Revisiting the Family Album: Stories That Bind Us
Online Exhibition
June 6 - December 31, 2023
Virtual Reception and Artist's Talks | July 13, 2023 at 5 PM
Juror's Award: Valérie Racine
Juror's Honorable Mentions: Emily Buckley, Diane Durant, Ruth A. Keitz, Virginia Lockman, Carole Mills Noronha
Director's Award: Nicole Carriere
Director's Honorable Mentions: Anahit Cass, Virginia Lockman, JP Terlizzi, Sara Zinelli
Selected Artists:
Alejandro Aguirre, Ashley Allen, Olivia Arratia, Nancy Baron, Linten Birgen, Emily Buckley, Linda Caldwell, Susan Kaufer Carey, Nicole Carriere, Anahit Cass, Richard Chen, Diana Cheren Nygren, Annie Claflin, Laura Cofrin, Norma Cordova, Jaclyn Cori, Gwendolyn Courtney-Shorack, Jane Waggoner Deschner, Laura Dodson, Diane Durant, Agnes Eperjesy, Jane Feely, Elisa Fernandez, Matthew Finley, Shannon Fisher, Morgan Ford Willingham, Alexa Frangos, Beth Galton, Marsha Guggenheim, Patricia Howard, Candice Inc, Judi Iranyi, Frances Jakubek, Katrin Jaquet, Loli Kantor, Ruth A. Keitz, Heidi Kirkpatrick, Drew Klausner, Epiphany Knedler, Molly Lamb, Ivana Larrosa, Hannah Latham, Denise Laurinaitis, Honey Lazar, Christine Lenzen, Nadine Levin, Jay Levy, Judith G Levy, Virginia Lockman, Annie Lopez, Arrayah Loynd, Sarah Malakoff, Roberta Margolis, Erica Martin, Julie Mihaly, Carole Mills Noronha, Lianne Milton, Mariah Moneda, Aunna Moriarty, Bianca Morra, Gert Motmans, Lisa Murray, Hannah Neal, Rachel Nixon, Sally Pettibon, Anne Piessens, Linda Plaisted, Walter Plotnick, Paul Porell, Jennifer Pritchard, Katie Prock, Valérie Racine, Vicki Reed, Astrid Reischwitz, Holly Roberts, Clair Robins, Raul Rodriguez, Susan Rosenberg Jones, Patricia Sandler, Kevin Rose Schultz, Eric Skadson, Katie Tackman, Jerry Takigawa, Dean Terasaki, JP Terlizzi, Prince Varughese Thomas, Tina Tryforos, Zoe Vassiliou, Anne Walker, Ellen Wallenstein, Thomas Whitworth, Marthanna Yater, Jonas Yip, Tom Young, Cheryl Zibisky, Sara Zinelli.
Theme
This online exhibition is about our families, whether chosen, by blood or by proximity. These human stories, memories, and histories comprise the past, present, and future of lives lived and projections of what may be.
Jurors Statement
I recently purchased a vintage photo album that was missing many of its photographs. One page, in particular, caught my attention. At the bottom of the empty page was the word "me." It felt like a profound loss – a story with no beginning or end – and it spoke to the importance of telling our stories, of creating physical documents that state, "This is my life, this is me."
Not to overstate the obvious, but it was a dream to be the juror for this amazing selection of photographs and to work with Hamidah Glasgow and the staff at the Center for Fine Art Photography. I felt very privileged to spend time with the over 2,000 images; each carefully selected for this theme and each so appropriate in its interpretation. So much so that we were able to almost double the exhibition size.
I want to extend a huge thank you for allowing me into your lives, your families, your memories, and, most importantly, your photographs. While reviewing the work, I felt like I was invited into your family albums as you shared what it's like to be a participant-observer, to be a child or a parent or person, and still be a photographer and share your personal histories with the world.
As a juror, I look for unique and elevated images that delight, excite, and make me want to see more; the work needs to reveal a quality of expression that is poetic, magical, meaningful, and creative. Most importantly, work that is fully resolved and shows prowess.
Congratulations to all the photographers. No decision came lightly, and I am so appreciative to all who submitted.
- Aline Smithson
JUROR | ALINE SMITHSON
Aline Smithson is a Los Angeles-based visual artist, editor, and educator. Her work has been exhibited in over 40 solo shows globally and featured in prestigious publications like The New York Times and The New Yorker. Smithson is the Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Lenscratch, a daily photography journal. She has received several awards, including the Rising Star Award and Excellence in Teaching Award, and her work has been selected for the Critical Mass Top 50. Smithson has published several monographs, and her work has been exhibited in prestigious institutions such as the National Portrait Gallery in London. In addition to her artistic career, Smithson has also served extensively as a juror, reviewer, and educator in the worldwide photography community.
Image © Ruth A. Keitz