The Art of Photography Show recently announced its plans for the 2009 event in San Diego. This year’s show will open August 29 and present the best of 16,000 entries from 57 countries. The thirty percent increase in entries over last year marks the achievement of world class status for this international event.
Art of Photography Show Producer Steven Churchill shared a preview of the event in a brief Q&A with Examiner.com:
Q: How is the San Diego show distinctive of photography shows in other areas?
A: A key element about the Art of Photography Show, something which distinguishes it from other photography exhibitions, is that our judges are all highly acclaimed museum directors and curators. Here is a list of our judges to date:
• Charlotte Cotton, Los Angeles County Museum of Art Curator and Director of Photography
• Carol McCusker, Curator of Photography at the Museum of Photographic Arts
• Neal Benezra, Director of the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art
• Tim Wride, Director (at that time) of Photography at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art
• Hugh Davies, Director of the Museum of Contemporary Art San Diego
• Arthur Ollman, Director (at that time) of the Museum of Photographic Arts
Another distinction is that this show is a very large project, truly international in scope. This year we received 16,000 images from 57 countries. One other distinction we like to mention is that this exhibit is the opposite of a "vanity show" -- we provide a plethora of tangible benefits to the exhibiting artists, including the fact that we sell a high percentage of the art in the exhibit.
Q: How has digital technology impacted the display?
A: Digital technology helps make photography more interactive, viewing what you've shot immediately. And it also enables faster printing, more consistency in the print quality, and (at this point) more archival longevity of the prints. Digital technology does not "make photos better" -- that is entirely the result of the skill, experience and artistic talent of the photographer.
Q: Were any emerging artists “discovered” at last year’s show?
A: Gloriann Liu, Julie Brothers, Judith Fox, and Robb Johnson.
Q: What can visitors do in advance to get the most out of the show?
A: Well, generally I would suggest that people just come and experience the show. At the Opening Reception Gala (August 29th, 6-10 pm) we'll be giving away the 80-page show catalog, which features every image in the exhibit, artist statements, and an introduction by Charlotte Cotton. It's a great resource to have when viewing the exhibit. But if someone does desire to "seriously prepare" prior to viewing the show, I highly recommend reading Charlotte Cotton's book, "The Photograph as Contemporary Art". It's excellent, and will give the viewers of this show a heads up about our judge.
We are planning a few "special events" at the gallery, in addition to the Opening Reception Gala. Our first special event will be with Charlotte Cotton on Sunday August 30th at 12:00 noon. She will be talking about Photography as Contemporary Art and related topics pertinent to the Art of Photography Show 2009. Here is some bio info about Charlotte: www.artofphotographyshow.com/cotton.html
Q: Who are some of the notable winners to be shown at this year's show?
A: We will be revealing the award winners at the Opening Reception Gala August 29th.
.jpg)
"Holiday" by Frank Herfort will compete with 110 other finalists for prizes to be awarded at the AUgust 29th opening. Photo courtesy of the Art of Photogrpahy Show.
Comments