Results tagged “photography>”

The second annual FotoWeek DC Festival starts up this Saturday, and the city is already overflowing with all things photography and more than enough arty events to go around. We're featuring our picks in this week's Arts Agenda, but take a gander at the FotoWeek website, blog, and even their mobile site if you want full details. It runs straight through next Saturday the 14th, so even the busiest art lovers should be able to find time to stop in an exhibit or two over the next week and a half.

"How do you photograph something you can't see?," was the question Edward Burtynsky faced when creating the images in Oil, on view at the Corcoran Gallery of Art starting tomorrow. The world-renowned photographer began his career focused on consumerism and consumption, but around 15 years ago he had his "oil epiphany" – that oil is at the center of everything in an industrialized world and yet, we never see it, only its end products. The resulting portfolio of work is not a heavy-handed political statement, but a gorgeous documentary on the uses and ugliness of oil. I first discovered Burtynsky's work in the (must-see) 2006 documentary Manufactured Landscapes and, admittedly, have eagerly been looking forward to seeing his work in person. It did not even remotely disappoint.

Big news in the art world this week is the opening of the ginormous art event that is Artomatic on Friday. Back for another landmark year, Artomatic promises more of what you've come to expect from this come one come all art extravaganza. We'll have more Artomatic coverage for you soon, so check back in with us tomorrow for a run down of the opening day.

>> Presented by Project 4 and Civilian Art Projects, artists Noelle K. Tan and Laurel Lukaszewski exhibit new works tonight in A Fine Line in the lobby at 505 9th St NW. See how each pushes the threshold of their respective mediums, in photography and clay, at an artist's talk and reception. 5:30 to 7 p.m.

A few weeks ago, we announced our photography contest in partnership with The Phillips Collection, Make Your Own Morandi. In the spirit of Italian painter, Giorgio Morandi, we asked you to come up with your own version of one of his famous still-life scenes. So far there are about 50 entries in the pool, like the clever capture of photographers' tools in one to your right by izik, or the more humorous and contemporary "Candy Morandi" by pennyroyalnorwich.

DC Creates Public Art Program, a program of the DC Commission on Arts and the Humanities, dedicated sculptures by Omri Amrany of Josh Gibson, Walter Johnson and Frank Howard and a suspended installation by Walter Kravitz entitled The Ball Game yesterday at Nationals Park. We'll have our own look at these works later.

We just announced our new contest in conjunction with the Phillips Collection, and it isn't too early to get a jump start on your entry. Head out to the Phillips tonight for their monthly Phillips After 5 program and take in a lecture about sustainable design and mass production of household objects, and get guided tours of the Morandi exhibit for research and inspiration.

Listen up photographers, we have a new project for you. DCist is partnering with the Phillips Collection for Make Your Own Morandi, a contest that asks photographers to create their own images in the style of Italian painter Giorgio Morandi.

As you know, you can see the DCist Exposed Photography Show at Flashpoint anytime from Tuesday through Saturday, 12 to 6 p.m. through March 7, but we have one more big event associated with it. Last year we asked the Pink Line Project to hold a panel discussion during the exhibition, to talk to people about how and why one should buy art, particularly photography. The event sold out quickly and was packed with useful information for artists and patrons alike, so we asked Pink Line, in partnership with the Cultural Development Corporation, to come back and do it again this year.

              

Here we are again, blown away by those of you who came out to celebrate the talents of our local photographers. This year we had one special new thing: a door counter. DCist and Flashpoint were thrilled to greet 1,036 visitors to this year's Exposed Photography Show (and makes us wonder if we've been lowballing that number in previous years). We can't thank you enough for coming out to the show, waiting in the cold in a line that formed around 5:40 p.m., and supporting our little venture. You guys are what makes DCist Exposed a success.

Most people in D.C., despite its being headquarters to the largest "company" in the world, have been affected by the current recession, either directly or indirectly. So common wisdom would suggest that this is not the best time to be starting a potentially risky new business venture, but that is exactly what Gracy Obuchowicz and Lara Shipley did when they formed Houndstooth Photography.

In case you missed it, we opened the 2009 DCist Exposed Photography Show for entries a couple weeks ago. We've been enjoying seeing our Flickr pool fill up with potential winners. If you'd like to enter, please read our rules, then fill out our brief application and submit the $5 fee. After that, pick your three favorite photos that show us the vibrancy and cultural uniqueness of Washington, D.C. and throw them in the pool by midnight on January 7. If you have any questions regarding your submissions, check our Flickr discussion board first, and go ahead and ask if it hasn't already been answered.

It's that time of year again! The third annual DCist Exposed Photography Show is now officially open for entries. After two successful years, at Warehouse in 2007 and Civilian Art Projects in 2008, we're proud to announce the 2009 show will be held at The Gallery at Flashpoint, located at 916 G Street NW. Flashpoint, a project of the Cultural Development Corporation, is a nonprofit art gallery dedicated to new and emerging artists — a perfect partner for our show.

You're going to be hearing an awful lot about FotoWeek DC over the next ten days. The largest photography-focused event Washington has ever seen is taking over the city's entire art scene starting Monday, and the sheer amount of gallery shows, museum exhibits and special events connected to the effort is overwhelming, to say the least.

D.C.'s art scene is gearing up for Fotoweek DC, as many galleries get a head start on the festivities by opening their photography exhibits this week. Take advantage of these shows now and you'll have room for more of all the photography goodness that's opening soon.

In case you hadn't heard, Union Station is celebrating 100 years this week, along with the 20th anniversary of its restoration in 1988. The AP trotted out a boilerplate history of the station to mark the occasion, and Amtrak is throwing what sounds like will be a nifty party this weekend. All the details about the event can be found here, but rail nerds should know that they'll be displaying a bunch of historic locomotives and coaches, and regular passengers should consider stopping by to enter to win free train tickets. The Centennial Celebration goes on Saturday, October 4 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Sunday, October 5, from noon to 4 p.m.

            

Yesterday, DCist got the chance to preview the Smithsonian Museum of Natural History's new Sant Ocean Hall, which opens to the public this Saturday. Our photographer, Meaghan Gay, said "It really is a very cool space. I am kind of a museum freak, and this blows away the Natural History museum in NY, or the one in Vienna for that matter. This is a totally interactive space, with video touch screens all around." The musuem is making a huge effort at interactivity — you can follow them on their web site, on Flickr, on Facebook, on YouTube and even on Twitter.

Another week, another creative break from the realities of our city. This time, barnesquared applied some of that language we've all rolled our eyes at on Craigslist a million times (because they're all listed for a million dollars) to create The Monument: Luxury Condominiums in the heart of D.C.. Got some spare time and a fun idea? Submit it to our rolling contest by tagging it with "touchupdc" in Flickr (please, do not also tag it with DCist). We'll pick ones that tickle our fancy throughout the month.

Our second selection from the Touch Up DC pool comes from Backward Bill. He's modified the inscription at the Dupont Metro (a Walt Whitman poem) to read "No Taxation Without Representation." It's a sentiment we don't think Mr. Whitman would object to — afterall, he did write poems like I Hear America Singing and Democratic Vistas. As a supporter of expression and democracy, we think a modern day Walt Whitman would probably support D.C.'s right to vote.

A few people have already started taking a spin around our Touch Up D.C. contest. On this rainy Friday, we've got our first impressive pick. We love Schodts' kaleidoscopic ode to public transportation and pandas, two of our very favorite things. Keep those submissions coming; there's no real deadline, we'll just post selections as they come in through September.

In the ongoing saga of Union Station's confusion over their own photography rules, we have an update for you: nothing has happened. Last month, D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Managment of the U.S. House of Representatives, held a hearing regarding those rules, listening to both reps from Union Station and photographer Erin McCann. During the hearing, Del. Norton soundly admonished Union Station managers handling of the situation as "pathetic."

We've chronicled photographer harassment in the D.C. area, most recently at Union Station, where amateur photogs have encountered great confusion as to who owns which portions of the station and shops, where those sections end, and what rules apply to photographers in each one. Tomorrow, the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Managment of the U.S. House of Representatives, chaired by D.C. Delegate Eleanor Holmes Norton, will try to find answers to those questions in a hearing at 10 a.m. Representatives from the Union Station companies will testify, as well as the Director of D.C.'s Department of Transportation, and notably, one of our Flickr contributors who has pursued this issue relentlessly, Erin McCann (PDF). The hearing will be webcast live; you can also catch a report afterward by Flickr user LightboxDC, who will be in attendance.

The first two photographers, Kyoko Hamada and Tema Stauffer, will be on display until July 26. Hamada’s soft, still, white-framed images appear to be telling a story, and left us curious to see the full exhibition. Two of her images featured a contemplative character, still among his and her environs. In Teacup (pictured right), a middle-aged woman in enviable sunglasses and mother-like business attire holds a beige teacup and sits centered on a similarly beige couch, framed by translucent yellow window coverings. Hamada's work left us wondering if the additional photographs in her repertoire will tell us more about these characters, or are they simply portraits? Hamada’s counterpart, Tema Stauffer, displayed three beautiful nighttime gas station landscapes which, while lovely, don’t leave us quite as curious as Hamada’s.

Starting in April of this year, artists Kristina Bilonick, Michael Matason, Jillian Pichocki, and Bryan Whitson, came together twice a week to discuss and develop new work as part of Transformer's The Exercises for Emerging Artists program. As a continuation of the program, Transformer has opened up the process to the public for comment and feedback in E5: Rangefinder.

>> Saturday, the Bobby Fisher Memorial Building, opens Girlish Ways: The Next Generation of Female Artists, a selection of twelve artists under the age of 35 who investigate how contemporary lifestyles affect and re-define the women of this generation. The exhibit explores youthful and mature concerns of the women involved, as well as how these women respond to their changing environments. See local graduates from American University, the Corcoran, and Towson graduate Lauren Bender, who will perform opening night. Sponsored by ArtCadeForum.com and the Pink Line Project, this is the last exhibit in the building. Opening reception from 7 to 10 p.m.

Just in time for D.C.'s hot, humid weather, Randall Scott Gallery presents photographs by Sarah Wilmer, who's work offers a cool, dewy refuge from the heat and humidity found on the city's streets.

The National Portrait Gallery recently opened a pair of shows, Zaida Ben-Yusuf: New York Portrait Photographer and Edward Steichen: Portraits, which combine to weave a single portrait of American cultural life in the early decades of the twentieth century. Though Steichen is the much better known photographer, Ben-Yusuf’s work is equally compelling, and together the two exhibitions portray a range of politicians, actors, writers, musicians and other important figures, giving us a glimpse back into time.

In the 1970s, a survey in Russia found that the most well-known American in the country was Richard Nixon. Placing second on that list was Willis Conover, a man unknown to many Americans, but loved by millions around the globe as the jazz disc jockey for Voice of America. This was at a time when the world was flirting with self-annihilation, but even then, leaders in government realized that music and art can be a powerful transformative and persuasive force.