who I look like

Yesterday I photographed a really awesome woman who told me that I look like a kewpie doll.  This is not the first time I have heard this.  I started thinking about all the people/things that others say I look like or remind them of, and I find it really fascinating that they are all fictional characters of one kind or another.  I wonder why that is.

These are some of the characters people have said I look like, some more similar to me than others.  What do you think?

Thanksgiving Maskers

I could spend hours on The Library of Congress Prints and Photographs Online Catalog.  While poking around for interesting Thanksgiving images I found a handful of images marked “Thanksgiving Maskers.”  Were these from Halloween or Thanksgiving?  I set out to investigate.

I found an old NY Times article that answered my questions:

“…Dressed in all sorts of ragged and ill-fitting garments, or gay with fantastic costumes that savor of the circus ring, every child masked, they make grotesque and (to themselves) delightful processions in the streets. They march in groups and singly, tooting their horns, shouting, and racing, and then go from door to door, begging for dainties to put in their baskets. In spite of the handfuls of nuts and cakes, and now and then a poor orange or withered apple, which crusty elders generally bestow on them, the children have a merry time and plenty of fun with one another, and come in flushed and bright-eyed for the dinner that awaits them.

This is really a relic of an old New-England custom, forgotten there, but living still in its queer travesty in the city streets. In an old book descriptive of New England characters and customs one reads that on Thanksgiving Eve it was the custom for the poorer people, servants, and dependents to go to the houses of the rich and ask for substantials to help celebrate the coming feast day. And the richer people felt it incumbent on their dignity and hospitality not to allow any one to go away from their doors empty handed.”

NY Times, November 26, 1893

Really interesting, right?

Intersexions Panel and Reception

Friday night I took off of work to attend the Artists Panel and reception for the Intersexions show.  

I got to Stonehill College just in time— a car on fire on 93 had traffic at a crawl— and was met with a big crowd waiting to hear us speak (a lot more people filtered in after I snapped this shot).

The panel was certainly interesting.  Of course, the dialogue had just begun to get started when we had to wrap up— 45 minutes or so is not long enough to really discuss anything with 5 artists on the panel.  One thing I did make a note of was that on a panel where the topic is gender and also gender inequality that the persons who felt entitled to speak longest, interrupt, or sometimes speak on behalf of women were (presumably) male-born and male-socialized men.  It wasn’t surprising, but I did find it interesting.  That, and the fact that someone asked a question that had buried in it the assumption that some of the artists’ work (including mine) dealt primarily with gender and that some of the other artist’s work dealt primarily with race— as if work by white artists does not deal with race and as if work by artists of color must first or most prominently deal with race.  It’s at the heart of privilege that only queer people have a sexuality or that only people of color have a race or women and transpeople a gender, or at the very least that those words (sexuality, race, and gender) usually bring to mind those who are not in positions of power, because the power is in being unmarked.  No matter whether you liked the panel or like the work in the show, I would venture a guess that it was impossible not to have some sort of reaction or opinion on what was said and seen.

Then came the food and the mingling and wonderful chats with the students, their parents, the faculty, and other artists.  A really welcoming and friendly environment.

Some of the show (not all of it— you still have time to go see!):

Stonehill student Noah Curtis near Michele L’Heureux’s mixed media collages.

(foreground right) Robert Ladislas Derr’s Formalism and beneath it the amazing catalogs that the students put together. 

John O’Reilly’s Wresters (left) and Steven Locke’s what is between you and me (right).

Lauren Cross’ work about beauty, skin tone, and media representation… very cool.

Some of Gray Lyons’ many photographs.

My images facing a new configuration of Michelle L’Heureux’s Toy With It.

James Montford’s Mammy.

Wall statement.

Best comments. Ha.

Roger Ballen

I’m super excited that tonight Roger Ballen will be lecturing as a part of the PRC’s Lecture Series— 7pm, BU Photonics Center (PHO206), 8 St. Mary’s St, Boston, MA. Where else would you rather be on a Wednesday night?  His work kind of blows my mind.

John O’Reilly 2

I feel bad that I missed this opening but I had an important studio visit and then had to work, however I do plan to make it to the show before it closes, for sure.  I’m excited about getting to see so much of his work in one place.

© John O’Reilly

John O’Reilly: Art from Four Decades
with works on paper by Rembrandt van Rijn, Joseph Cornell and others
Trevor Fairbrother: curator

November 13 – January 5, 2010

Opening Reception:
Friday November 13, 6 – 8 pm

Howard Yezerski Gallery is pleased to announce this exhibition of work by John O’Reilly and other celebrated artists. Pulling from four decades of John O’Reilly collages, including some like Self Portrait, 1965 which was one of O’Reilly’s first photographic collages, curator Trevor Fairbrother creates a lively exciting journey through the creative world of John O’Reilly. By mixing in work on paper by other artists among the selections of O’Reillys’ collages, Fairbrother sheds new light on O’Reilly’s sophisticated, subtle achievements and inspires viewers to ponder his love of art history, all the while paying a personal tribute to John O’Reilly’s untamed imagination, sly humor, and keen intelligence.

More tintype scores

I love this couple!

And check out this ’stache— he reminds me of Clark Gable.

Nelson Chan

This is my favorite picture of the moment:

© Nelson Chan

Go check out his website here.

Intersexions

I didn’t really mention this before but I have some work in a cool group show at the Cushing-Martin Gallery at Stonehill College and it opens today!  It includes work from such fantastic artists as John O’Reilly and Lalla Essaydi, as well as some other really interesting artists.

Read the statement about the show by clicking on the postcard below:

Installation for the show was this past weekend.

Here is my little nook and the awesome student who helped me install— note my oh-so-classy blankets that I used to help wrap my work.

Here is my nook all finished (there’s the main gallery as well as two outside nooks that include sculpture, video, photographs, paintings and more):

Here is what the outside of the building looks like, for your reference, for when you come to see the show and/or come to the Artists Panel on November 20th!

This Family of La Antigua in Winchester

Announcing my solo show at the Griffin Museum’s Aberjona River Gallery in Winchester, MA. The most exciting part for me is that I’m going to do a “Senior Sunday” artist talk on Sunday, December 6, at 3 PM. I really appreciate the opportunity to talk in depth about my work, especially because this particular series feels so personal to me and I have a lot to say about it. If you can make it to that, you’ll get an update on the family I photographed (people always ask me about Ana and Julio and how they’re doing) and I may show some images that haven’t been seen before.

Click the image for more information.

Kevin Van Aelst

Kevin Van Aelst’s work makes me so happy.  I am filled with nerdy glee when looking at it and I want to share that nerdy glee with you, assuming you aren’t filled with it already from being previously familiar with his work.

© Kevin Van Aelst

© Kevin Van Aelst

© Kevin Van Aelst

© Kevin Van Aelst

Even his commissioned work makes me happy:

© Kevin Van Aelst

© Kevin Van Aelst

© Kevin Van Aelst

There is soooooo much more on his website, so make sure you take a look over there.

Caffeine is a photographer’s best friend

You would think by reading our blog that Caleb’s work is really taking off and meanwhile I have disappeared from the face of the photo world. Not entirely true (about me), but close. I’ve been working a lot at my day jobs, which are almost all photo-related, but I haven’t been doing a lot of promoting my own work. The reality of having bills and day job get in the way of my photographic career is a big theme for me right now. But it’s not the worst problem to have. I used to worry about it more until a gallery owner who showed my work last year told me “You can’t make your work and do it well if you can’t pay the bills, so make sure you take care of yourself too”. I am actually working on 2 different projects. One is going very slowly. The other one is coming along relatively steadily but I haven’t told anyone about it yet — mostly because it’s the kind of project I expect to work on for a long, long time before it comes to anything.

But there’s good news! I have a solo show coming up at the Griffin Museum’s Aberjona River Gallery in Winchester, MA. The show will run November 12 to January 10, with both an opening and an artist talk in early December. I’m really looking forward to it. I’ve been swamped with work, but I’ll post details shortly.

Photographica again

Last weekend was Photographica, and while Steph was off working for NESOP at Photo Plus Expo, I was scrounging through boxes of old photos for some gems to take home.  Here’s a few things I bought:

The 2009 PRC Benefit Auction

Tomorrow night is the Photographic Resource Center’s annual benefit auction.  I’ll be there running around like a crazy person to make sure everything goes smoothly, but if you don’t have any Saturday plans (or even if you do— cancel them!) I’d love to see you there!  We have some amazing pieces to auction off, great food and beer and wine, a raffle, lots of bidding and excitement…