Update from the Director…
September 2023…
Summer is winding down and the gallery will be closed the first week of September, programing will resume on September 13th. We have pushed our Interlines, Lifelines & Redlines Exhibition back for an opening on October 19th… so that our first book exhibition (part of the Director’s Choice Exhibition) can be extended through October 13th…
The Director’s Choice Exhibition pairs two alternate approaches to photography and launched a new series focused on photo books, with the featured presentation of Stephen Starkman’s remarkable book, The Proximity of Mortality in the Focus Gallery. For this exhibition we reconstructed his book on the gallery walls 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. Our goals for the exhibition series include exploring the difference between a book and an exhibition, to highlight the collaborative process of working with a designer or editor, how pacing, scale and the use of text can all function together to help a powerful statement connect with a larger audience… we are also looking to place Stephen Starkman’s book into the communities where his story will have the most positive impact.
In tandem with Proximity of Mortality is a rare presentation of my own work presented in the Community Gallery. The exhibition, In the Mind’s Eye features a selection of new work that continues my attempts to visualize memory, and the creative process while exploring how human vision differs from machine vision… my interest is focused on exploring the difference between how the camera records a moment in time separate from the lived experience.
Both exhibitions opened on August 17th and will now run through October 13th.
Free Cameras from FujiFilm USA… Time is running out to complete your membership to be eligible to win.
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 and… this year thanks to Fujifilm USA, members have the chance to take home either a Fuji X-T5 with XF18-55mm F2.8-4 R LM OIS Lens or a Fuji Medium Format GFX 50s II with a 32-64mm lens. Don’t miss out… Included among the other member benefits is our monthly Print Share & Peer Review series. The next session is scheduled for September 13th, 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
Interlines, Lifelines & Redlines call for entries closed on August 15th… and Results will be posted by Labor Day, but there is still time to become a member and be eligible to win one of the cameras provided by FujiFilm USA.
Our Payphone Scavenger Hunt continues to grow in the gallery… Entry is still free and available online through end of September.
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 Spotlight Member Exhibition is on view through August 10th with a gallery talk via Zoom scheduled for August 1st. Pre-Registration is required and available here
The gallery is open Wednesdays – Saturdays, Noon – 6:00pm or by appointment
Currently in the Gallery: through October 13th
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.
Our Featured Member Series: a bimonthly presentation of active Member work…
This is a dedicated exhibition space in the gallery to feature work of Members on a rotating basis. The program is open to Exhibiting Members and above…
Our First Featured Member is: Reed Pike
Reed is an active member and can often be found at our monthly print share events or gallery sitting. His early inspirations included the work of the members of the f64 Group, Ansel Adams, Edward Weston and Imogen Cunningham. After studying photography at the Academy of Art in San Francisco and six years as a photographer in the U.S. Navy, Reed stopped taking photographs for over 25 years.
It wasn’t until he bought an iPhone, that photography was “new” and fun again. Reed currently uses an iPhone and Fujifilm cameras in his work. He focuses on “dramatic” black and white images and recreating the “film” look when working in color. Reed’s goal with his images is to tell a story that captures the emotions of the being “in the moment.”
A selection of Reed’s work is on display in the gallery through September 15th. Reed is available in the gallery on Saturdays to talk about his work and answer questions about membership.
#Payphonemaps: Scavenger Hunt – ongoing through October…
Open to 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. Members who participate are automatically entered in a drawing for a new Fuji X-T5 with XF18-55mm F2.8-4 R LM OIS Lens kit, provided direct from Fuji USA.
The #Payphonemaps: Scavenger Hunt is live… Join us in this challenge we are looking to draw on the talents of our Community to crowd source a map a of the remaining Payphones, or former sites of Payphones in the United States. The project is an initiative started by Eric Kunsman as an extension of his personal project, Felicific Calculus: Technology as a Social Marker of Race, Class, & Economics that we hosted here at the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts in March. Starting in March and running through October, we are curating a constantly expanding exhibition from images submitted in our Streetside Gallery and all images will be added to the map of Payphones throughout the United States on a dedicated website with image credit provided to each photographer.
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
David DeMelim and Eric Kunsman will juror the submissions, adding images from #Payphonemap to the walls of RICPA starting in March 2023 and running through October 13th. All selected images will be printed for free utilizing HiTi Dye Sublimation printers and provided free for participating individuals. At the end of the exhibition, prints will be available for pick up in the gallery, or participants can pay to have their prints shipped. Otherwise, the prints will be archived as portfolio available for viewing, but not for sale at RICPA in Providence, RI.
#NewEnglandPayphones will also curate a separate collection for us to feature the Payphones in New England. This will also be presented at the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts and will be published by BookSmart Studios, as limited addition Artist Book.
Full Details and Entry form for this free exhibition can be found at #Payphonemaps: Scavenger Hunt
Call For Entries – Interlines, Lifelines & Redlines
This call has closed and results will be posted by Labor Day…
We have moved the exhibition dates back to October. Accepted work will be due in the gallery by October 14th for an exhibition Opening on October 19th.
Entry has closed but there is still time to become a member and be eligible to win one of the member prizes provided by FujiFilm USA. has provided a Fuji X-T5 with XF18-55mm F2.8-4 R LM OIS Lens and a Fuji Medium Format GFX 50s II with a 32-64mm lens to offer as prizes for participating members.
Interlines, Lifelines, Redlines:
Social Markers of Race, Class & Economics
Deliver of work by October 14th
Exhibition: October 19th – November 10th
Opening Reception: October 19th 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
Print Share:
Our next Print Share & Peer Review session is scheduled for September 13th.
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