A Juried look at Contemporary Photography
Our 10th International Open Call exhibition will open on March 21st as a showcase for contemporary photography as complied by Karen Haas, Lane Senior Curator of Photographs, at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. The work in this exhibition was selected from an international call for entries to provide an updated look at current photographic practice. The 60 photographs selected were drawn from a pool of almost 1000 images to create this exhibition and we would like to thank everyone who submitted work for consideration. In the end, the exhibition brings together the work of 60 photographers from 20 States and Washington DC to be a part of our 10th Open Call Exhibition. We are excited to be able to continue this annual exhibition, providing the opportunity to bring the work of so many new photographers to Providence. We will be reviewing all entries at a later date as we look for photographers to feature in 2026.
The exhibition presents 60 images and includes work from: Hannah Altman, Olivia Barkett, Becky Behar, Daniel Brothers, Ronald Butler, Richard Cohen, James Cooper, Thomas Crawford, Francis Crisafio, Connor Cronk, Virgil DiBiase, Steven Duede, Ron Dulaney Jr., Anna Eroshenko, David Estlund, Teri Figliuzzi, Christopher Forslund, Beth Galton, Donna Garcia, Kristie Gardiner, Amy Gaskin, Alan Gaynor, Victoria Gewirz, Richard Gilles, Karen Graffeo, Katherine Gulla, James Gunderson, Jim Hill, Terra Honaker, Anne Hopkins, Michael Hower, Donald Johnson, Luke Jordan, Marky Kauffmann, Richard K Kent, Gurcharan Khanna, Margaret Lampert, David Lawlor, Rusty Leffel, Irina Levental, Joni Lohr, Ralph Mercer, Chita Middleton Taylor, David O’Daniel, Allison Plass, Keith Prue, Cynthia Rettig, Saba Sitton, Jerry Smith, Lisa Spencer, Donna St Amant, Tom Stoffregen, Matthew Temple, Carrie Usmar, Nina Weinberg Doran, Jeff Wiles, Jay Wilson, Molly Wood, Kosuke Yuki & Eric Zeigler with Aaron Ellison
The exhibition catalog is available for direct delivery to your home, office or studio… Order one for your collection
Register for a conversation with Karen Haas, on Zoom
Awards were presented at the Opening Reception, works receiving special recognition are displayed below.
Awards not picked up at the Opening will be available at pickup on April 13th, or will be mailed at the end of the exhibition. First – Third place are cash awards while the Director’s Choice includes the opportunity to work with the Director to mount a solo exhibition in 2025.
Third Place: David Lawlor
Second Place: Marky Kauffmann
First Place: Virgil DiBiase
Director’s Choice: Matthew Temple
Opening Reception: March 21st 5:00 – 8:00pm
On View: Thursday, March 21st, thru Friday, April 12th, 2024
Free and Open to the Public
Opening Reception & Awards Presentation: March 21st, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
The Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts, 118 N. Main St. Providence, RI
A Quick look at the Installation, best experiences in person…
Juror’s statement – Karen Haas
It is a real honor to have been invited to jury this year’s Tenth International Call for Entries at the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts. The experience of seeing so much work that was completely new to me was inspiring and eye opening—even a bit daunting
It was challenging to whittle down such a large field of artists to only about 60 works, but the process was a great reminder of what it was that brought me to the field of photography in the first place. Blind judging of photographs on a screen is a humbling experience and a good reminder of just how dependent we can become on name recognition and the written texts that so often accompany works of art. I think of it as a bit like being out on a tightrope without a net. There is no “cheat sheet” to fall back on and, as a result, one is free to consider each image on its own merits.
The range of work was impressive and the technical mastery was strong. Whether created with analog or digital technologies or, in a few rare instances, alternative processes, I was pleased to find such a strong group of photographs from which to choose. Clearly, there continues to be a very long reach for international calls like this one and, in the end, I was pleased to see that this selection represents a number of far-flung artists, as well as some very close to home—many of whom I might never have crossed paths with otherwise.
By far the majority of photographs I reviewed focused on natural and manmade landscapes – perhaps it should have come as no surprise that nature in all its variety was so central to so many of the submissions from New England, and Rhode Island in particular – from beaver bogs and Indigenous woodlands to botanical photograms and beachscapes. I was also struck by the number of images that featured small towns and empty streets at night, abandoned industrial buildings, and close-up details, including church windows, patterned wall paper, Moroccan tiles, and old stone walls. A surprisingly small subset of the submissions were images of people, but I was particularly drawn to several of them—for example, circus performers under the Big Top; an elderly woman poring over the pieces of a large jigsaw puzzle; and two men asleep in a shared embrace.
My goal was to pick only one photograph by each selected artist but also choose pieces that best represent the range of work submitted and made for the strongest exhibition overall. I hope you feel I’ve accomplished that and I thank all those who submitted work. Heartfelt thanks as well to David DeMelim for the kind invitation to take part in this, the RICPA’s Tenth International exhibition.
— Karen Haas, Lane Senior Curator of Photographs, MFA, Boston
About the Juror: Karen Haas
Karen has been the Lane Curator of Photographs at the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston since 2001, where she is responsible for a large collection of photographs by American modernists, Charles Sheeler, Edward Weston, Ansel Adams, and Imogen Cunningham. The Lane Collection numbers more than 6,000 prints and ranges across the entire history of western photography. Her MFA activities include exhibitions, Make Believe; Ansel Adams in Our Time; (un)expected families; Charles Sheeler from Doylestown to Detroit; Imogen Cunningham: In Focus; Gordon Parks: Back to Fort Scott; Edward Weston: Leaves of Grass; and Bruce Davidson: East 100th Street.
She has recently completed a book on the early work of Edward Weston, and her other publications include An Enduring Vision: Photographs from the Lane Collection; Common Wealth: Art by African Americans in the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston; Ansel Adams; and The Photography of Charles Sheeler: American Modernist.
Exhibiting Photographers:
Hannah Altman, Olivia Barkett, Becky Behar, Daniel Brothers, Ronald Butler, Richard Cohen, James Cooper, Thomas Crawford, Francis Crisafio, Connor Cronk, Virgil DiBiase, Steven Duede, Ron Dulaney Jr., Anna Eroshenko, David Estlund, Teri Figliuzzi, Christopher Forslund, Beth Galton, Donna Garcia, Kristie Gardiner, Amy Gaskin, Alan Gaynor, Victoria Gewirz, Richard Gilles, Karen Graffeo, Katherine Gulla, James Gunderson, Jim Hill, Terra Honaker, Anne Hopkins, Michael Hower, Donald Johnson, Luke Jordan, Marky Kauffmann, Richard K Kent, Gurcharan Khanna, Margaret Lampert, David Lawlor, Rusty Leffel, Irina Levental, Joni Lohr, Ralph Mercer, Chita Middleton Taylor, David O’Daniel, Allison Plass, Keith Prue, Cynthia Rettig, Saba Sitton, Jerry Smith, Lisa Spencer, Donna St Amant, Tom Stoffregen, Matthew Temple, Carrie Usmar, Nina Weinberg Doran, Jeff Wiles, Jay Wilson, Molly Wood, Kosuke Yuki & Eric Zeigler with Aaron Ellison
Opening Reception: March 21st 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Exhibition: Thursday, March 21st, thru Friday, April 12th, 2024
The Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts, 118 N. Main St. Providence, RI
Located in the heart of Providence, RICPA was founded to inspire creative development and provide opportunities to engage with the community through exhibitions, education, publication, and mutual support.
RICPA exists to create a diverse and supportive community for individuals interested in learning or working in the Photographic Arts. We strive to provide an environment conducive to the free exchange of ideas in an open and cooperative space. Members should share a passion for creating, appreciating, or learning about all forms of photo-based media. We work to provide a platform for artistic expression, that fosters dialogue and drives innovation in the photographic arts.
The Gallery at the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts is a member of Gallery Night Providence https://www.gallerynight.org/
Leave a Reply