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In 2002, Aperture West was launched to reactivate Aperture Foundation’s relationship with the photography community west of the Mississippi. In fact, over 40% of Aperture magazine’s readership resides in the western United States. Although Aperture is now well-entrenched in New York, the foundation was started in San Francisco in 1952 through the efforts of Minor White, Ansel Adams, Dorothea Lange, Barbara Morgan, Dody Warren Thompson, Ernest Louie, Melton Ferris, and Beaumont and Nancy Newhall. To acknowledge the distinctive work that is being created in the west, Aperture has initiated traveling exhibitions, educational programming—including the Aperture West Collaborative Series—and one-on-one portfolio reviews, making Aperture an active presence in the photography communities in Texas, New Mexico, California, Washington, Alaska, and beyond.
APERTURE WEST COLLABORATIVE SERIES:
The Aperture West Collaborative Series (AWCS) was created to provide the public with opportunities to attend lectures given by some of today’s most significant photographers. Since its inception in 2004, this interactive lecture series has worked in collaboration with the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles, CA; The PhotoAlliance in San Francisco, CA; The Henry Art Gallery in Seattle, WA; and The Photographic Center Northwest in Seattle, WA. Featured artists have included William Christenberry, Bruce Davidson, Pieter Hugo, Nicholas Kahn and Richard Selesnick, An-My Le, and Gary Schneider. Freestyle Photographic Supplies generously supported the series in 2006 and 2007. Bruce Davidson’s lecture was also supported by the Canon Explorers of Light program.
APERTURE WEST BOOK PRIZE: In 2007, the first Aperture West Book Prize was awarded to Hank Willis Thomas. The Book Prize was created in an effort to further recognize artists living west of the Mississippi.
Learn more about the 2007 Aperture Book Prize.
APERTURE IN THE COMMUNITY:
Homer Photo Fest, September 2007, Homer, Alaska. Michelle Dunn Marsh led a workshop entitled “Is my box of prints a book?” and conducted portfolio reviews.
Texas Photograph Society 16: The National Competition, July 2007, Austin, TX. Michelle Dunn Marsh was a juror for the TPS 16: The National Competition. The show will travel to venues in Houston, New York City, and San Francisco.
Palm Springs Photo Festival, May 2007, Palm Springs, CA. Michelle Dunn Marsh both moderated a panel discussion on “Advocacy and Art” and conducted portfolio reviews at the May 2007 PSPF.
Photolucida, April 2007, Portland, Oregon. Diana Edkins and Michelle Dunn Marsh conducted portfolio reviews in Portland, OR.
Tacoma Art Museum, April 2007, Tacoma, Washington. Paul Strand’s Southwest collection was exhibited at TAM from January–May 2007.
Photo Alliance Portfolio Review, March 2007, San Francisco, CA. Michelle Dunn Marsh was a Juror for the 2007 National Portfolio Review.
Silver Conference, March 2007, at Art Center College of Design, Pasadena,
CA. Michelle Dunn Marsh was a competition juror with Dennis Keeley, and gave
a gallery talk at the featured exhibition, reGeneration.
Photo LA, January 2007, Los Angeles, CA. Aperture co-hosted a booth with Distributed Art book Publisher (D.A.P.), Aperture’s US book distributor.
Aperture West Portfolio Review, December 2006, Los Angeles, CA. Aperture's first one-on-one review was intended for full-time photographers interested in receiving feedback on their non-commercial work. Reviews were conducted by Aperture magazine Editor in Chief Melissa Harris and Aperture West Director Michelle Dunn Marsh.
The Black Panthers Workshop, Fall 2006, Oakland, CA. On the occasion of their 40th anniversary reunion, Aperture West facilitated a workshop between mentors from the Black Panther party, students from the SF Camerawork First Exposures program, photographer Stephen Shames, and area teens for an afternoon of instruction and exploration with black and white disposable cameras.
Paul Strand: Southwest, September 2006–January 2007 at the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum, Santa Fe, NM. This Aperture Foundation traveling exhibition confirmed one aspect of Aperture West’s purpose—to recognize the significance of the western landscape and its influence on the history of American photography.
For more information about programs through Aperture West or how you can support this initiative, please contact Aperture West Director, Michelle Dunn Marsh at: mdunn@aperture.org.
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