FlakPhoto Community News
October is a busy month!
I was out for coffee with my friend Laurie yesterday. She has followed FlakPhoto for a long time, and our conversation reminded me that community is a core part of this project.
I celebrated my second anniversary of writing on Substack last month. On reflection, I set out to use this platform to showcase community projects in addition to exploring my thoughts, and I sometimes lose sight of that. I want to organize more photo community events in the New Year and hope each of you will keep me posted on your news. I’m always looking; email is still the best way to reach me.
Speaking of community, we have a bunch of free photography events coming up in Madison this week. I have already mentioned the documentary film series we’re launching. Please join us for a free GRAIN: Analog Renaissance screening at the Arts + Literature Laboratory on Thursday, October 17. The show starts at 7 PM.
This, too: I’m partnering with the Wisconsin Book Festival, ArtLitLab, and PhotoMidwest to present an afternoon and evening of photobook talks in Madison on Saturday, October 19.
All of these lectures are free and open to the public. Here’s the lineup:
4:30 PM Mary Jo Hoffman, STILL: The Art of Noticing book talk
6:00 PM Donald Clark, Nature's Writers: Mentored by the Land book talk
7:30 PM George Steinmetz, Feed the Planet book talk
FlakPhoto has always been about community—bringing people together around our shared passion for pictures has been my mission for nearly two decades. With that in mind, I plan to write a FlakPhoto Community News roundup occasionally, maybe monthly, if I can make it a habit. Here are some projects that caught my eye this month. I hope you find something you like.
Marvin Heiferman sends word about the “Democracy, Race, and the Power of Images” discussion held at the Museum of Modern Art on October 2. This event is part of
’ excellent Vision & Justice project and coincides with Sarah’s new book, The Unseen Truth, and Aperture’s new Race Stories collection.
Leo Hsu emailed about SilverEye’s upcoming Benefit Auction. He writes:
We are gearing up for our biennale Benefit Auction on Saturday. There will be 65 pieces: 50 in a live auction on October 19 and 15 in a silent auction on Artsy, ending October 21. All the photos are donated by artists in our community here and nationally, so it's a wonderful circle of support. The proceeds will go towards all of our programs: free exhibitions, talks, meetups, and workshops.
Silver Eye is an excellent organization. If you collect photography, this might be for you. You can download the catalog on Artsy. Good luck!
Earlier this year, Paul Shambroom self-published a new photography book focused on purple state communities here in the U.S. He has fewer than 100 copies remaining, and supplies are limited. Paul will discuss Purpletown in George Slade’s online Photobook Banter salon on October 16 at 6:30 p.m. Central Standard Time. You can log on to watch from anywhere worldwide using this Zoom link.
There’s not much time left, but if your spirit is willing, Taylor Selsback reminded me that today, October 15, is the deadline for PhotoWork Junior Fellowship applications. This program looks like a terrific one, so please pass it along even if you don’t apply.
Finally,
wrote about The Salon: Looking at Key Images from Campaign 2024 at the International Center of Photography in New York City on October 22. Michael will host a live and online discussion focused on reading the key images from the presidential campaign. He writes:If you’ve never seen one, The Reading The Pictures Salon is an online discussion dedicated to understanding how the media visually frames our day's critical cultural and political events. The Salon combines the eyes and voices of the world's leading visual scholars, photo editors, and other highly informed observers to analyze select edits of still images in a unique 90-minute discussion format.
Okay, that’s all for now. What do you think about this kind of community roundup? Please let me know in the comments. Have a great week!
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