Whitten ROCKS!

Whitten in another exhibition!

2012 Department of Art graduate Whitten Sabbatini recently had work selected for  Figures / Contexts international exhibition at the PhotoPlace Gallery in Middlebury Vermont. The exhibition opens on January 7^th and closes on the 31^st 2014. Cig Harvey was the juror for the Figures / Contexts exhibition at the PhotoPlace Gallery.

Cig Harvey photographs and artist books have been widely exhibited and remain in the permanent collections of major museums and collections, including the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas; the Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland, Maine; and the International Museum of Photography and Film at the George Eastman House, Rochester, New York. She was a recent finalist of the BMW Prize at Paris Photo and the Prix Virginia, an international photography prize for women. She is known for her high energy, sense of humor and creativity. She brings a profound sense of optimism to all that she does.

Cig Harvey sought photographs that present one or more individuals in a setting that enlarges our understanding of the subject. He selected one of Whitten’s recent images titled Eric and Teresa, Martin Luther
King Blvd. “This photograph is from my current body of work that I'm workin' on in Memphis, TN.” Said Whitten. “Essentially, it's a continuation of the kind of work I was makin' when I was in school photographing strangers. Instead of just creating a portfolio entirely of portraits like my previous work though, I'm beginning to incorporate the landscape and still lives more in order to aid in the development of the narrative.”  Whitten’s current and on-going series can be viewed here: http://whittensabbatini.com/current

“There is no doubt that Whitten as bright future in photography.” States Professor of Art  Marita Gootee who is the Photography Area Coordinator. She smiles and says. “ Do you know the quote  ‘The student surpasses the teacher’ ? Well I feel Whitten is well on his way and I am so proud of him.”

The Figures / Contexts international exhibition at the PhotoPlace Gallery in Middlebury Vermont. opens on January 7^th and closes on the 31^st 2014. For more information contact the PhotoPlace Gallery at photos@vtphotoworkplace.com.

deadline is approaching

The deadline is approaching; don’t miss out!

DEADLINE May 3, 2013

Greenville Arts Council

Juried 5^th Biennial 2013 Invitational

Competition for Mississippi Artists

Submissions for the Greenville Arts Council's 2013 5^th Juried Biennial Invitational are due on

May 3, 2013 at 4:00 PM in the Greenville Arts Council office at

323 S. Main Street, Greenville, MS 38701

________________________________________________________________________

The exhibition will open on June 7, 2013 and run through August 16, 2013 in the Roger D. Malkin gallery at the E.E. Bass Cultural Arts Center in Greenville, MS.

Accomplished artist Rick Anderson will be the juror for this year’s Invitational. Cash prizes total $2500.

If you have any questions about your entry please call the GAC office at 662-332-2246 or visit our website atwww.greenville-arts-council.com. 

Click here for the Submission form and more information about eligibility, fees, and

cash awards.

Aaron Siskind Foundation Invites Applications for 2013 Individual Photographer's Fellowships

Aaron Siskind Foundation Invites Applications for 2013 Individual Photographer's Fellowships

The Aaron Siskind Foundation is accepting applications for its 2013 Individual Photographer's Fellowship program. The annual program encourages and celebrates artistic achievement in contemporary photography by supporting the creative endeavors of artists working in photography and photo-based art media.

    A limited number of fellowship grants of up to $10,000 each will be awarded to artists working in photography and photo-based art. Qualified applicants must provide a portfolio of still photography in or created by any subject matter, genre, or process. Works submitted may be traditional photography projects or experimental works, but photographic techniques must be pivotal to the work submitted. Examples of ineligible work include film, video, and interactive multimedia.

    Recipients will be determined by a panel of distinguished guest judges on the basis of artistic excellence, accomplishment to date, and the promise of future achievement in the medium. Fellowship funds must be used to further the artist's creative endeavors.

    Students enrolled in a college degree program are not eligible to apply. Students who graduate before the 2013 application deadline will be considered. 

Previous fellowship recipients are not currently eligible for a new award, and artists in the United States on a temporary visa are ineligible as well.

Deadline:  May 24, 2013.  http://aaronsiskind.org/grant.html

Win $10,000 Scholarship

Greeting Card Student Competition.

The 6th Annual Create-A-Greeting-Card
$10,000 Scholarship Contest winner has been selected
See the Winner of the 2012 Scholarship Contest

The 7th Annual Create-A-Greeting-Card $10,000 Scholarship Contest

Both Babe Ruth and Socrates have it Right!

It's hard to beat a person who never gives up. -Babe Ruth

It is hard to keep forging on when the ‘Energizer Bunny’ is next to you. Sometimes it can be pretty tiring creating new ideas and visualizing the present ideas. None-the-less it is important to continue moving forward so that you become the one no one can beat.

How does one keep up the pace? One way is never become complaisant in your work. This is why reflecting on the reason for creating the work is so important.

Create artwork that you love. If you do not enjoy creating the work you do it is less likely that you will look forward to working on the project. The work needs to be relevant to you as well as to others. Your love of the creation can be seen in the imagery and presentation. Take pride in the work you create for it is yours and no one else’s. Be true to your inner voice.

The unexamined life is not worth living. ~ Socrates

For me this is a call to reflect on why we create art in the first place. Who are we as artists and what is our work saying to others? 

So take a moment and reflect upon an individual image that you have created or maybe a series. This could be old work or new image. If you can have it in front of you that would be ideal so you can easily reflect upon the image. Then write the answers to the following statements. 

Remember the answers do not have long. You might use only one word or a phrase but despite if it long or short be honest. This is for you and not the world to see. 

1]  Describe the image in words.

2]  How do you feel when you see this image or this series?

3]  Write a history of the work. When, where and why was it taken. 

4]  Is this the best format or technique for the image or series and if so Why?

5]  What are the strengths of this work?

6} What are the weaknesses?

7]  Finally if you could do it over again what would you change?

It is important to note that history has crowned masters in each field yet all artists strive for more. We create work in the moment. It is important to look back and know in the next moment we could have created something even better.

There are no right or wrong answers here - only failure is not asking more of yourself or your work. 

There will be many things that will keep you from creating work. One could be the frustration that no one but yourself is interested in the body of work you have created. This might be true if you ARE the only person who sees the work. There is no magical gallery director out there surfing the web looking for you. You have to search for them. You have to place the work out for others to see. In this day and age art is everywhere and the competition is fierce. But remember it is your voice – your artwork is unique to you and it will be noticed. This will take effort on your part but there will be more rewards than just keeping the work in storage. You created it to be seen and it will be up to you to bring to the world through social networking, entering competitions, having exhibitions and more.

Being the artist who never gives up is tiring. So renew your energy by learning new techniques, visiting museums/galleries, and reading what other artists are thinking. The more you know the stronger you become as an artist and as person.

You have selected a career that is very demanding. Being an artist in today’s world is a challenge for now you are the image maker, the business person, the public relations staff just to name a few of the hats that you will wear in one day. It is also very exciting for there is never a dull moment.

Originally written for: http://maritagooteephotography.com/blog/

Nikki McKenzie is a Finalist

Nikki McKenzie is a finalist in the 33^rd Annual College and High School Photography Contest hosted by Photographers Forum and Nikon. Over 16,000 entries from USA, Canada and internationally were juried with only a fraction being accepted.

I love Nikki's fun title of Butts Up for this image. But I feel a much more serious moment in the photograph. I see the repetition of the cattle moving back into the space. This brings the mechanical reality of where our food products come from and lack of human interaction. Although she has given this a humous title - I feel a loss for humanity.

The jurors Neil Campbell, Photographers Forum photo editor selected the finalist group. From the finalist the judges, Steve LaVoie from the Art Center College of Design, Linda Lowell from Barbara Cith College and Rob Winter from Brooks Institute will select the award winners. All finalist will be published in the Best of College and High School Photography 2013.

Nikki is a student at Mississippi State University and will be entering her final semester in the fall 2013. I feel she is an explorer with the camera. Her work varies in techniques but each image has a strong impact. Mark my words - she is a photographer to watch.

BRAVO for Photography!!

Preview the selections for the 2013 MCAC for PHOTO from MSU!!

Out of 1052 entries from ten schools, Sara Marshall, Associate Professor of Art from the University of Alabama, chose 188 pieces for inclusion in the show. I am proud to say the following students had photography accepted into this years competition: Carlyse Williams, June Upton, Maegan Bedells, Nikki McKenzie, Riley Reid, Stephanie Travis and Whitten Sabbatini. Below are images from most of the students listed above. The exhibition reception is scheduled for Saturday, February 2nd from 2:00 - 4:00 pm, with the awards ceremony at 3:00 pm at the Mississippi Arts Center in Downtown Jackson.

Here are a few of the photographs that will be in the exhibition. I feel these images are all very interesting and come from talented young artists. Several of these images come from students new to photography. I am very impressed that they, [Carlyse Williams, June Upton, Maegan Bedells and Stephanie Travis] had work accepted in to the 2013 Mississippi Collegiate Art Competition. This is a huge competition that included ten art programs across the state of Mississippi encompassing undergraduate and graduate level. 

- Carlyse Williams

When asked about the inspiration behind her work Carlyse replied "When shooting this piece, I thought of  one of my favorite photographers, Jerry Uelsmann, and how he was able to put nature and the out of the ordinary placement of objects seamlessly together to create what seems like a very natural image."

It is simple but thought provoking image. Like Uelsmann it is dreamlike. It has a unnatural feeling set a a very calm natural setting. As a dreamlike image there are may interpretations, for me I feel the spheres are present to provide man with new knowledge. In its simplest form I enjoy the visual balance.

 - Stephanie Travis

When asked the reason for photographing a window, Stephanie said, "The image of this window was captured in an attempt to portray a glimpse of the decay that is often left behind by humanity." 

Thus the window becomes a symbol of decay, the passing of time and temporary concern man has for his surroundings. Yet there is beauty and a touch of hope in this image. I feel she is also giving us hope for our future as we look out of the darkness to the light.

-Nikki McKenzie

Nikki is one of the more experienced photographers presented in this blog and she knows that the basics of light is the key to any image.  "When I was capturing this photo, all I was really thinking about was the light." stated Nikki. "I loved how it beautifully illuminated part of the bride. When I was looking at it later, it came to be one of my favorite from the shoot because of the position of the bride. I love how even though you can't see her face you can still sense the anticipation, nervousness, and excitement of the moment." 

It takes a talented photographer to not only see light but to capture it as a document of a personal event. Life is made-up by little moment. Nikki has captured this one simple moment as visual record for a lifetime. This is what photography is all about.

-Maegan Bedells

This landscape / horizon by Maegan is simple and breathless. I feel myself being drawn into the image. It is a timeless. The colors vibrate from the horizon and drift back to the viewer of waves of water and air. Simple elegance.

- June Upton

June stated that this image is from a recent project she has been working on that explores connections and how things function when connected. "So really I was just concentrating on how to best portray that idea. So when I looked at my cousins braces I thought that shooting them would be perfect because it portrayed such a simple connection, and when you look close with out those brackets being linked together with the wire all that metal would be useless." 

I can definitely see and feel the connection. The smile lightens the mood and relaxes the viewer as they are confronted by the braces. Upton's image is a fun image.

One should never take lightly the acceptance into a competition. There is never any guarantee that the photograph one juror accepted today will be accepted tomorrow. Keep photographing and keep creating!

Congratulations for being accepted into the MCAC!  So enjoy this moment! 

Reminder: The exhibition reception is scheduled for Saturday, February 2nd from 2:00 - 4:00 pm, with the awards ceremony at 3:00 pm at the Mississippi Arts Center in Downtown Jackson.