Trevor Paglen, Parcae Constellation Near Cygnus (Naval Ocean Surveillance System; USA 173), 2008

Artist and geographer Trevor Paglen is part of a group exhibition at Sprüeth Magers in Berlin. The twelve artists in Rethinking Location present sites and places, both imaginary and real. Paglen’s work The Other Night Sky documents 189 U.S. military spacecrafts. Paglen’s photographs of operations behind the scenes of the American government were featured in Aperture magazine issue 191. His book, Invisible: Classified Landscapes and Covert Actions, will be released by Aperture this fall.

Exhibition on view:
May 1–June 19, 2010

Sprüeth Magers:
Oranienburger Straße 18
D-10178 Berlin

Last week, Aperture’s work scholars had the profound pleasure of touring Mary Ellen Mark’s studio and getting a chance to view prints from her extensive archive. Mark’s Studio Manager (and former Aperture Workscholar) Meredith Lue, took out prints from many of Mary Ellen’s major projects including some made with analog printing processes such as Cibachrome prints and Dye transfer prints. The group looked at images from Mark’s Streetwise series, the now infamous portrait of the Damm family, Falkland Road and portraits from her ongoing High School prom portraits. Mark answered questions about her career, the current state of photography and the ways things have changed since she started out.

To learn more about the Aperture Work Scholar Program click here.

Read past posts on Exposures about work scholar experiences from exhibition tours with Humble Curator Jon Feinstein, artist Hank Willis Thomas to a visit at the Starn Brothers Beacon Studio.

Steve Baron, Aperture Foundation’s long-time director of production, passed away suddenly last night, May 25, 2010. Steve was a lifetime member of the Aperture family, beginning with his internship with Minor White in the early 1960s and continuing through his defining role as Vice-President of Production until his retirement in 2003.

Steve helped establish Aperture’s reputation for excellence via his supervision of the printing of Aperture’s quarterly magazine, and with titles such as the Paul Strand: An American Vision, the catalog for a major survey of the artist’s work at the National Gallery of Art. He continued to advise us on a regular basis and will be greatly missed.

Last year, Steve shared one of his favorite Aperture moments, here.

Thank you to Photo District News for throwing a fabulous party atop Tribeca Rooftop celebrating the the winners featured in the 2010 PDN Photo Annual issue. This year’s issue recognized a number of Aperture books and affiliated photographers  including Jonathan Torgovnik’s Intended Consequences; Doug DuBois’ All the Days and Nights; The Edge of Vision, by Lyle Rexer; Paolo Ventura’s Winter Stories, Eirik Johnson’s Sawdust Mountain; Joel Meyerowitz’s Legacy; and Robert Adam’s Summer Nights, Walking, as well as photographer Gabrielle Stabile who is part of the Aperture Green Cart Project.

Check out the fun had by all, thanks to Fujifilm Instax Cameras! Pictured above: Casey Kelbaugh of Slideluck Potshow, Editor of PDN Conor Risch, Photographer Wyatt Gallery, Andrew Hetherington of Whats the Jackanory, Photographer Gillian Laub and Aperture’s Lesley Martin, Photo Editor of Time Magazine Paul Moakley, Michelle Dunn Marsh, Photographer Paolo Ventura and Aperture’s Denise Wolff, including Photo Annual Winners Gabrielle Stabile, Rachel Barrett and Jon Smith.)

Click here to view PDN’s online gallery of works featured in the 2010 issue.

Night Operations by An my Le

Haunted, an exhibition currently on view at the Guggenheim examines contemporary photographic imagery that deals with themes of memory, trauma and a return to the past. Included in the exhibit’s diverse roster of artists are Aperture published and master photographer Sally Mann, Spencer Finch, who recently spoke at the Aperture bookstore, An my Le, whose limited edition print Night Operations is available through Aperture, Cindy Sherman, featured in Aperture magazine issue 169, Sophie Calle, featured in Aperture magazine issue 142 and issue 191, Miranda Lichtenstein and more.

Also included in the exhibition is work by artist Waled Beshty, who was recently featured in Aperture’s Words Without Pictures and The Edge of Vision: The Rise of Astraction in Photography. Beshty will give a talk about themes in his work and current issues in the art world at the Guggenhiem next Wednesday, May 26th.

Click here to purchase tickets and find out more about Walead Beshty’s talk at the Guggenheim

Haunted
Part I: March 26-September 6, 2010
Part II: June 4-September 1, 2010

Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum
1071 Fifth Avenue, New York

Aperture is now accepting submissions for the fourth annual Aperture
Portfolio Prize, which is both an international photography competition and
the best way for photographers to get their work seen by Aperture’s editors.

Deadline: July 14, 2010

Winner receives:
-$5,000 cash prize
-online portfolio showcase
-exhibition at Aperture Gallery and Bookstore

Sponsored by Polaroid.

Click here for additional information

View past winners here!

Western Larch Seedlings by Eirik Johnson

Eirik Johnson’s homage to the landscape and communities of the Pacific Northwest, Sawdust Mountain, is on view at Aperture Gallery through June 10th. For your viewing pleasure, now an accompanying podcast can be easily downloaded to enjoy an exhibition tour narrated by the photographer himself who shares the compelling stories of his subjects.

Click here to download Sawdust Mountain Podcast

Click here to purchase Eirik Johnson’s monograph Sawdust Mountain

Click here to read about the Sawdust Mountain exhibit in Artforum’s Critic Picks

Juror Lesley A. Martin has made her selection and this year’s Biennial Juried Photography show at the Edward Hopper House Art Center will open to the public this Saturday May 15th.

Congratulations to all the selected artists!

Biennial Juried Exhibition
Opening reception Saturday, May 15, 5-7pm
Runs May 15 – July 11

Edward Hopper House Art Center
82 N Broadway,
Nyack NY 10960
P: 845-358-0774

Black Power by Hank Willis Thomas

The third annual New York Photo Festival (NYPH) Kicks off today!

This year the festival features Aperture Presents, a series of panel discussions at St. Ann’s Warehouse, curated by Aperture’s editors. Panels will take place each day from 4:30-5:20 p.m.

The first panel taking place this afternoon will feature artists Justine Reyes, Brian Ulrich, and Hank Willis Thomas presenting their work and experiences securing funding, reviews, fellowships, and grants.

Tomorrow Aperture will bring together Amy Elkins, co-founder of Women in Photography; Ariel Shanberg, executive director of the Center for Photography at Woodstock; and Amy Yenkin, director of Open Society Institute, to offer insight on how artists can better benefit from the various opportunities available to them.

In addition Aperture will present a conversation with photographer Eirik Johnson (whose series of photographs Sawdust Mountain is currently on view at Aperture) and picture editor of Orion magazine, Jason Houston. The four day panel series will conclude with an artist’s talk by 2008 Aperture Portfolio Prize runner-up and emerging artist Jowhara AlSaud.

Emerging Artists’ Support Systems, Part 1
The Artist’s Perspective: Justine Reyes, Brian Ulrich, Hank Willis Thomas
Thursday, May 13, 2010

Emerging Artist’s Support Systems, Part 2
Funds, Fellowships and Reviews
Friday, May 14, 2010

Sawdust Mountain: Eirik Johnson and Jason Houston in Conversation
Saturday, May 15, 2010

Time Frames: An Artist’s Talk with Jowhara AlSaud
Sunday, May 16, 2010

NYPH 10
May 13th – 16th, 2010
St. Anne’s Warehouse
37 Main Street
Brooklyn, New York

Doves by Jowhara AlSaud

American ReConstruction, an exhibition of new photography, now on view at the Winkleman gallery in Chelsea, brings together artists constructing photography-based work through pre- and post-printing consideration processes. The show juxtaposes such diverse approaches to image making as 2008 portfolio prize runer-up Jowhara AlSaud’s prints made from manually altered negatives to MP3: vol II featured artist Curtis Mann’s bleached photographs. Also on exhibit will be works by 2009 portfolio prize runner-up Mark Lyon, WIP founder Cara Phillips as well as Matthew Albanese and Jeremy Kost.

The show runs through June 12th.

American ReConstruction

Winkleman Gallery
621 West 27th Street
New York, NY, 10001

Click here to purchase Jowhara AlSaud limited edition print Doves

Click here to purchase Mark Lyon limited edition print Emerald Garden Laundromat

Click here to purchase MP3: vol II featuring Curtis Mann