S+ART

Photography Currently on Display

Rightnow, there are a lot of photography-based exhibits in the gallerys around town as well as right here in the Smithsonian Museums.  Here's a quick run-down of some of what you can see:

 

Natural History Museum:  

• The Beautiful Time: Photography by Sammy Baloji- January 7, 2012 - January 6, 2013 - Congolese photographer and videographer Sammy Baloji explores the “beautiful time” when the labor of hardworking Congolese built a flourishing copper mining industry in what is now the Katanga region of the Democratic Republic of the Congo.
• The Evolving Universe - October 21, 2011 - July 7, 2013- Through full-color images from high-powered terrestrial and orbiting telescopes, take a mind-bending journey from present-day Earth to the far reaches of space and the distant past — back to the beginning of the universe.
• More Than Meets the Eye - July 23, 2011 - November 4, 2012 - This photography exhibition features over 80 images to demonstrate how museum scientists use their super-powered vision to observe, document, and analyze the natural world and global cultures.
• X-Ray Vision: Fish Inside Out - February 4, 2012 - August 5, 2012 - Striking x-radiographs of the museum's world-leading collection of fish specimens are used to explore how scientists understand evolutionary development by studying fish skeletons, fin spines, teeth, and other physical structures. Created using the latest digital x-ray technology

American Art Museum: 

• Annie Leibovitz: Pilgrimage - January 20, 2012 - May 20, 2012 - Unlike Annie Leibovitz’s staged and carefully lit portraits made on assignment for magazines and advertising clients, the photographs on view were taken simply because Leibovitz was moved by the subject.

American History Museum:

• Gift of the Artist: Photographers as Donors - November 18, 2011 - February 29, 2012 - The Archives Center features items from the museum's archival collection that document America's history and its diverse cultures and features works by 15 contemporary documentary photographers who have donated their own works to the Archive Center. Selected by curator David Haberstich, the images reveal the diversity of themes, subjects, styles, and techniques found in the Archives Center's photographic collection.

Portrait Gallery:

• The Black List: Photographs by Timothy Greenfield-Sanders - October 28, 2011 - April 22, 2012 - This photographic exhibition features portraits of prominent African Americans of various professions, disciplines, and backgrounds hopeing to redefine the meaning of being “blacklisted” and includes 50 prominent African Americans providing insight on the struggles, triumphs, and joys of life in the United States. These portraits are both pictorial and verbal, representing some of the most dynamic and inspiring personalities in the fields of politics, music, business, civil activism, literature, the arts, and athletics.  
• Alexander Gardner - October 10, 2014 - March 1, 2015- Perhaps the most progressive photographer of the Civil War era; he was influential not only in advancing photographic portraiture beyond traditional compositional conventions, but also in realizing photography’s power as a documentary tool.  His most famous work is the “cracked-plate” portrait of President Abraham Lincoln taken 150 years ago on February 5, 1865.

National Zoo: 

• Jessie Cohen: An Eye for Animals - October 27, 2011 - December 31, 2012 - This exhibition features the photography of long-time Zoo photographer Jessie Cohen and inaugurates the Jessie Cohen Photography Gallery in the Zoo's Visitor Center.

Corcoran Gallery of Art: 

• Tim Hetherington: Sleeping Soldiers - photographs taken by the late photographer while embedded with the Second Platoon of Battle Company of the U.S. 173rd Airborne Brigade while defending Restrepo, a post located in the Korengal Valley in eastern Afghanistan. A video piece accompanies this exhibit that blends footage of daytime conflict with still images of sleeping soldiers.
• Shadows of History: Photographs of the Civil War from the Collection of Julia J. Norrell - the advent of photography changed the face of war and brought images straight from the battlefield.  This collection brings together some of the earliest images of battle from the first war to ever be documented using the new medium.

Goethe-Institut:

• gute aussichten: new german photography 2011/2012 - the eighth annual German competition for graduate photography students, come to Washington on the exhibition’s worldwide tour.and includes seven winners of the competition.

If you can't make it to the exhibits in person, explore photography virtually using the Smithsonian Photography Initiative, which features online exhibitions, an events calendar, and an image search from the Smithsonian Institution's nineteen museums and galleries, nine research centers, and the National Zoo.

Also, don't forget about the photography courses offered by the Smithsonian Resident Associates' Studio Arts department.  If you're looking for a springtime class, a new session starts up in April. 

-Angela

The Surviving Photos of "The Dragon Lady"

                                      

The Empress Dowager Cixi

China, Qing dynasty, 1903-1904 Glass plate negative

Freer Gallery of Art and Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, SC-GR 251

 

 

In celebration of the 2012 Chinese New Year, I thought, what could be better than a post honoring this year’s animal sign, the Dragon. The sign of the Dragon represents power, nobility and wisdom. All three of these attributes are significant to the Chinese culture and history of past rulers.

 

For those of you who have just missed the exhibition, Power/Play: China’s Empress Dowager at the Arthur M. Sackler Gallery, have no fear; I will not overrule your right to read this blog!

 

The exhibition follows the rein of China’s Empress Dowager Cixi (1835- 1908), nicknamed, “The dragon lady”, through the illustration of powerful, captivating black and white photographic portraiture. Cixi served as the dominant political role of China’s Qing dynasty lasting from 1644-1911. During her rein, Cixi’s image became fragile when she was accused of supporting the killing of foreigners and Chinese Christians. To redeem her reputation in the Qing court, Cixi requested an aristocratic photographer, named Xunling, to re-create her image as Empress. Xunling captured the Empress with the royal characteristics of imperial authority, elegance and devout religious principles in mind. As seen in the photograph above, the settings vary from private to public locations, incorporated with decadent backdrops and symbolic props.

 

The photo that captivated me over all the others is the one featured above. This portrait is part of a series, in which the Empress stands alone, in front of a busy backdrop and elegant décor. Cixi is placing a flower in her hair while gazing into a mirror. This could possibly represent her vanity as a powerful empress or maybe a sense of longing for her youth? The delicately stacked mounds of apples on either side of Cixi could also have multiple meanings. The apples may be a symbol of peace to reconcile Cixi’s previous accusation or possibly to simply sweeten the air? Whatever the overall message may be, the empress is successfully making a powerful statement to the public.

 

Interested in finding any other notable symbolic references in the photo or eager to learn more about the exhibition/Chinese culture? Here are some links that will take you there!

 

Power/Play: China’s Empress Dowager:

http://www.asia.si.edu/explore/china/powerplay

 

 

The Chinese Calendar:

http://www.webexhibits.org/calendars/calendar-chinese.html

 

 

Chinese Astrology:

http://www.chinese-astrology.co.uk/dragon.html

 

 

History of China:

http://www.history-of-china.com/qing-dynasty

 

 

 

~Margaret McClung

Exploring "ism's" further: Pointillism

 

Ink on Paper by Margaret McClung

 

One of several “isms” still familiar in the art world today is the technique of Pointillism. Neo-Impressionist artists from the Nineteenth century were casting away the short brush strokes associated with Impressionism. Instead, they were creating tiny, microscopic dots of pure color, which applied in a pattern, form one image.

What’s the trick? Artists originally painted in this style with a limited color scheme, lack of texture and mixture. To the eye, the overall image is visualized brighter than a mixed/blended color palette. When viewing any piece of artwork, we try to connect each visual element, such as every brush stroke, in order to see one image. Because this is so satisfying to our eyes, the concept of Pointillism successfully allows us to connect each dot’s existing color to it’s perceived color. For instance, one dot is red, but next to a green dot it appears to be brown.

You might be wondering, why paint or draw this way now? It seems like a painstakingly, long process; let us leave this “ism” with the original Pointillists like Georges Seurat and Paul Signac. I had a similar viewpoint, until I tried it myself.

Instead, of using a basic palate of colors I decided to experiment first with black ink. Once I began inking the paper with hundreds of little dot marks, I couldn’t stop. That’s not to say that there aren’t times where I start a work, put it down (for longer than I’d like to admit) then pick back up on it another time. With pointillism, I was addicted to creating these individual marks, knowing that the finish result would be visually appealing, and not to mention, a huge relief!

Interested in learning and seeing more approaches of Pointillism, today? Here are some links you can explore, enjoy!

Chuck Close, http://www.cs.washington.edu/building/art/ChuckClose

Christian Faur, http://www.christianfaur.com/

Pointillism Artists http://fineartamerica.com/groups/pointillism-art-.html

Paul Kolker, http://paulkolker.com/work

Catherine Bath, http://catherinebath.com/?tag=contemporary-pointillist-artist

~ Margaret McClung

Archival Storage-What Does it Mean?

We hear a lot about "acid-free" or "archival" materials when handling, storing, or presenting artwork, and most of us understand what this means on a general level though not necessarily all that it involves or what specifically it means.  When looking through old photos before my reunion last fall, I noticed that many of the pictures had faded and, in some cases, started to disappear altogether. At the time they were taken, in the 1980s before I ever started to hear about "buffered" papers or the dangers of magnetic photo albums,  I dutifully filed each and every photo away in magnetic photo albums (I have nine) believing that this was the best way to protect them.  

 

These days, I don't get prints made unless they're being framed or put into a portfolio, so at least they're safe from those albums.  Except that just a few days ago while searching for a print, I noticed that in one of the storage containers several of my printed photographs had yellowed in a funny pattern that was suspiciously in the shape of the piece of cardboard behind them.  I'm in really over my head, I thought.

 

Rather than just assume that I knew what I was doing and that the way I was storing prints and even negatives was safe, I did what I should've done a long time ago - I actually researched it.

 

For a material or method to be archival, the materials used in the process or that come into contact with the artwork must be chemically-stable with a neutral or slightly basic pH, durable, permanent, and protect the artwork from deterioration from environmental factors.  Humidity, temperature, exposure to ultra-violet light, and pollutants from chemical off-gassing will all contribute to the degradation of photographs at varying degrees.  Avoid attics and basements, which seem like the a great location for storage but are more likely to have temperature and humidity fluctuations, as well as in laundry rooms or directly near a bathroom, as both can create steamy conditions and elevated temperatures.  An internal closet away from these areas would work great.

 

Common labels found on archival materials include "acid-free" and "lignin-free".  Honestly, I'm a little embarrassed that I never took the time to learn more about this or even consider the importance of these aspects, particularly when handling my own photographs, and even more so because I have a science background.  So, I asked my friend Jennifer Wade, who previously worked with conservators at the Library of Congress to identify materials present within artifacts to determine safe-handling methods, to help explain:

 

Paper can "yellow" in three ways:

1) Lignin, a component of plant cell walls, turns yellow when exposed to heat or UV light. Papers that have a lot of lignin will yellow more. 

2)  "Acid-free" means that a buffer has been added to the paper during the manufacturing process that keeps the pH nice and stable at about 8.5. Un-buffered paper is around pH 7.  Acids present within the paper will cause the paper to become fragile and brittle and lead to yellowing.  Acids may also be leached from materials that come into contact with it, like cardboard and foam-core board. 

3) Oxidation of trace iron and magnesium in the paper cause browning. 

 

All of these can happen together, which is why buffers are added and materials are protected from light, which takes care of most of these problems.  If you aren't sure if a material meets these requirements, use a pH pen to test it.

 

And, in general, the term "yellowing" basically just means a paper losing its brightness. There's even an actual "yellowness index" which is a spectral term for the reflectance of the paper. You know when you buy a ream of paper, and it has some brightness number? That's how white the paper is, and the blue end of the spectrum is considered 'bright.'  In fact, before fancy papermaking, they used to add actual bits of ground up blue minerals into darker paper to make it appear brighter!  - who knew?? 

 

Film negatives, which are obviously not made of paper, must also be handled in a way to preserve their integrity.  Storage sleeves should be made of polyester, polypropylene, or polyethylene. 

 

When looking for storage containers for prints and negatives, I never understood why they were never sealable or air-tight, which I figured would protect from moisture, bugs, and dirt.  Well, it turns out that airflow is your friend (as long as it's around the proper humidity) as it doesn't trap any chemical off-gassing or hold in any moisture that may already be present in the works. 

 

Ideal Storage Conditions:

Cool and dark at around 68°F (20°C) with 30-40% relative humidity

 

Labels to look for:

Archival

Acid-Free

Lignin-Free

Buffered

 

Avoid:

Adhesives and tapes

Cardboard

Glassine

Kraft paper

Newspaper (treat with deacidification spray prior to storage)

Paper Clips

Plasticizers or materials containing them

PVC

Rubber Bands

Sharpies & other non-archival markers

Wood

 

For more information on archival storage of photographs and negatives, the Library of Congress offers preservation tips as well as a white paper on film storage.  The National Archives addresses what you should do about those magnetic photo albums.

 

How do you store your artwork?  Do you have any favorite brands or methods?  Let us know in the comments!

 

-Angela

Multiplicity: Worth multiple visits!

          Hallway view from the exhibition, Multiplicity at The Smithsonian American Art Museum

                                                            Photograph by Margaret McClung

                                                

 

Highlight pieces: Jim Dine, Singing and Printing I, 2001

Barbara Kruger, Untitled (We Will No Longer Be Seen and Not Heard), 1985

 

Yesterday, I walked into the American Art Museum not fully aware of the current exhibitions on view and was delightfully surprised to come across the show, Multiplicity (Nov 11, 2011-Mar 11, 2012). Multiplicity consists of 83 prints, with incorporated mediums such as aquatint, woodcut, acrylic paint, and screen print by forty-five known contemporary artists. Some of these highlights include works by John Baldessari, Chuck Close, Susan Rothenberg, Kara Walker, and Sol Lewitt. In the show, Multiplicity takes on a different meaning for each work. Some pieces seem so obviously constructed as one print, repeatedly processed to create one image and where as other works are multipart, series and sequences to create a theme.

 

As I walked through the exhibition, I couldn’t help but gravitate towards the brighter, larger scale works, such as the pieces by artist Jim Dine and Barbara Kruger. Jim Dine’s piece, Singing and Printing I, was instantly recognizable to me. I knew I’d seen this famous female figure before, but without looking at the label I wouldn’t have been certain. I wondered, is it just a trick of contemporary art, that you feel like you have to take a second look to be 100% certain? I felt a sense of relief when my hint of doubt was justified. Yes! Dine has frequently used the classical image of Venus de Milo, the Hellenistic sculpture many of us are familiar with, representing love and beauty. This work of Dines is the first in the series of prints titled Singing and Printing, where he takes the same woodcut image of Venus then adds a different color scheme and technique of painting in each print. Dine is exploring the ‘multiplying’ of various representational and symbolic meanings.

 

In her piece, Untitled, artist Barbara Kruger takes the text, “We will no longer be seen and not heard” and composes 9 individual prints which come together as one visually stimulating work. Kruger asks us, the viewers, to consider the idea of her piece in a cultural context. Again, here the artwork is never really considered to be definite, not only are the images multiplying, but the representational meaning does as well. Could the artist be signaling the “we” as women, a specific group of power or as a general audience? By using verbal language and implying the use of sign language, Kruger is creating a deliberate, open ended message which she repeats in her other prints.

 

Along with Dine and Kruger’s works, there are many other distinguished prints in the show that are worth seeing. I strongly suggest taking some time to visit the museum, as I know I will again (multiple times!). In accordance with the exhibition, there are several programs running which you can check out here:

 

http://residentassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/reserve.aspx?performanceNumber=223897

 

http://residentassociates.org/ticketing/tickets/reserve.aspx?performanceNumber=223684

 

~Margaret McClung

Big List of Photo Resources

Happy New Year!  I realize we're already two weeks into it but I haven't seen you guys, yet. 

 

2012 started off with a blow to local photographers as Penn Camera announced the closing of several stores with eventual closure of the rest (has anyone been to their clearance sale?).  In fact, the day I meant to stop by the Fair Lakes location to pick up fixer and negative sleeves on my drive home from work, but missed the exit and kept driving, was the store's last day in business.  That location was my regular local resource for chemicals, film, and color film developing and I commonly made last-minute weekend runs to either of the two DC stores when I suddenly found myself low on film or in need of fixer.  This announcement left me temporarily stunned, wondering where I was going to buy stuff when I needed it, forgetting that it's all available on the Internet.  But, it's also very local!

 

Since many of us who relied on Penn Camera for our photo needs found ourselves temporarily lost at this news, as the fog begins to clear it is important to point out the many other photographic resources locally available to us.  Below is a list of shops and resources for photographic supplies, film processing, and printing services within the local DC-Metro area, plus a shortened list of online shops to soothe our photographic souls. 

 

I can't attest to them all (and, I've marked the ones I have personally used), but the local stores were all highly recommended.  This list serves as a starting-point to branch out your own photo needs; of course, please do your own research on each one before using, just to be sure.

 

Local:

Ace Photo - 44710 Cape Court, Ashburn, VA - film, film processing, printing, darkroom supplies, gear
Bethesda Photographic Center - 8216 Wisconsin Avenue • Bethesda MD - film,  processing and printing, darkroom supplies
Dodge-Chrome - Silver Spring & DC - processing, prints, scanning, custom mats, giclee **
Dominion Camera - 112 West Broad Street - processing and enlargements, film
Furthermore - 1019 7th Street, NW, 3rd Floor - printing

 General Imaging - 411 New York Ave, NE - printing, mounting, plexi

National Geographic Imaging Lab - 1145 17th Street, NW - printing, scanning
Ritz Camera - Several locations - printing, some gear, some film

Vivid Solutions DC Print Lab - 2208 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue SE - Printing

 

Supplies & Gear Online:

Adorama - film, chemicals, darkroom supplies, gear **
Archival USA - negative sleeves, storage, display **
B & H Photo Video - film, chemicals, darkroom supplies, gear **
Calumet Photo - film, chemicals, darkroom supplies, gear
Freestyle Photo - film, chemicals, darkroom supplies, gear ** (my usual resource)
KEH - used cameras, lenses, gear

Get Smart Products - negative sleeves, storage, display **
Pro Studio Supply - darkroom supplies, gear, lighting

 

Film Processing & Printing - Mail-Order:

Black and White Lab  - b/w only (my personal favorite) **

Clark Color Labs

Dale Laboratories

Dalmation Lab - b/w only

DigiGraphics
Dwaynes Photo

Fromex

 
Rapid Photo Imaging Services
Rocky Mountain Film Laboratory
The Darkroom
The Icon eFilm
York Photo


Prints from Digital Files:

Adorama Pix **
MPix **
Nations Photo LabSnapfish **

**I have had all positive experiences at these places.

Thanks to Aziz Yazdani, Chris Chen, Matt Dunn, and James Campbell for all of their recommendations!!

 

Have I missed anything?  Would you like to make suggestions?  Please let us know in the comments.

 

-Angela

 

 

 

 

 

Agit Quod Agis or Do What Your Are Doing!

Students in a Smithsonian Associates Studio Arts Class

Photograph by Amanda Gogel

A little latin phrase of unknown origins containing words to live by, but as this is is a visual arts blog, feel free to apply this sage advice to whatever it is you do artistically. Enjoy!

~Marybeth Kelley

Something I Have Noticed as a Graphic Design Student

I got into graphic design because it was something I enjoyed doing in high school. I loved the impermanence of my creations regarding its ability for future edits and that while creating my masterpieces I never ran out of paint. However, many people study graphic design in college for another reason.

Many kids in high school love art: the freedom, the ability to express oneself, and most of all its fun. Naturally, these kids want to go on to study art in college. They really enjoyed painting amounts other fine arts classes in high school so, why not? This is unfortunately where reality sets in for many extremely talented budding young artists. They come to realize that being a fine artist and going to school for it is not a particularly lucrative business. This is the part when they hear about graphic design. They hear that it is a way to be an artist with a stable paycheck. So the seed is planted and they decide to study graphic design in college. I have noticed in creative fields due to their emotional attachment, a passion is necessary. If you love to paint, paint. If you love to draw, then draw. Find a way to use these talents. Right now there are so many kids in design school that really do not want to design but, they want to make money. Struggling your way through design school is not going to make you money because it is not your strong suit. If you also barely get through school with a degree in design, you are going to get looked-over by people that are seeking designers with a passion anyways. I deeply enjoy kerning a letter or creating layouts but that is me. Design is my field of passion because I honestly enjoy it. I just feel that you should follow your passion even if the road is bumpy to success because without drive it is hard to make it up the hill to the top.   

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~Griffin Baker

Well, My Camera Can Shoot Video

Graphic by Griffin Baker 

If you have been in the market for a DSLR then you probably have come to realize that there are several DSLR cameras out there that can shoot video. In fact, most of the top camera manufacturers put a video function in their new camera bodies. The video function has become a prerequisite rather than an extra; but why? Are not cameras for shooting pictures and camcorders for shooting video?

 Initially this was the case. However with DSLRs shooting in 1080p, they have caught the attention of many videographers out there. Now, DSLRs still have a long way before they even think about surpassing our old friend the camcorder for a few reasons. The biggest one being that most DSLRs do not have an auto focus feature while shooting video. There are some that do but the feature is far from flawless. There are usually many instances of the camera trying to cycle through its focus much like when you are trying to autofocus to shoot a picture in the dark. However, videographers have worked around this by utilizing manual focus and becoming well adept at this technique. So why would anybody want to use a DSLR if it has so many issues? Well, as you photographers out there know, DSLRs offer a little thing called depth of field. This, along with lens variety is the primary reason for using the DSLR for video. Just as in photography short depth of field offers the photographer, or in this case the videographer, the ability to have something in focus while others are out of focus or “bokeh.” This helps to point the viewer in the direction of what is important in a photograph or what to pay attention to in a video. Though the DSLR will probably not replace the video camera, it still can offer creative solutions to your work.

Facebook us @Smithsonian StudioArts

Follow us on Twitter @SmithsonianSA

~Griffin Baker

Discovering Hand-Built Pottery at The Smithsonian

    
Alfredo Ratinoff explaining pigment characteristics to students during the last session of the workshop.

Photo by Socorro Villa

 

    During a period of eight weeks, students in The Smithsonian Associates Studio Arts Program have been learning and applying the techniques of coil pottery, earth pigments and low-temperature kiln firing used by artists in Africa since ancient times. This was a Smithsonian Spotlight Program, pairing the expertise of Smithsonian faculty member and master ceramist Alfredo Ratinoff with a special exhibit of the “Arts of the Benue River Valley in Niger” on display at the National African Art Museum until March 4, 2012.

 

    I was fortunate to have been invited to attend the last class of the workshop during which I witnessed students create “healing pots” from clay coils and Smithsonian curator Deborah Stokes’ very interesting and insightful presentation about the arts of the Benue River Valley and the purpose and virtues of the healing pots. In my view, the presentation and classroom exercises were a perfect combination of the curator’s academic point of view in the particulars of the healing vessels and her experiences while researching and living among the inhabitants of the region along with the student experience of practicing a technique which connected them with an artistic culture across the globe. The class also facilitated a well-rounded learning experience that involved the whole person: the mind; the sight; the touch.

 

 

Socorro Villa

Artist and Arts Writer

Miami, FL

 

Guest blogger Socorro Villa studied arts since an early age. At college she studied Journalism with a minor in art, specializing in Art Criticism in Buenos Aires, Argentina. her website is www.socoart.com

 

 
Debora Stokes, Curator for the Smithsonian National Museum of African Art,showing a pot she made while studying under potter Robai Nefana in Kenya, along with Alfredo Ratinoff and Marybeth Kelley, Program Manager.