Mea Culpa

©Katy Grannan

It's been a very long time since I've blogged and I apologize.  Having gone back to work full time, the past four months have been a whirlwind.  I'll do my best to catch up with extra entries.  Most recently, I saw Into the Sunset: Photography's Image of the American West, a MOMA exhibit documenting the American West from 1850 to present. You could hardly enter a New York subway station without noticing the arresting promotional poster bearing Katy Grannan's photograph, Nicole, Crissy Field Parking Lot I 2006. 

Like the Eggleston retrospective, Into the Sunset was extensive, serving up many iconic photographers including David Levinthal, Cindy Sherman, Dorothea Lange, and Robert Frank.  I came away feeling a bit overwhelmed but also a little disjointed.

Hasted Hunt Gallery

© Nathan Harger

I'm taking a Photo History Continuing Education class at Pratt Institute and just attended my first class on Saturday.  After the lecture, we hiked over to Hasted Hunt Gallery to see their current show, "Contradictions in Black & White."  The exhibit features work by Margaret Bourke-White, Harry Callahan, Michael Flomen, Adam Fuss, Nathan Harger, Vera Lutter, Ray K. Metzker, Irving Penn, and Horacio Salinas.  We were asked to connect the phrase "the camera never lies" to a specific image we saw at the show.  My response can be found on the class blog under comments.

Digital Photo Students at Bucknell University

© Tyler Clavelle

© Lasma Kanele

© Emilija Rygelis

I just finished a semester as the Graduate Assistant in Photography at Bucknell University in Lewisburg, PA.  Bucknell is not a trade school and students who major in art receive a BA, not a BFA in Art but that does not stop the department from producing many talented artists.  I've included a few images from the Fall 2009 undergraduate Digital Photo class above.

William Eggleston

I was fortunate enough to get to The Whitney while the William Eggleston retrospective, Democratic Camera, was still up.  The first thing that struck me was how extensive the exhibit was, with his work ranging from 1961 till 2008.  I had just gone gallery hopping in lower Manhattan and was starting to get annoyed by the many shows with 10-20 unrelated pieces in an unwelcoming, silent environment.  Eggleston's work was well represented and I really appreciated getting to see his amusing video footage as well.