The Art of Curation
Finding signal in the noise
Something personal from me to you.
I will keep this post short because it’s mainly about listening and not reading. I seldom use this newsletter to promote my projects, but I’m eager to share this because I rarely get to talk at length about FlakPhoto and what it means to me.
The truth is photography has changed my life.
Writing this newsletter has added an exciting new dimension to what has essentially been a nearly two-decades-long curatorial and community experiment. Many of you have graciously granted me your attention over the years, and I’ll be forever grateful for it. I’ve been reflecting on what matters lately and keep returning to our photoland community. I love our discussions and can’t imagine my life without them.
I've been doing the FlakPhoto thing for a long time — I launched the original blog seventeen years ago this month — and I have frequently struggled to describe my work with photography. I'm getting better at talking about what I do, but I was nervous when
invited me onto her podcast this spring. Last week, she premiered the new season of Flipboard's The Art of Curation with our conversation, and it sounds pretty good. Please check it out when you have some time.Thanks again for your interest in me and my projects, Mia. I appreciate it!
I’ll leave you this little morsel, too: Paul Holdengraber sent me this clip from his interview with filmmaker David Lynch a few days ago, and it gets to the core of what FlakPhoto is about — exploring ideas and seeing where they go. Lynch’s approach really resonated with me. I know you’ll like it.
One more thing…
I caught up with Elizabeth Greenberg last week. She’s the provost at the Maine Media Workshops, and she reminded me that the 2023 Arnold Newman Prize for New Directions in Photographic Portraiture is open for submissions. This is a $20,000 prize and well worth considering. The application deadline is August 4, 2023.
That’s all for now — Have a great week!
Loved the Lynch clip. What a legend. “No you think about it.” Thanks for sharing.
Great Podcast. I love the idea of "how the art of seeing can be a form of meditation." This is for me one of the main things about the "images", and definitely what really brought me into photography decades ago.. Just walking around some places and watching in a profound peace, sometimes I don't have the camera but I take the image in my mind, and if its possible I come back to photograph it another day..