New photography at the Portland Art Museum

This coming week at the Portland Art Museum, there are several events that showcase wonderful photography.

Abshiro Aden Mohammed, Women’s Leader, Somali Refugee Camp, Dagahaley, Kenya, 2000, from the series A Camel for the Son. © Fazal Sheikh

Fazal Sheik’s well-regarded special photography exhibition of refugees and the issues facing them — “Common Ground”  — will close with a May 13 seminar, “Human Resilience in Mobility: Politics of the Image and the Global South,” and a public tour on May 20 from 3:00-4:00.

Minor White, Portland, 1939, gelatin silver print, Courtesy of the Fine Arts Program, Public Buildings Service, U.S. General Services Administration. Commissioned through the New Deal art projects, public domain, L42.2.13

Fresh this week is a new rotation of Minor White’s classic early images from Oregon — which were commissioned as part of FDR’s New Deal programs — and made before White rose to Photo God status by helping to found Aperture alongside Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange and others.

A Harley Cowan image from the Hanford Nuclear Reservation.

Also, this month’s Brown Bag Lecture Talk series is on May 16th from noon to 1 p.m, a presentation of the Portland Art Museum’s Photography Council sponsored by Pro Photo Supply. Portland photographer Harley Cowan will talk about his large-format work documenting nuclear production sites.

“I grew up in Richland, Washington next to the Hanford Nuclear Reservation,” Cowan wrote, and his interest led to six years working in nuclear industry. Now a practicing architect as well as a photographer, Cowan travels to “historically significant but largely unrecorded sites in the Pacific Northwest in order to create photography eligible for the Historic American Buildings Survey (HABS) and the Historic American Engineering Record (HAER).”

“They continue to follow strict guidelines for black & white, large format, film photography. As a contemporary photographer, it is an intriguing starting point.”

Follow the Money — A Photolucida talk on March 15

Money talks: Certified photography appraiser and photo historian Jennifer L. Stoots will share an illustrated presentation that takes a look at the history of the Western art market, the fine art photography market, and where we are today. The event will be Thursday, March 15 at 7:00 at Disjecta — 8371 N. Interstate in Portland.

According to Photolucida, this will be the first in a quarterly event series:

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The State Of Photography in Portland Today – A Panel Discussion

As Portland photographers continue to navigate the developing art scene in a changing city, a Photolucida event at DISJECTA on Thursday promises to be an enlightening gathering of views on the here and now. I’ll see you there! From the invitation:

“Join us for an evening discussion with some of the key figures in Portland’s photographic community. We want to know…what is happening now and what is next? What do you feel is working and what is missing?
Lend your voice and learn along with us! Stick around after the one-hour panel for a social hour to continue the conversation. Beverages and snacks will be provided! Free and open to the public!” Continue reading “The State Of Photography in Portland Today – A Panel Discussion”

Happy New Year and Welcome to Oregon Focus!

Photography can be a lonely business, and a lonely art.

When I was a full-time photographer, I often felt like a lone wolf, moving from assignment to assignment, shoot to shoot, without a connection to the audience for my work and without the feedback from clients I needed to improve. Too often I heard “We love it; just give us more,” which feels nice, but impedes growth. And without detailed knowledge of the creative strategy that led up to the assignment, and without the foresight of all the different ways my work would be used, I was at a disadvantage as went out into the field.
When I became the photo editor for the international humanitarian agency Mercy Corps, each day some of the most talented photographers from around the world reached out to be hired. I tried my best to respond to everyone, but I found myself giving more detailed feedback — and assignments — to one of two groups: not the photographers who only showed their recent work with only their own vision; but instead, the photographers who had researched my organization and its mission, its visual style, its programming and the locations where we worked around the world, and tailored their pitches accordingly. In a deeper sense, I sought out people who wanted to work together in a meaningful way to help the world.

Continue reading “Happy New Year and Welcome to Oregon Focus!”