2010 Flyway Film Festival
Flyway Film Festival: A Red Carpet Sponsorship
Once again, we are delighted to be a red carpet sponsor of the Flyway Film Festival. Now in its third year, this event is really beginning to gain traction. The quality of the movies this year is very impressive.
The Festival kicks off on Thursday, October 21, with a gala event where sponsors, directors, actors, and organizers get together to nibble on snacks, drink some wine, and engage in creative discussions. The evening will conclude with an awards ceremony.
The films start on Friday, October 22, with the screening of "Baraboo," an intriguing film about life and the hands we are dealt. Over the course of the weekend, 21 films will be screened.
For more details, visit FlywayFilmFestival.org. See you in Stockholm in two weeks!
Time for a Max Becherer update
Max Becherer Update
It has been 18 months since the last Max Becherer update. Just to refresh, we came to know Max five years ago when we hosted his photojournalism exhibit entitled "Through the Lens: Life in Iraq." Max has been in Iraq since the very beginning of the conflict (remember "shock and awe"?) and has seen action in Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Gaza.
Max has since gotten married and splits his time between Cairo, Egypt, and California when he isn't in the field. He is still a combat photojournalist and remains extremely talented. Max's work has been featured in Newsweek, Time, The New York Times, The New Yorker, US News and World Report, and Men's Health.
Please visit Max's website and enjoy his talent. It is rare to see photography this deep in the action.
A Bully Pulpit hiatus
This note is being added after the fact. May was a nearly overwhelming month between work, a mini-vacation, graduations and non-profit activity. In lieu of posting anything of substance, here is a photo that was taken in May.
Grand Marias, MN on May 24, 2010. The fog was very thick and the air was very gray. Probably not a good idea to stand in the middle of the road, but it was awesome.
Anatomy of an Exhibit
Catholic Charities USA Centennial Leadership Summit
Yesterday, on April 20, 2009, Catholic Charities USA held their Centennial Leadership Summit at the College of St. Catherine. This event marked the inaugural exhibit of the "In Our Own Backyard: U.S. Poverty in the 21st Century" photojournalism awareness project. The summit kicked off Catholic Charities' ambitious goal to reduce poverty in the United States by 50% by the year 2020.
The entire exhibit process was meticulously documented, much like the television show '24', but instead of saving the country from terrorists, we were hanging art (perhaps the lamest metaphor ever).
T-2 weeks: Once the project was defined, the supply chain of raw materials started filling up. This exhibit required two cases of 4'x8'x1/2" black Gatorboard.
T-1 week: Each image was printed on premium luster photo paper (wide color gamut, scratch-resistant but susceptible to fingerprints), vacuum mounted to the Gatorboard, then trimmed to size and packaged. A total of 50 images were printed and mounted for this exhibit.
T-24 hours: The finished materials were delivered the day before the exhibit opening. The exhibit panels presented some challenges, with the image layout being the most critical.
T-12 hours: The image title blocks were completed, enhancing the storylines. I was delighted to see Carlos Gonzales from the Minneapolis Star Tribune participating, having known him from the Max Becherer exhibit.
T-4 hours: No exhibit is complete without a politician. In this case, it was the Honorable Mayor Chris Coleman of St. Paul.
T-0 hours: The exhibit generated a lot of discussion with its 'first person, photojournalistic' style.
T+x: From St. Paul, the exhibit moves to Portland, Oregon, and begins a nine-city nationwide tour, aiming to conclude at the White House in 2010.
Math, art, and a touch of drama—all in a single blog entry. Now that's efficient blogging.
Put up or shut up!
Reflecting on the Artist's Journey: The 'Foot in the Door' Exhibit
Over the years and after working with countless artists, it's easy to forget the emotional journey they undergo when exhibiting their art. They open themselves up for critical review and significant exposure. They might appear nonchalant or even over-confident about exhibiting, but inside, their stomachs are churning. For me, it was time to put up or shut up.
The 'Foot in the Door' exhibit is different in this regard. It's completely democratic—if it fits in the box, it exhibits. Consequently, it becomes less about the art itself and more about the opportunity to exhibit and have fun. I submitted a photograph I took ten years ago, entitled "Midnight on Mason Street." It was taken in San Francisco, focusing the image exposure on a neon leg, which severely underexposed the rest of the image. The result is two illuminated signs on opposite sides of the street. It's a gimmick photo, but I'm partial to gimmicks. Growing up with comic books, my favorite part was always the Johnson-Smith page on the inside back cover (x-ray glasses and such)—the clearinghouse of gimmicks.
My favorite piece from the exhibit has to be the seed art tribute to wrestler Baron von Raschke. Classic.
More about 'Foot in the Door 4'
A Visit to the Minneapolis Institute of Arts
I love the Minneapolis Institute of Arts (MIA). I know that isn't a profound observation for anyone who has ever visited the MIA, because anyone who has ever visited it also falls in love with it. It offers a friendly and welcoming arts atmosphere (which isn't as common as you would hope), the art is terrific, and it's free. What's not to love?
Be that as it may, the 'Foot in the Door 4' exhibit is shaping up nicely. I had the chance to visit a second time before the public unveiling. The total submissions were beyond all estimates, and the lines were long for nearly the entire four-day submission period. The final number is a closely guarded secret until the public reception, but sources close to the count have provided a range of between 4,700 and 5,000 entries (compared to 1,700 submissions ten years ago, the last time this exhibit took place). Three large gallery rooms will be filled, and the raw expression of creativity is almost overwhelming.
I managed to find my piece and two of the three pieces I had submitted on behalf of friends and family. It looked as if about half the art was up, and I did hear that all of the art had been photographed for the online gallery.
Behind the scenes of 'Foot in the Door 4'
Behind the Scenes at the "Foot in the Door" Exhibit
One of the perks of this job is being involved in interesting art exhibit projects from a 'behind the scenes' perspective. In other words, friends in the art world ask you to volunteer to help them with an event. Yesterday was a perfect example.
Every 10 years (this being the fourth time), The Minneapolis Institute of Arts hosts an event called the "Foot in the Door" exhibit. Essentially, any Minnesota resident, at no expense to themselves, can submit one original piece of art they have created to be exhibited at The Minneapolis Institute of Arts. The art cannot be larger than 12"x12" for wall art or larger than 12"x12"x12" for three-dimensional art. It is a terrific opportunity to exhibit in one of the most prestigious museums in the world for four months.
Art check-in takes place over four days. As a volunteer for the art check-in, my responsibilities were:
Ensure the art did not violate the size rule.
Collect the paperwork for each piece.
Assign a wall location.
Provide a receipt for the art.
Deliver the art to the staging area.
In other words, I was the first point of contact for the artists. The art itself was impressive, and the range was amazing. Each piece was cradled by the artists as if it were a newborn.
After the art is received, it is staged in an exhibit room and waits to be registered in the computer and photographed for the online catalogue. Over 1,000 artists checked in art on the first day, and over 3,000 submissions are expected. At the peak crowd size, the wait was 2.5 hours, but everybody was extremely patient and in a very good mood.
One of the other perks of volunteering is checking in your own art (and your friend's art) without the complication of waiting in line. Those will be posted later.
Today, my back is killing me (marble floors) and I am exhausted. It cost me a day's pay to be there, and the tuna sandwich was stale when I finally had a chance to eat. But I made many new friends, saw many familiar faces, and would do it again in a New York minute. I can't wait for the exhibit reception on February 18, 2010.