Photography: A Sense of Place
Photography: A Sense of Place
Juried by Jacqui Palumbo at Site:Brooklyn Gallery
March 1 – March 30, 2021
“What are the elements that make up a place and ingrain it in our memories? Place is more than a stretch of land or the space between two walls. Sometimes it's an innocuous detail that burrows itself into our brains—light scattered on a tablecloth, or clutter strewn on a desk. A location may only stay with us for a particular feeling it evoked, while its physicality remains murky. Other times our memories of a setting are centered around a person—or that person's absence… “
– Jacqui Palumbo
Exhibiting Artists
Stan Banos, Rich Bergeman, Lucy Bohnsack, Tod Bryant, Annette LeMay Burke, Ruby Chu, Elle DioGuardi, Cristina Fontsaré, Julia Forrest, Vladlen Gorlami, Sarah Hoskins, Austin Irving, Ethan Jones, R. J. Kern, Ken Konchel, Jacob Lunderby, Grace Anne Odom, Alana Perino, Léna Piani, Andre Ramos-Woodard, Cynthia Rettig, Matt Roberts, Holly Romano, Christina Santner, Brittany Severance, Bria Sterling Wilson
Kenzi and Hootie, Anoka County, 2020. Archival pigment print, 20 x 24 inches sheet size, edition of 10 + 2AP.
Birds, Nest, and Nature {Exhibition}
Juried by Jeffrey De Blois, Assistant Curator, ICA Boston and Rebecca Lowery, Assistant Curator, MOCA Los Angeles, the exhibition includes over 150 local, national, and international artists inspired by the show theme at the Bedford Gallery in Walnut Creek, California. I’m proud to be apart of this show. And I’m particularly impressed how they’ve built a website to support the show, given the virtual exhibition.
My photograph, Supreme Champion Goose Male / Female Pair, 2018 Minnesota State Fair, (Salt print over archival pigment print, 20 x 24 inches) was chosen for exhibiton. This photograph just make me smile and is one of my favorites. The particular print I entered earlier this year has gone to a new home, so I created Edition 3/5 to support the exhibition (seen in installation photograph).
Installation view at the Bedford Gallery, Walnut Creek, CA.
Honorable Mention: MN State Fair
My entry into the 2020 Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition: Holy Cow (Quarantined greater than 14 Days), archival pigment print, mounted on dibond, 2020.
While the 2020 Minnesota State Fair is not happening this year, I’m excited the show goes on at the Fine Arts exhibition. I was a bit apprehensive this year submitting work, as the risk of rejection is always a possibility.
I am excited not only to be accepted into the 108th Minnesota State Fair Fine Arts Exhibition, but I received an Honorable Mention by photography juror Buck Holzemer for my photograph, Holy Cow (Quarantined greater than 14 Days). It still offers me humor, despite COVID-19 times.
And some wonderful press for the show including a few mentions of my work:
I’ll be hanging out 6pm on Saturday, August 29 (date night), enjoying my favorite art event of the year!
And some screen grabs from the really cool virtual tour of the exhibition >>
I was also surprised to see Stuart Klipper’s photograph (he’s a friend that lives a few blocks away), hang a few pieces to the left of mine.
Masur Museum of Art Exhibition
Four works from my series, The Unchosen Ones, were selected for the 56th Annual Juried Competition Exhibition, juried by Catherine Futter, Director of Curatorial Affairs at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. The juried group exhibition at the Masur Museum of Art, Monroe, LA runs Feb 28 – May 11, 2019. Futter’s curatorial statement reads:
This exhibition focused primarily on IDENTITY— how identity is assigned, constructed, fluid, rejected, reclaimed, and embraced. Some works are portraits that represent a sitter’s outward style and convey an inner attitude. Others are more enigmatic, more mysterious. They ask us to question our own identites past, present, and future. How do we see ourselves? How do we want to be seen?
A reception with the juror's talk and prize announcements held Thursday, April 25th, 5:30-7:30pm.
Special thanks to Lindsay Kearney, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions at the Masur Museum of Art, for providing installation photographs of the work. I am honored to have my work exhibited with the participating artists. It has been wonderful to work with her and her team!
Participating Artists:
Elizabeth Abaravich, CA; Abe Abraham, NY; Trenton Brown, GA; Richard Buswell, MT; Paula Campbell, TN; Norm Diamond, TX; M. M. Dupay, OH; Leslie Elliottsmith, LA; Farimah Eshraghi, MA; Amy Faggard, TX; Ashley Gardner, AR; Gale Gibbs, TX; Stephanie Gonzalez, TX; Sarah Granberg, OR; Richard Greene, CA; Crummy Gummy, FL; Gao Hang, TX; Lewinale Havette, GA; Dianne Hebbert, NY; Pato Hebert, CA; Ming Ying Hong, MS; Jennifer Hoskins, SC; Shreepad Joglekar, KS; R. J. Kern, MN; Noelle King, NY; David Knox, LA; Sena Kwon, NY; Joshua Littlefield, MD; Gabi Magaly, TX; A.M. Martens, IL; Andy Mattern, OK; Corinne McAuley, AZ; Daniel Melo, CA; Rebecca Miller, MO; Jason Nelson, LA; Jim Pearson, IL; Sandi Pfeifer, FL; Nikii Berry Richey, TN; Evie Richner, TN; Sharon Shapiro, VA; Annisty Thompson, AL; Chad Thompson, SC; Tonja Torgerson, IN; Rhonda Urdang, AZ; Kevin Vanek, MS; Jiawei Zhao, NY
6th International Open Call, juried by Aline Smithson
The Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts announced the awards for the 6th International Open Call, juried by Aline Smithson (founder of LENSCRATCH). I am excited and honored to share Kol and Annabell, Anoka County Fair, Minnesota, 2016 from my series, The Unchosen Ones, received second place!
Looking through the names of the 74 photographers selected, I’m proud to be listed with these friends and colleagues. I’ve enjoyed getting to know these artists and their personal projects (and some even swapping prints, including 1st place winner Eric Kunsman for his print, 4th of July, 2014 – Palmyra, NY). The exhibition is on view through Friday, March 15th, 2019 and is free to the public.
Little known fact: I first visited RISD in Providence in 1994 and considered enrolling in their BFA program, as my high school teacher Ricker Winsor graduated there and worked with Harry Callahan). I decided to pursue a liberal arts degree at Colgate University, however, I am excited to exhibit work in the same small town that inspired many great photographers).
Exhibition in China
I am honored that a selection from my series, "The Unchosen Ones," was exhibited as part of the 2018 Yixian International Photography Festival in Anhui, China. Guo Jing curated the exhibition for international section at the festival, one of the most influential festivals in China. I met Guo Jing during a portfolio review at Photolucida 2017 in Portland and she exhibited "The Sheep and the Goats" in China last year as well. In addition to the Chinese photographers, there were over exhibitions from over 50 photographers from the United States, France, Russia, Australia, Italy, Egypt, Poland, Saudi Arabia, Japan, and Singapore. The exhibition exhibited more than 3,200 works. View gallery >>
Photographs Courtesy Yixian International Photography Festival. Pictured left to right in group picture: Fang Huanran, Deputy President of China Photo Press; Guo Jing, Host of Yixian International Photo Festival Opening Ceremony; Hu Ning, Vice chariman of the Political Consultative Conference of Huangshan City; Reza De Hadi, a French photographic artist; and Fang Huanran, Vice President of China Photographic Newspaper.
MinnPost Feature
Writes Espeland: "The large, lovely portrait of a young woman and her goat may stop you in your tracks. It’s an image from a series Kern calls “The Unchosen Ones.” Taken from the sidelines at 10 county fairs across Minnesota that lead up to the state fair, they show animals and their young handlers – but losers, not winners. These are not the pairs that will go on to glory at the big fair in the cities. Photographed against a simple gray backdrop, the subjects – children and teenagers, sheep and goats – are lit like old masters. They are luminous and dignified. If this is what losing looks like, maybe it’s not so terrible after all."
R. J. Kern with “Kenzie and Hootie, Anoka County Fair, Minnesota, 2016”, MinnPost photo by John Whiting
“The Great State of Minnesota” Award
The Executive Director of the Minnesota Citizen's for the Arts (MCA), Sheila Smith, selected me for the “Great State of Minnesota” Award at the 2018 Fine Arts Exhibition held at the Minnesota State Fair in St. Paul, MN opening this week. I'm honored and humbled. When we met, I shared with her my enthusiasm for the art grants in Minnesota which have generously supported my fine-art career. MCA was the first independent organization to give a cash award to artists at the Minnesota State Fair that "honors an artist depicting Minnesota subject matter in a highly skillful way." I'm proud to grow roots in this great state!
Renaissance Photography Prize 2017 (Finalist)
The Unchosen Ones project is a Finalist in the Renaissance Photography Prize 2017, juried by Clare Grafik, Dewi Lewis, Fiona Rogers, Fiona Shields, Gem Fletcher, Marloes Krijnen, Melissa DeWitt, and Simon Roberts and will be exhibited at the Getty Images Gallery, London, England then will travel in 2018 to the following venues:
January 27 – March 10, 2018 Aberystwyth Arts Centre, www.aberystwythartscentre.co.uk
April 28 – June 9, 2018. The Civic, Barnsley, www.barnsleycivic.co.uk
IPE Silver Award from the Royal Photographic Society
I’m honored my work from the series "The Unchosen Ones" garnered a Silver Award from the Royal Photographic Society (RPS) International Photography Exhibition, now touring around the UK. I thank RPS for their support!
Four award winners were been selected from thousands of entries from across the world by the panel: Karin Bareman, Curatorial Project Manager for Autograph ABP;Zelda Cheatle curator, editor, lecturer and consultant in photography; Ingrid Pollard, photographer, media artist and researcher; and photographers and former IPE exhibitors Abbie Trayler-Smith and Sian Davey .
Held since 1854, the RPS hosts the longest running exhibition of its kind. Pictured is the exhibition at The Old Truman Brewery, London as part of Photoblock, a collection of exhibitions celebrating the best in contemporary and traditional photography.
The award-winning images will also be exhibited in a group show at theprintspace gallery, London, in 2018.