photography

Our season is over, and next week we'll be taking down our photography show, "Evidence & Fantasy: Militarism in American Life," by Nina Berman.

I've passed by these photographs almost daily for the past four months, but they've lost none of their power; if anything, my growing familiarity with the photographs as physical and visual objects makes them that much more stunning when I take a moment or two and really look, identifying with the wounded and disfigured soldiers as human beings and not just a collection of pixels, for the hundred-and-nteenth time. I'll be sad to see it go (though next season's art show should be great too; stay tuned!).

So I was thrilled to learn that Nina's work has been selected for inclusion in the Whitney Museum's upcoming 2010 biennial show of new American art. This is, apparently, a big deal in the art world and beyond: Wikipedia's (not always trustworthy) authoritative voice says the Biennial is "generally regarded as one of the leading shows in the art world, often setting or leading trends in contemporary art." Cool. (The show's up 2/25/2010 - 5/30/2010, at 945 Madison Ave. on the upper East side of Manhattan.)

We'll be taking down and packaging up the "Homeland" photographs next week, to be sent to The Whitney. "Purple Hearts" and "Marine Wedding," which are the photos on display in our downstairsunderground gallery, apparently haven't been invited. (Nina can only bring one series of work, and even though we've exhibited them together, these photographs were really taken and originally intended as separate projects.)

Here's a selection of photographs from "Homeland" which may or may not be showing at the Whitney in 2010!

To register for workshops of for more info contact us at:
workshops@mediasanctuary.org -or- (518) 272-2390

We are offering a new workshop this fall at the Sanctuary that could help to tell the important story of your organization and/or your self.

This two-part workshop is aimed at organizations and citizens from the regional community, to get their stories heard! Let us help you turn photos and narration into a video to promote your group and the work you do.

Please note that registration for this workshop includes a 4-hour follow-up lab, by appointment, between October 26 and December 5, 2009.

Workshop Part 1: Script and Pre-production (on October 25)

Use digital storytelling as a tool for community engagement and empowerment by exploring mixed media storytelling techniques! Combine written and recorded narration, music and still images, to effectively communicate a compelling vision of yourself and/or your organization. We're looking for diverse community groups, organizations and individuals to share their stories. This first session lays groundwork for the finished product.

6:30- 7:00  Nina Berman Artist Reception (sponsored by the Honest Weight Food Coop)

Join us during this artist's reception, and have an opportunity to view this great exhibition and meet Nina personally before the event begins!

7:00- 9:00 Nina Berman multi-media presentation and conversation with Kathy Kelly, followed by a poetry reading by Albany Veterans for Peace

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Acclaimed photo-journalist Nina Berman, internationally known for her photographs of wounded American military, will share a multi-media presentation and discuss her exhibit "Evidence and Fantasy: Militarism in American Life" with legendary peace activist Kathy Kelly. Berman will discuss work from her series "Purple Hearts," "Marine Wedding," and "Homeland."

‘Upstate Girl’ finds voice in photography

By Bob Goepfert The Record

Brenda Ann Kenneally has an addictive personality. That addiction has produced "Upstate Girls: What Became of the Collar City," which opens Saturday at the Sanctuary for Independent Media, 3361 Sixth Ave. in Lansingburgh. It is a photographic study of six young women living in North Troy. The images are stark, real and disturbing as they chronicle the lives of the powerless and disenfranchised. Though fraught with social, political and economic implications, the images are visually hypnotizing as they capture the lives of innocence lost.

Exhibit looks at women in poverty
By Sara Foss

TROY — A young woman named Dana Aftab wanders through a cramped hallway, gazing at blank white walls that will soon be covered with pictures. Dozens of photographs lie on the floor.

“Brenda, how can I help you?” Aftab asks.

Without hesitation, Brenda Ann Kenneally replies, “Hang up your photos.”

“Is there any specific order you want?” Aftab asks.

“However you want,” Kenneally tells her. “It’s your life.”

Aftab takes a plastic sleeve filled with photographs and begins tacking them to the wall. An Albany native who now lives in Brooklyn, Kenneally has spent the past five years photographing Aftab, her sisters and mother and other women who live in Troy. She has taken hundreds of pictures of birthday parties and births and homecomings from prison.