Update from the Director…
October 2023…
Fall is in the air, the students are back to school and new construction starts are at a high before the winter freeze sets in. The exhibition of Stephen Starkman’s remarkable book, The Proximity of Mortality continues through 5:00pm October, 14 in the Focus Gallery. If you haven’t been in to see it yet, your time is running out… I consider myself fortunate to have crossed paths with Stephen, but wish we had met sooner. That said, I am pleased that we were able to pull this exhibition together in time for him to participate, but saddened to share that he passed away on September, 6th from cancer.
Some would say he lost his battle with small cell cancer, but this really misrepresents Stephen’s approach to the situation he faced and the gift he left to his family and to all families with someone in treatment. Stephen accepted his terminal diagnosis early and committed his remaining time to leaving some positive mark on the world before he left. While he availed himself of the options modern medicine had to offer, it was to delay the inevitable not prevent it. He committed his remaining time to creating the book now on view in our Focus Gallery.
His photo book is both melodic and thought provoking as it provides insight into the emotional ups and downs and serves as a subtle reminder that we all have expiration dates. In some small way he lives on through his book, a gift to those who remain after his journey ended. His efforts and determination resulted in a valuable and thought provoking aid to all the other families making this same transition and our efforts to move his project beyond the photo community and into the care and medical communities are ongoing. If you are curious you can pick up your own copy of The Proximity of Mortality in the gallery or through Stephen’s website.
Moving forward… Our Interlines, Lifelines & Redlines Exhibition will be opening on October 19th… and will be followed by a special exhibition for FRAMES Photography Circle Members in November. Starting with our Landscape exhibition back in May, we have taken on a number of construction projects of our own. Steven’s exhibition and both of our upcoming exhibitions provided the incentive for a wave of additional upgrades challenging an already tight schedule. These physical improvements to our facilities have provided a brighter, cleaner exhibition space and a little more wall space. Most exciting however is the home for our library of photo books. This is still a work in progress and will be launched with a book signing to feature a few of our members with books in print…. more details next month as we finalize plans. if you haven’t visited in person recently, there is a lot to see.
Our Payphone Scavenger Hunt continues to grow in the gallery… Entry is still free and available online for the larger online project. Entry for our gallery exhibition has closed and will be presented in its final form in tandem with our Interlines, Lifelines, Redlines exhibition opening on the October 19th.
Entry is open for our 5th Annual Juried Member Exhibition and I am excited to announce we will be the starting the new year with Jessica Burko as the juror for this exhibition. I am also pleased to share that this year we have streamlined the entry process and moved all our Member exhibitions to a Google based entry system. For our members this provides a one step process, with a form to fill out online and attach your images to directly. On the back end for exhibition management, a database of the entries is generated automatically and images collected in one easy to access location. Details and entry link are provided below, entry closes December 1st.
Members Wanted…We are a member supported, volunteer organization and your Membership comes with many benefits, including the opportunity to participate in our three annual member exhibitions including our 5th Annual Juried Exhibition opening in January… Included among the other member benefits is our monthly Print Share & Peer Review series. The next session is scheduled for November 8th, bring some prints to share and feel free to bring a friend or two…
Membership starts by registering at https://www.riphotocenter.org/registration
Details on our Membership options are outlined at https://www.riphotocenter.org/membership-info
Join us… as a Visitor or Member, visits to the gallery are free and new exhibitions open on the third Thursday of each month. Our Interlines, Lifelines & Redlines: Social Markers of Race, Class & Economics Exhibition will open on October 19th
The gallery is open Wednesdays – Saturdays, Noon – 6:00pm or by appointment
Currently in the Gallery: through October 14th
The Directors Choice Exhibition
In the Minds Eye: David DeMelim
A rare presentation of work by Managing Director, David DeMelim, featuring new work from continuing attempts to visualize the creative process. “My interest is in exploring how we see and experience the world with a focus on how human vision differs from machine vision… it is not about seeing like a camera, or even recording what something looks like, but capturing what it felt like, or what the experience inspired. There is a difference in how the camera records a moment in time separate from the lived experience. Fitting more of life into each image is my goal.”
The exhibition will be paired with “Proximity of Mortality” by Stephen Starkman in the Focus Gallery.
Proximity of Mortality: Stephen Starkman
A book becomes an exhibition… This unique installation features Proximity of Mortality, a book project affirming Stephen’s journey. The book spreads are presented on the walls of the gallery, installed following Stephen’s narrative and pacing while including the carefully crafted layouts created by book designer, Matthew Papa. Proximity of Mortality was conceived from the very beginning as a book and not as a series of photographs to be exhibited. Copies of the book are available for viewing, purchasing and also available for home delivery.
Call For Entries – Fifth Annual Juried Members’ Exhibition
The call for member work is open for this exhibition to start the new year… with Jessica Burko as juror
Membership is required and starts by registering at www.riphotocenter.org/registration
Work will be juried individually, members are welcome to submit up to five images. Entry is free for exhibiting Members and above. Entry and Payment details are available on the website, you must be logged in to our website for the payment or application form to be visible.
Entry is free for Exhibiting & Supporting Members, $25 for up to 5 images for Members at all other levels
Important Dates:
Exhibition: January 18th – February 9th
Entry Closes: December 1st
Deliver of work: January 13th
Opening Reception: January 18th 5:00 – 8:00pm
Next in the Galleries – Opening October 19th
Interlines, Lifelines & Redlines: Social Markers of Race, Class & Economics
Building on work done for the FSA and what might be for some, a new way of seeing, this juried exhibition looks to explore and document ideas of community and the structures or situations that we use to consciously or unconsciously assign value or status of a neighborhood. The exhibition captures the present through a wider lens, to explore and question what you see in your community, what you see in neighboring communities. “Good Neighborhoods” “Bad Neighborhoods” As we discuss infrastructure on a national level, what landmarks, signposts or stores do you use to evaluate need, health, or affluence of a community?
The exhibition will open on October 19th
#Payphonemaps: Scavenger Hunt – Gallery wrap up in tandem with Interlines
Entry for the gallery exhibition has closed, but remains ongoing to be included in the larger online project for photographs captured with any technology, from pinhole to cellphone cameras, and everything in between. Participation is free, but to be included in the map and exhibition, each payphone MUST be submitted with either the physical address or cross-streets, city, and zip code and if the Payphone is operational or not. This crowd source project was the jumping off point for our upcoming Interlines exhibition as an extension of Eric Kunsman’s personal project, Felicific Calculus: Technology as a Social Marker of Race, Class, & Economics that we hosted here back in March.
The #Payphonemaps: Scavenger Hunt
Entry is free, Enter as often as you want, One Payphone location per entry.
Submit your images here: https://tinyurl.com/Payphonemaps
Print Share:
Our next Print Share & Peer Review session is scheduled for November 8th.
These peer review sessions are open to interested in sharing and commenting on work with fellow members and enthusiasts. Bring your prints to this monthly event which is generally scheduled for the Second Wednesday of each month and starts at 6:30pm. Check the events section on our website for more information and updates.
Individual Portfolio/Project Reviews:
Individual feedback opportunities are available on an ongoing basis in four different formats for 2023. These review sessions can be used to preview new work, share ideas and explore future directions or projects in development. Appointments can be scheduled online for Zoom or in person sessions at www.riphotocenter.org/portfolio-reviews-and-consultations
Registration is open for our annual 20 minute individual Member review sessions.
We are also offering 45 minute one on one sessions open to the public via zoom or in person at the Gallery
New for 2022 we will also be offering “Lunch with the Director” for those interested in a more immersive conversations about your work and your goals. Lunch is included with these two hour more casual sessions. Questions can be directed to gallery@riphotocenter.org
Currently Available Online:
All of our exhibitions are available on the RICPA website, past exhibitions can be found here https://www.riphotocenter.org/category/exhibits/past
Leave a Reply