York City. Her pieces exude colorful texture and pattern while being deceptively flat to the touch (many are printed on aluminum, after all) and each one holds a narrative not easily recognized in a single passing view.
Kermit Berg, Charlie Gaynor, Marc Sirinsky and David Young are also exhibiting, all of whom are recognized for their unique contributions to the photographic world. Charlie Gaynor, a DC-native, is part realtor, part photographer who combines his two passions in creating images that largely abstract his subject and give the homes new life. David Young is a product of Birmingham, Alabama but a country boy at heart. He began photographing in 2005 as a means to stay outside, and his work reflects the passion and respect he has for the environment.
All five of these photographers’ works will be on display starting June 19 at gallery plan b on 14 Street. There will be an opening reception June 20 from 6 to 8pm and the show will run until July 21.
Bringing the Art in DC to you. – Shira Karsen
Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.
Artist Sean Smith. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Eliza French. Follow her on Twitter @elizaenbref; email her at eliza[AT]borderstan.com.
Photographer Sean Smith has lived and worked in DC since 1993. “There is no where I would rather be,” he says.
Although not a full time artist, Smith still makes time to pursue his art professionally. He works remotely as an executive for a New York-based software company. This gives him some flexibility in structuring his work schedule so that he has time to fully pursue his fine art photography.
Smith’s work is currently on display in an exhibition with Dafna Steinberg at doris-mae gallery challenge ideas of gender stereotypes and fixed gender identity, Smith says he has addressed these themes throughout his artistic career, for “[a]s long as I’ve struggled with those issues–my whole adult life.”
Smith explores concepts of identity and existence beyond issues of gender and sexuality. “Fundamentally my work is about creating an alternate reality or alternate personal history. By tampering with ‘what is,'” adds Smith, “I document what could be or what could have been.” In order to alter the viewer’s perception of reality, Smith frequently uses digital technology, including Adobe PhotoShop, Instagram, and other applications, to manipulate the images he captures.
After earning his BFA, Smith worked as an assistant for the Italian painter Bruno Ceccobelli. “[H]e taught me many things, most of all that if you want to be a successful artist you need to pursue relentlessly–I have not done that–I am far too playful for that,” Smith says. Smith “dabble[s] in many media,” but considers all of his work to be “photographic and deeply personal at its core.” The artist cites Marcel Duchamp, Joseph Cornell, Karl Schwitters, Cecil Beaton, Pierre et Gilles and many commercial photographers among his diverse artistic influences.
Recently, Smith has delved deeper into portraiture. At the end of 2012, a solo show at Georgetown’s Archer featured a series of photography portraits taken during the course of the year. “Since then,” he has “…worked on some commission portraits, many of which…[he] had hand painted in oil on china to create the finished piece.” Smith will complete a portrait lighting workshop in New York this summer to further develop his skills. He plans to begin a new portrait series after the course, and also pursue more collage work.
Smith’s work is on view through May 19 at doris-mae. Look for more of his photography portraits and collages at galleries around town in the coming months.
Sean Smith’s work. (Luis Gomez Photos)
Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.
From Eliza French. Follow her on Twitter @elizaenbref; email her at eliza[AT]borderstan.com.
Aspiring local photographers can submit their photographic flashes of brilliance in the seventh annual DCist Exposed Photography Competition through January 9, 2013.
Heather Goss, former DCist Managing and Arts Editor, founded the competition in 2007. The idea sprung from the success of DCist’ Flickr photo community, and the number of compelling images of the city posted there. The contest’s popularity quickly took off, and DCist has hosted the event with help from Goss’ Ten Mile Square ever since.
The competition culminates with an exhibition of selected entries at Long View Gallery from March 27 through April 7. Last year, the exhibit drew more than 1,000 visitors, thanks in part to the opening night parties. The number of contestants has grown from just over 200 in 2007 to over 650 in 2012, and 40 people were selected to show their photos at Long View in 2012.
This year, DCist has launched a new site for the competition with all of the details about entering and a complete list of past winners. Those who want to enter should join DCist Exposed Flickr photo group, submit three of their best photos, fill out an online application, and pay the $10 entry fee. The contest organizers will be looking for images that capture “amazing, every day Washington, D.C. experiences.”
So, members of the Borderstan Reader Photos Flickr pool, here is your chance to make us proud! Follow the link for past coverage of the DCist Exposed Photography Show.
Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.
A replica of Aqaba, a Red Sea port, constructed for the filming of Lawrence of Arabia. Click the photo to read more about the image on the artist’s website.
From Eliza French. Follow her on Twitter @elizaenbref; email her at eliza[AT]borderstan.com.
Borderstan photographer Mark Parascandola‘s latest exhibition, Once Upon a Time in Almería, opens this Thursday, September 13 at the Spanish Embassy in Foggy Bottom. The collection of digital prints documents the unexpected landscape and surreal scenery in the desert of the Spanish Almería region.
Parascandola sought to capture this particular location in his native country because of its unique history as a set for several popular movies during the 1960s and 1970s. Filmmakers transformed the blank slate of the desert into America, Egypt, and everywhere in between for movies such as The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly, Patton, and Cleopatra. Remnants of various fictional settings still remain scattered throughout the landscape, and Parascandola captures the transformative power still lingering in these ruins.
The photographer often chronicles the story of place and his artistic obsession with architecture manifests itself throughout this work. “People think of architecture as being static or permanent, but it changes over time depending on who takes over the space and how it is affected by the surrounding environment,” Parascandola told Borderstan’s Cecile Oreste in January 2011.
If you’re willing to venture outside of the neighborhood, you can see Once Upon a Time at the Spanish Embassy from Thursday through November 16. The Embassy will also host an accompanying video and film program during the course of the exhibition.
Once Upon a Time in Almería
- Embassy of Spain
- 2375 Pennsylvania Avenue NW
- Hours: Monday through Thursday, 9:30 am to 4:30 pm; Friday, 9:30 am to 2:30 pm.
Get an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories or subscribe to Borderstan’s daily email newsletter.
Betto Ortiz. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Eliza French. Follow her on Twitter @elizaenbref; email her at eliza[AT]borderstan.com.
Local photographer Betto Ortiz has avidly photographed everything around him from a young age. He approached photography as a hobby and began to document his travels through the medium as a young adult. The Colombian artist exhibited his first show in 2003, and ever since then he has been pursuing photography professionally as an artist and travel photographer. Borderstan asked Ortiz about his evolution as an artist, his photographic style, and how living and working in DC has influenced him.
Borderstan: How long have you lived/worked in the DC and specifically in the Dupont/Logan/U Street area and how did you come to live here?
Ortiz: I have been in the DC area since late 1990, right after graduate school. ….I have always lived in the Dupont/Logan area; in Logan, in particular, since 2000. I visited DC for the first time when I was 10 years old, it was then when I felt in love with this city. When I finished graduate school at the National University of Colombia, and after deciding not to finish my last rotation of veterinary medicine, I moved to DC to do some modeling and attend the University of Maryland. I soon decided against studying there but continued modeling …. I also worked for many years with Gala Hispanic Theater on many productions, from small parts to big roles.
I wanted to live here because of its international flavor, its small buildings, and big green areas. I love DC because it is a city in the States where having an accent is cool, [and] it is common. In DC, everyone is from someplace else, from other countries, from different cultures. It is a city of power but our voice does not matter because we have no representation. It is in these contradictions that I find myself loving to be here. No other neighborhood has seen more change and exhibits more contradictions than Dupont/Logan.It is the place I call home, where I want to come back after traveling the world.
Borderstan: How and when did you discover your affinity for photography? What first attracted you to the medium? I’m also curious about why your first show in 2003 convinced you that photography could be more than just a hobby.
Ortiz: I have always liked photography. I remember being a kid in school and being fascinated by photography, in particular those photographs that had people in live actions. I got my first camera, an Instamatic, for my eighth birthday. I took photos of everything and everyone. I drove everyone crazy. When I was 12, one of my aunts got a camera for her graduation…. I was enchanted with that great Minolta. So, I took my first class in photography with the newspaper of my school, I was the only “young boy” among all the juniors and seniors of high school who were running the newspaper. To my surprise, and everyone else’s in class, I was the best photographer of the class and… joined the newspaper. I was in heaven! …Photography became then one of my strongest hobbies.
In 2003, a couple of friends were at my place for dinner. They asked to see my photos from some of my trips, [since] everyone was always talking about my photos. These friends were impressed. Two of these friends were gallery curators who were moving to New York City. They told me that my talent was more than just that of a person with a hobby [and] that I should explore it. One of them pointed out what I still believe it is true today, that I capture in travel photography what people think they did but never could in their own trips. I was happy but truly skeptical. So, we agreed that I would put together… the duplicates of 100 photographs they [could select] from my boxes. Once I got the matted photos, I was to take them to their gallery to be sold, but I was afraid of rejection. So, I first took them to my office to show my coworkers and to see their reactions. I sold almost all of them in two days. I could not believe it. I then created another set for my friends and arranged my first show.
I would say that it was that broad acceptance to my natural art of taking the photographs on my trips [that convinced me to pursue photography seriously]. The “wow” reactions of people …motivated me to open my photos to others and to explore this artistic side.
Borderstan: Which cities and towns have been particularly inspiring for you or been particularly challenging to photograph? How do you go about choosing locations and finding subjects to photograph?
Ortiz: Italy is enchanting and a photographer’s dream in my opinion. It does not matter where one is there is always an interesting landscape, an old building, people with character, crazy fashion, old people beautifully dressed, families enjoying the afternoon, towers, parks, and food.
I think that locations choose you. It is true that one has to be there first but sometimes the smallest piazza one goes by becomes the largest photo studio. I normally go to places where I can stay few days, where I can sit down with the locals and have a cup of coffee or a drink. That first encounter is crucial for me, it is when I see all the things I do not want in my photos, such as electric lines, commercial signs, tourists, bad shadows, political propaganda, etc. Then the next day the space becomes mine and my camera can freely shoot within the limits I have set for my photos. I have been called a “purist.” I still believe in the importance of composition and framing before the picture is taken. Even with digital photography, I do not believe in cropping and retouching photos. ….Artistic photography is not to make a photograph already taken look the way one wanted it to be or remembers it to be by using digital adjustments. Digitally and artistically modifying a good photo is art, [but]…cropping and adjusting a suboptimal one [is not].
There are many good tricks to capture people going on with their lives. One of them is to have someone who sits, or walks, or moves closer to the real subjects of the photo. Then, the game is on, so one can shoot people while they believe one is working with someone else. Another [trick] is to set your tripod with the camera on a busy corner of a piazza, just next to the table one is having coffee, and then wait. People just naturally walk into one’s photo and completes it naturally.
I have found that I need to be in the mood of photography, that I must have that sensitive eye to capture truly artistic photos. Photos taken without that instinct while they may be technically good, they lack the artistic touch and become commercial travel photography. This artistic touch is the innate capacity to shoot at the moment one can accurately capture the serene smile of an old lady, or the proud posture of a strong soldier, or the passionate expression of a couple in love. I want in my artistic travel photography to capture the beauty of a place and its people but with the touch of art that gives, that makes the viewers of my photos wonder about the story behind the photo.
Borderstan: In what ways specifically did your background and upbringing help you develop your photographic eye?
Ortiz: When I was a kid, my father had an approach to educating his children based on one phrase: “Do not say ‘no’ to something until you have tried it.” We traveled to so many different places, tried so many different foods and met so many interesting people. I always felt that the stories were not complete when we told others our adventures; I wanted to show them rather than to say tons of words. It is in this desire to tell the stories with one image that I found myself liking photography.
Working for the school newspaper for a couple of years cemented my desire to be good in photography, to bring to others the beauty and magic of other places. … I created more than one problem with my out of the box photography in a high school newspaper within the walls of a Catholic institution. The brothers of La Salle loved my energy and helped me as much as they could to develop my crazy ideas. I then decided to photograph every event I was involved with. ….. I wanted to be a photographer but a scientist at the same time.
Borderstan: How has living in Washington DC and the Dupont/Logan/U Street area and interacting with other local artists and institutions influenced your art?
Ortiz: [T]the most direct influence in my work, in the last few years, has come from joining MidCity Artists. Before being in an artistic group I never felt I was more than just a good photographer. [Since participating in] the Open Studios twice a year, when hundreds of people see my photos and my latest work with mixed media and photography, I have seen the faces of approval and have received the compliments that fuel the desire to be more involved with my art. Yes, I feel I can call it art these days. I believe that some artists are who they are no matter what, big geniuses of the present and past. Meanwhile, others respond to the approval of their fans creating wonders of today that may see the glory of tomorrow. I am one of the latter ones. People on the street around my place and other areas of the city, where my shows have taken place, recognize me as a Betto the artistic photographer. It is important to feel that approval and to respond to it with better work.
It is also good to hear from other artists when MidCity has shows together or when someone comes to one of my openings. In part staying in pure photography was safer because I knew how to take the best photo, but now integrating mixed media to the presentation of my photos has not only moved me into a more artistic identity but has also offered me to others so they can talk about me in a new dimension. If you know what I mean!
The other influence in my work comes from the commercial side of being an artistic travel photographer; so, sometimes, what people want has a direct correlation of what gets printed for sale. Both sides, artistic and commercial, need to be addressed always if one wants to remain relevant. So what people buy has to be available even if my artistic mind has other ideas for a new collection.
Borderstan: What are your other interests and hobbies outside of art?
Ortiz: I think I can say without fear that I am a true renaissance man. I have tried many things in life: scuba diving instructor; dog breeder and trainer; counter tenor soprano singer for ceremonies at weddings and funerals; TV reporter for a gay magazine; model for many years; and other [occupations]. Today, I like to take things a little slower, but I still seem to have more energy and get involved in more things that your average person. I like it that way. I love to travel and to repeat the same spot several times, to get to know peoples cultures and lives. …. My curiosity surpasses photography, but it is in photography that my soul finds a new religion.
Borderstan: Please let us know anything else you would like to share about your current work or future projects.
Ortiz: My last big series of acrylic matting and selected photographs was launched late in 2009. Then in 2010 and 2011 I produced only three small series of photographs from Africa, Europe, and Colombia. This break was needed due to illness in 2010 and family in 2011. It takes… time to put a big series together. These days, I am now working on my next big project which will involve acrylic work with pure photography. I am thinking it may be called acrylic dilution. I am in the process of completing the actual idea to then move to produce the pieces. I will then have to negotiate the venue. Additionally, I have more than seven trips I have yet to catalog and reproduce for this fall’s MidCity Open Studios.
Betto Ortiz’ work.
Dafna Steinberg at her studio. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Rachel Nania and Luis Gomez.
Local artist-photographer, Dafna Steinberg was seven when she received her first camera – and she hasn’t stopped snapping pictures since.
The DC native and U Street resident finds inspiration for her art in everything – including her art-driven childhood, her neighborhood and DC’s arts community.
“My mother would take me to museums and galleries all over,” said Steinberg. “In fact, she was the one that gave me my first camera.”
After discovering the darkroom at age 13, Steinberg knew she wanted to pursue photography.
“I think it was the photographic process [that captured me],” said Steinberg. “From taking the photo on film, to developing it and then printing it – it’s like magic.”
Steinberg’s photographic art has evolved over the years; these days, she is very involved with mixed media and collage.
“Collage is a different creative process all together, but it still holds a sense of magic,” explained the artist. “It’s taking bits and pieces of my images or other found images and turning them into something new and interesting.”
Living in DC has propelled Steinberg’s creative drive and has given the artist opportunities she never imagined having. Steinberg shares a studio space close to her apartment with six other DC-based artists.
“It’s like having my own little art community,” said Steinberg, who also mentioned that she appreciates the constant feedback from her studio-mates.
In addition to creating her own art and staying active in DC’s art community, Steinberg finds and sells vintage clothes and accessories at DC Flea, a monthly pop up vintage market, of which she is a co-founder. In her spare time, she also boxes, tweets and drinks lots and lots of coffee.
Steinberg is currently working on a project about food culture and emotional eating. The project will result in an installation and performance sometime next year at Doris Mae, a gallery opening up on 14th Street.
As part of the project, Steinberg started a blog called “Eat What I Feel” where she collects photos of people eating food and their experience of eating.
For more information on the artist, visit her website: www.dafnasteinberg.com.
“Traces of Memory: A Contemporary Look at the Jewish Past in Poland”” is at the Bronfman Gallery through May 21. (Luis Gomez Photos)
From Alden Leonard. Contact him at alden[AT]borderstan.com and follow him @aldenleonard on Twitter.
A multi-year collaboration between photographer Chris Schwarz and scholar Jonathan Weber, the exhibition “Traces of Memory: A Contemporary Look at the Jewish Past in Poland” offers a new way of understanding a vibrant and extensive history left in ruins. The exhibition runs through May 21 at the D.C. Jewish Community Center’s Ann Loeb Bronfman Gallery, 16th and Q NW.
In the decades following the Holocaust, images of its atrocities in Poland, most notably Auschwitz, overshadowed the rich Jewish history that began more than 800 years before the Nazis invaded Poland.
“Traces” provides a photographic response to the most infamous images to come out of Poland: those of death, destruction, and supreme evil. Schwarz and Weber make the case that, in order to fully understand what was lost in the past, we must confront it and compare it with what is left today.
As such, the exhibition feels less like art and more like history. Schwarz’s style of photography is journalistic and, because the subjects are all modern-day, the visuals provide little chronology or direction. It is Weber’s narration that gives the exhibit a sense of movement and a clear emotional arc. Weber provides context to a photograph of a ruined temple or anti-Semitic graffiti that mars a memorial — his narration gives us a fuller picture of the Jewish legacy in Poland than one image ever could.
That isn’t to say Schwarz’s photographs fall short — actually, they are stunning in both senses of the word. The contemporary nature of the images gives the exhibition gravity. While black-and-white historical photographs of atrocities might allow us to remove ourselves from the violence, images of the modern-day sites where these acts took place are somehow harder to ignore.
One memorable photograph shows Auschwitz’s barracks stretching to the horizon, where a very modern skyline awaits. Another image shows an idyllic pastoral landscape — perfect for a summer picnic — yet marred with a sign in the foreground bearing the bloody sword that denotes the site of a mass murder. I bet it didn’t look all that different back then, on that day, one thinks.
“Traces” fully transports the viewer away from Borderstan, making it an unusual exhibition to feature in this hyper-local blog. But the collaboration succeeds because it forces us to acknowledge the nearness of the Holocaust to our modern lives: how it happened in unassuming places, and how it caught most by surprise.
“Traces of Memory: A Contemporary Look at the Jewish Past in Poland” is showing at the Jewish Community Center’s Ann Loeb Bronfman Gallery at 1525 16th (at Q Street) Street until May 21.
Related Posts
Like Borderstan’s Arts & Entertainment stories? Get an RSS Feed for the A&E Section, or an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories.
Al Wildey’s exhibition is at Arts@1830 on 14th Street NW. (Luis Gomez Photos).
From Alden Leonard. Contact him at alden[AT]borderstan.com and follow him @aldenleonard on Twitter.
Al Wildey would like you to join him on a journey. To get started, stop by Arts@1830 on 14th Street NW to see his composite photography show, “A Reflective Vision.”
Wildey’s photographs, which are produced by super-imposing thousands of images taken during his travels, are simultaneously vague and familiar. Exactly which landscape or city street he depicts isn’t immediately clear, but the viewer comes away with a strong sense of the place nonetheless. Wildey asks us to assume much of the subject matter, which he believes is a fundamental step in creating a relationship between the artist, the image, and the viewer.
Wildey’s pieces certainly interact with their audience. As you move past any given panel, its image shifts and changes with you. It’s a holographic consequence of the aluminum panels on which the images are printed. “As light reflects off of the surface of the images I hope the audience will reflect on their personal memories and experiences,” as he puts it.
The artist further involves the viewer by embedding unlikely messages and images in his pieces. In some cityscapes, you will find a ghostly face staring back at you; in a country landscape, an obscure word or phrase. It’s all very mysterious, and yet you come away feeling like Wildey has let you in on a secret. The experience is richer for it.
Come reflect with Wildey. “A Reflective Vision” runs through March 30 at Arts@1830, 1830 14th Street NW.
Like Borderstan’s Arts & Entertainment stories? Get an RSS Feed for the A&E Section, or an RSS Feed for all Borderstan stories.
A slideshow, “Red Photos,” by Luis Gomez at One Photograph A Day.
Luis put together a slideshow, “Red Photos,” and posted it to his photo blog. There are photos here from around the world, including Borderstan, of course. Enjoy.
Image: Flashpoint and dcist Web site.
The Exposed Photography Show, featuring local photographers, runs through March 7 at the Gallery at Flashpoint, 916 G Street NW. The hours at Flashpoint at noon to 6 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday. Details here and here.
FotoWeekDC runs through Saturday, November 22. (Image courtesy of gallery plan b at 1530 14th Street NW in Borderstan.)
If you appreciate the medium of photography as an art form, this is an event that looks like it will be a must-attend. The first annual FotoWeek DC started Monday, November 17. Even better, you don’t even have to leave Borderstan to visit some of the galleries that are participating in the event.
FotoWeek DC is a week-long event that includes gallery and museum exhibits, a closing FotoWeek DC Gala at National Geographic (tickets $85), exhibitions at embassies and publishing companies, the Tech Pavillion (with equipment exhibitors) and more. You can check out the complete list of events.
Here is FotoWeek DC’s description of the event:
The week of November 15-22, 2008 will mark the launch of FotoWeek DC, the first annual gathering of a diverse and wide-ranging photography community in the nation’s capital, including photographers, museums, universities and all those involved in the profession across the metro D.C. area, including Virginia and Maryland. Unique among American cities, Washington, D.C. is a nexus of artistic, business, political and public sector energy, in which photography plays an integral role. FotoWeek DC seeks to bring together all photographers and imaging professionals from every discipline to join with the public in celebration of the medium.
Several galleries in the Greater Borderstan area are participating in FotoWeek DC:
- Borderstan’s own Gallery plan b, 1530 14th Street, NW. Photographers include Kermit Berg, Christopher Dubia, Susan Engle, Jeff Gay, Charlie Gaynor, Juditha, Sook Young Lee, John Skwiot, Jim Vecchione and David Young.
- Adamson Gallery, 1515 14th Street NW. Exhibition: Lawrence Schiller.
- Curator’s Office, 1515 14th Street NW. Exhibition: “Vanitas”, Exhibition of Photography & Film; Artists: Nicholas & Sheila Pye.
- Hamiltonian Gallery, 1353 U Street NW. hibition: Jonathan B. French, Michael Dax Iacovone and Anne Chan. Panel Discussion led by Exhibiting Artists Jonathan B. French, Michael Dax Iacovone and Anne Chan.
- HEMPHILL, 1515 14th Street NW. Exhibitions: Hiroshi Sugimoto: Drive-in Theaters and Portraits; and Kendall Messick: The Projectionist.
- Irvine Contemporary, 1412 14th Street NW. Exhibition: New works by Kahn & Selesnick, Gina Brocker, Marla Rutherford and Kerry Skarbakka.
- Nevin Kelly Gallery, 1517 U Street NW. Exhibition: Temporary Constructions: New Photographs by Stirling Elmendorf and Mark Parascandola.
- Located in Borderstan, The Pink Line Project / Ten Miles Square, 1444 Church Street NW. Exhibit: “Fixation.”
- Project 4 Gallery, 1353 U Street NW. Exhibition: ThomasMüller.
- Smith Farm Center for Healing and the Arts; The Healing Arts Gallery, 1632 U Street NW. Exhibition: VISIONS OF PARADISE: Nine National Geographic Contemporary Masters (William Albert Allard, Jodi Cobb, David Doubilet, Beverly Joubert, Michael Nichols, Paul Nicklen, Randy Olson, Joel Sartore and Mike Yamashita).
- Transformer, 1404 P Street NW.
