Photography Without a Lens:
Exploring Alternate Processes & Approaches
The work in this exhibition was assembled from a juried call for entries to present an exploration of alternate photographic capture and image making techniques. The call was open to any alternate form of image capture from pinhole to scanner and all forms of contact printing and alternate printmaking processes. We included toy cameras and a number of other LoFi approaches to be able to more fully explore what is possible without the aid of a high end camera system. In the age of the selfie, with the ability to share an image around the world in a matter of moments, we sought to present a selection of work to inspire a renewed interest in how images are converted into physical objects.
The Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts launched this call in February 2020 in part to review historical processes and revisit photography as a handmade process. At the same time we wanted to provide an opportunity explore new alternate methods with the hope of stimulating the creation of new expressive approaches to photographic image making. In a digital age where so many in-person interactions and transactions are being replaced by virtual substitutes we sought to present work that built on the handcrafted image making processes of yore and by their very nature are meant to be viewed in person. That we are forced by the realities of COVID-19 to present this exhibition online is more than little ironic but also highlights the need to constantly explore and reinvent to take to stay relevant in a changing world.
While we are presenting the exhibition online we remain committed to mounting the live gallery exhibition and are in the process of rescheduling it for June 17th 2021. In the meantime I like to thank everyone who submitted work and to Ann Jastrab for her efforts as juror for pulling this exhibition exhibition together under less than ideal conditions.
– David DeMelim, Managing Director
Juror’s Statement: Ann Jastrab
There’s that first moment, under the brightest sky that the north is ever going to give you, that you unfurl your cyanotype coated sheet and lay down a hundred prizes on it: leaves, branches, a shed snake skin, a bunch of coins, flowers galore, cat tails, tiny stars and more. And then you throw yourself onto the field of blue to make the ultimate self-portrait. And what comes of this, fingers and legs splayed, hair like a fan, arms reaching for you as you fall through space, what looks like a dream, like a fantasy, like ecstasy. That’s what it looks like. Forget that your cheek is temporarily blue. Forget that you forgot to line the darkroom in plastic before you coated the sheet… and that will be more than temporarily blue. That is forever blue. You rinse the fabric in a bucket of cold water, the hose running, it’s summer. You’ve captured it, with one of the first photographic processes and the sun.
When David DeMelim asked me to curate a lens-less photography show at the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Art, I thought of my summers teaching photography in Maine, of the use of the photogram, of cyanotypes, of historical processes, of my love of plastic and pinhole cameras, of the world of analog photography that holds me at my core, and of course I said yes.
It was a challenge to whittle the numerous entries down to just fifty or so pictures that showed the magic of alternative ways of seeing and making photographs. There were lumen prints and scanograms and photographs made with some of my most beloved crappy cameras. Pinhole seascapes and dying flowers and the expected and unexpected objects placed on sensitized paper. A collection of possibilities. Endless possibilities. That’s what this show is.
Congratulations to all the artists and thank you to David and the Center for this opportunity to jury this exhibition and to have a moment with these pictures.
Ann Jastrab
Summer 2020
Opening Reception: June 17th 2:00 – 8:00pm
On View Live in the Gallery: June 17th – July 9th
Included in this exhibition is a selection of work from: Linda Barsotti, Clifford Beaman, Andi Benet, Maria Bevilacqua, Robert Buelteman, Jr., Maria Coletsis, Robert Concienne, Steven Condiotti, Sarah Crofts, Brent Dedas, Santiago Echeverry, Frani Evedon, Martin Fahlen, Charles Fitzgerald, Robert Gervais, J. M. Golding, Abigail Gunnels, Margaret Harrigan, Paul Harvey, Sarah Horan, Saroyan Humphrey, Kristoffer Johnson, Marky Kauffmann, Kerrie Kemperman, Sally Kim-Miller, Blythe King, Sarah Koch, Xiaopeng Liu, Cary Loving, Vanessa Marsh, Marianne McCoy, David McCrae, Vera Miljkovic, Atsuko Morita, Arlie Mornhinweg, Allen Morris, Stephanie Paine, Jay Phyfer, John Porter, Wen Redmond, Tanner Relyea, Dale Rio, Patricia Russotti, Cintia Santana, Robert Schultz, Keman Sheng, Jerry Slough, Alan Sockloff, Evan J. Soldinger, Jean Sousa, Max Steele, Noah Thompson, Timothy Tracz, Angela Wells, Curtis Widem and Rachel Wolf.
Improvisation No. 1
We first presented this exhibition online in June 2020 while the gallery presentation was rescheduled for June 2021… You can take a virtual walk through the resulting gallery presentation by clicking here.
About the Juror: Ann Jastrab, Ann is the Executive Director at the Center for Photographic Art (CPA) in Carmel, California. Before taking the helm at CPA, Ann was the gallery manager at Scott Nichols Gallery in San Francisco where she incorporated contemporary artists with the living legends photography. Ann also worked as the gallery director at RayKo Photo Center in San Francisco for 10 years until their closure in 2017. Ann has curated many shows in the Bay Area while simultaneously jurying, curating, and organizing numerous exhibitions for other national and international venues outside of San Francisco. While being a champion of artists, she created a thriving artist-in-residence program at RayKo where recent residents Meghann Riepenhoff, Carlos Javier Ortiz, Kathya Marie Landeros, and McNair Evans all received Guggenheim Fellowships.
Besides being a curator, Ann Jastrab, MFA, is a fine art photographer, master darkroom printer, and teacher.
Chromogenic Development Print
96″ x 42″
$14500.00
Second Place: Marky Kauffmann
archival pigment print from scanned chemigram
36″ x 24″
$1000.00
Unique Silver Gelatin Lumen Photogram, framed
14″ x 12″
$1320.00
Chlorophyll print & scanography
20″ x 23.5″
$800.00
Acrylic transfer, collage, and 23k gold leafing on paper
20″ x 16″
$1200.00
Schedule: Adjusted for COVID-19 a full year later the exhibition comes to the Gallery
Exhibition Preview: Online starting June 18th 2020
Gallery Exhibition: June 17th – July 9th 2021
Delivery Deadline: June 12th 2021
Reception*: June 17th, 2020 2:00 – 8:00 p.m.
*subject to current restrictions, Masks Required
The RI Center for Photographic Arts, RICPA 118 N. Main St. Providence, RI 02903
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/
Want to become a RICPA Member? Membership brings many benefits and discounts, for more information and to find the membership level that fits you, visit our website at https://www.riphotocenter.org/membership-info/ You may become a member at entry, member benefits begin immediately and run 365 days from your start date.
In-Person Delivery of Accepted Work: In-person deliveries will be accepted June 12th, noon till 5:30pm or by appointment. The RICPA Gallery is located on the 2nd Floor at 118 North Main Street Providence, RI
Questions: Contact gallery@riphotocenter.org To learn about other RICPA exhibits and programs, visit https://www.riphotocenter.org/.
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