JULY 2014

Center for Creative Photography | FOCAL POINT

1030 North Olive Road, Tucson, Arizona, 85721 • (520) 621-7968 • www.creativephotography.org

Todd Gray, from the series Shaman ©Todd Gray

Performance:
Contemporary Photography from the Douglas Nielsen Collection
Center for Creative Photography
August 9, 2014 – January 4, 2015

This exhibition gathers more than 100 works from the private collection of Douglas Nielsen, choreographer and professor at the University of Arizona School of Dance. Featuring photographs and photo-based prints by artists as diverse and provocative as Diane Arbus, John Baldessari, Jo Ann Callis, Nan Goldin, Bruce Nauman, Richard Renaldi, and Cindy Sherman, the exhibition’s unique installation draws out the dramatic and physical tension that can result between photographer and subject, the observer and the observed. Among the exhibition’s highlights are focused displays of images by Nancy Burson and Jimmy DeSana, as well as compelling works by lesser-known artists such as Todd Gray and Noah Kalina, all of which are presented in ways that are by turns whimsical, meditative, and revealing about a fundamental aspect of the art and nature of photography. More info at creativephotography.org.

New Notes: the W. Eugene Smith Big Book Project

In October 2013, the Center published its first publication in collaboration with the University of Texas Press, W. Eugene Smith's The Big Book. It was our hope that in doing so the publication would not only make information about this unique and frail object accessible but that it might also generate or inspire new research about Smith's Big Book project. In late April 2014, that hope was realized when we received an email from Pascal Hoel, Head of Collections, and Laurie Hurwitz, Exhibitions, from the Maison Européenne de la Photographie (Mep) in Paris.

In their email they wrote, "Many years ago, the Mep acquired a collection of books, archives, and photographic prints from the library of Romeo Martinez (1911-1990), editor-in-chief of Camera magazine from 1953 to 1964. He worked with C.J. Bucher in Lucerne, Switzerland (Camera’s publisher). Romeo Martinez was highly respected, and enjoyed close, trusting relationships with most of the greatest photographers of his era, including his friend Gene Smith.

From his archives, our collection holds a two-part, handmade, folio-sized maquette. With the exception of one spread, it appears almost identical to yours in the facsimile published by the University of Texas Press in 2013. In addition, our first volume includes 7 original prints for double-page spreads. We also have in our possession a set of original drawings of the maquette, workprints and Polaroids.

All these documents originate from Martinez’s archives. He was deeply involved in working with W. Eugene Smith on The Big Book project and put a great deal of energy into getting it published. Bucher had agreed to co-publish the book with an American publisher, which explains the existence of this second version but, as you know, the project never came to fruition."

Based on sparse information available in the published literature we knew there were references to a second maquette, but we could not find any additional evidence that it still currently existed. Therefore, you can imagine our surprise and excitement at receiving this information from our colleagues at Mep. Both institutions are delighted to be exchanging information with one another regarding this truly ambitious project.

Our sincere thanks to Pascal and Laurie for allowing us to share this information with you via Focal Point.

The Process and the Page:

Developing Photographic Books

Phoenix Art Museum

March 29 – August 17, 2014

In the 20th century, American photographer Ansel Adams adopted the book form as a way to organize, disseminate, and promote his artwork. Adams took a keen interest in every aspect of the books’ production and design from sequence and typestyle to reproduction quality and pricing. Process and the Page presents working materials from the Center for Creative Photography’s archives to demonstrate how Ansel Adams, and nine other photographers including Richard Avedon, Paul Strand, Rosalind Solomon, and W. Eugene Smith, explored this essential means of preserving and presenting their body of work. More info at phxart.org.

CALL FOR SUBMISSIONS
INFOCUS Juried Exhibition
of Self-Published Photobooks

INFOCUS, the Photography Support Organization of Phoenix Art Museum, invites photographers to submit a self-published photography book for a juried exhibition to be presented in the Norton Photography Gallery of Phoenix Art Museum. Accepted submissions will be exhibited from August 23 to September 28, 2014. The purpose of the exhibition is to explore the range of ways that artists are using newly available commercial technologies to self-publish photobooks in order to express themselves. Find more info and submit at infocus-phxart.org/photobooks. Submissions due July 31, 2014.

Traveling Works & Collaborations

The Center's art and archive collections are featured in the following current and upcoming exhibitions: