The Winter issue of Culture features fine-art work from The Unchosen Ones and Out To Pasture series. Lots of goodies in this well-designed magazine devoted to cheese lovers. I’ve enjoyed exploring new ways to engage audiences with my subject matter.
Book Signing at Paris Photo
I will be signing books at Paris Photo 2018 at the Kehrer Verlag booth (SE6) 9 Nov, 4pm. See you then!
"The Unchosen Ones, Out to Pasture” exhibition review
"The Unchosen Ones, Out to Pasture” exhibition review at the Griffin Museum of Photography was reviewed by Elin Spring on “What Will You Remember” in her article, “Exalting the Ordinary.”
The solo exhibition is on view through December 2nd, 2018. Click to read >>
Feature Image: “Kennedy and Palamino, Anoka County Fair, Minnesota, 2016” and “Palamino and Friends, Anoka County, Minnesota, USA” © R. J. Kern, Courtesy of Burnet Fine Art & Advisory, MN and Klompching Gallery, NY.
New acquisition by the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg
Made official today, I am happy to share the COLLECTOR’S EDITON of The Unchosen Ones (AP1) and the COLLECTOR’S EDITON of The Sheep and the Goats (AP6) have been accessioned into the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg.
In June 2018, I flew to Tampa, Florida as part of the artist panel discussion artist in Triangulate, curated by Nathan Beard, Eivind Natvig, and Kirk Ke Wang at the Dunedin Fine Art Center, Dunedin, FL. After the exhibition opening and book signing, Nathan Beard and I drove to one of my favorite museums I visited as a kid, the Museum of Fine Arts in St. Petersburg. A highlight was meeting with Robin O’Dell, Curator of the Photographic Collection, Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida (pictured).
As luck would have it, I shared with her my monograph, “The Unchosen Ones,” with an essay by independent curator Alison Nordström, PhD. O’Dell smiled and pointed out, “She was my advisor in graduate school at the George Eastman House.” Small world!
This effort opened up a few doors, and after a few months of patience and persistence, the effort has paid off! Thank you Nathan Beard, Alison Nordström, and Robin O’Dell being apart of this wonderful journey.
This is the second museum acquisition of the COLLECTOR’S EDITON of The Unchosen Ones and the fifth museum acquisition of the COLLECTOR’S EDITON of The Sheep and the Goats.
Critical Mass 2018 Top 50!
in Accolades
Thumbs up! I honored and humbled to be chosen for Critical Mass 2018 Top 50! I appreciate the support of Photolucida and the jurors for this oportunity to share my work. When I began this project, I never had sights on the critical-acclaim that would follow. I couldn’t have done this alone and appreciate the support mentors, my gallerists, and the trusting participants from “The Unchosen Ones” project, many who I reconnected with this summer, including Gabe at the MN State Fair two weeks ago.
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!
New Wikipedia page
CHECK! It's been on my list of things to do and am excited to complete and share the R. J. Kern Wikipedia page >>
Communication Arts Photography Annual 59
On newsstands now, the July/August 2018 of Communication Arts magazine features work from my series, "The Unchosen Ones." The Photography Annual 59 issue is dedicated to featuring images that received an Award of Excellence 2018. Five images that appeared in the self-published book, The Unchosen Ones, were published from the same project featured in National Geographic magazine (November 2017). I'm grateful and honored for the recognition! I've admired the magazine since my high school art classes!
Awarded: MN Artist Initiative Grant
The Minnesota State Arts Board awarded me a 2018-2019 Artist Initiative Grant to showcase the series, "The Unchosen Ones" to the county fairs where the work was created in 2016 (also grant supported). I've been busy working on this project over the last few months, interviewing many of the participants in my project (some featured in National Geographic magazine), asking them life skills-related questions about their efforts raising their animal. My grant proposal included the construction of banner displays that would be exhibited at 6-8 fairs in Minnesota.
In addition, I built a website that showcases more about the project >> The Unchosen Ones.
I have successfully exhibited the book four times: first at the Hennepin History Museum, and then three fairs.
"The Unchosen Ones" community exhibition of photography at the Hennepin History Museum, Minneapolis, MN.
Cass County Fair, Minnesota, 2018.
Mahnomen County Fair, Minnesota, 2018.
Cannon Valley Fair, Minnesota, 2018
One of the most meaningful highlights so far from this project was reconnecting with kids from featured in the project. Thumbs up!
4-H kids at the Mahnomen County Fair with R. J. Kern at the travelling community exhibition supported by the Minnesota State Arts Board Artist Initiative Grant.
ANNOUNCEMENT OF REPRESENTATION: Burnet Fine Art & Advisory
I’m pleased to announced my fine-art prints are now available through Burnet Fine Art & Advisory in Wayzata, Minnesota. Before moving to their new Wayzata location, the Burnet Gallery showcased contemporary art for 10 years in Le Méridien Chambers hotel in Minneapolis. The space celebrates art addressing contemporary issues.
My first solo exhibition with the gallery will open July 11 and run through September 1, 2018 and will feature works from all three of my series: Divine Animals: The Bovidae, The Unchosen Ones, and Out to Pasture. Opening reception July 11 5:30 PM - 8:30 PM.
The Most Beautiful German Books 2018
I’m honored to share my monograph “The Sheep and the Goats” has been awarded "The Most Beautiful German Books 2018,” by Stiftung Buchkunst, the most popular book prize in Germany. This competition dates to 1929, making it one of the industry's first competitions to award the “exemplary in design, conception, and workmanship” as awarded by an independent jury. The book will be shown on several exhibitions and fairs in Europe including the Frankfurt Book Fair.
Hei! (Wow!). 24 jurors, 9 juror days, over 900 submissions. The "most beautiful German books “ announced today! And my first monograph was one of them!
The golden award sticker on "The Sheep and the Goats" monograph. Photo by Maximiliane Hüls (designer).
For perspective, the "first jury" of the 2018 competition had 729 entries in total. Of those, 247 were narrowed down by the "second jury" to 247. Of these, 25 were awarded.
“The Sheep and the Goats” published by Kehrer Verlag was among awarded in the Top 25. With introduction by Lisa Volpe, Associate Curator of Photography, Museum of Fine Arts, Houston; essay by George Slade; interview by Stuart Klipper. Designed by Kehrer Design (Maximiliane Hüls).
Commentary from the jury panel:
JUSTIFICATION FROM THE JURY: "Inside title literally"
"Many people are well aware of this indefinable feeling of coziness that sets in at the sight of a sheep. If that's the case, you can not always drive to the country for reassurance.Two full-page series of images now provide a remedy: one of sheep, one of goats. Sometimes in small groups, often as individual portraits, animals can be viewed patiently. The book starts in the middle, because the inside title actually stands between the two groups of pictures, and the shortened pages with explanatory texts form a natural fugue in the book block.
The photographs are ideal pictures of real landscapes. The animals in it are among the oldest companions and beneficial partners of humans. Through the atmosphere of Arcadian innocence, one dreams of the primordial harmony of man and nature. It overlooks all too easily the extent of the millennia-long cultural achievements that have shaped such landscapes with goat hunger and sheep's wool.
On the precise prints the animals appear as individuals, even as beings with personality. The scarce picture legend calls region and country, and: the name of the animal. Even if ironic tones are echoed in the photographic staging, she is serious in that she acknowledges the magical and long-lasting connection between the little ruminants and their habitat. Pan, the god of the shepherds, would greatly enjoy this volume."
The 25 finalists:
A perspective from the judging process:
© Stiftung Buchkunst, Frankfurt am Main.
PDN Photo of the Day
"Eating Buddy, Lake Myvatn, Iceland" along with nine other images from three projects Divine Animals: The Bovidae, Out to Pasture, and The Unchosen Ones are featured on the PDN Photo of the Day to promote the solo exhibition at Klompching Gallery in New York through June 30, 2018. Thank you for the exposure, PDN and wonderful selection of work, Darren Ching!
Lensculture feature
"We Tamed Animals—But How Have They Shaped Us?” by Coralie Kraft on Lensculture on May 10, 2018 >>
Writes Coralie Kraft: "Unlike many wildlife photographers who focus on the devastating human impact on the natural world, Kern’s work offers a different, but no less significant, thesis: how have humans shaped and molded these creatures over centuries, and how have these animals impacted our development in turn? "
Exhibition and Book Signing at Klompching Gallery
I'm pleased to announce this very special exhibition at Klompching Gallery, New York. Located in the hub of arts district between the Brooklyn Bridge and the Manhattan Bridge in DUMBO, this art space is intimate, beautiful. This gallery has established itself a solid reputation for providing guidance on the acquisition of contemporary fine art photography. Darren Ching & Debra Klomp Ching will welcome you with the same delicate care I approach my subjects.
I welcome you to join me in person in two opportunities:
- Opening Reception Thursday May 10, 6 - 8 p.m.
- Book Signing Saturday May 12, 1 - 2 p.m.
Be among the very first to see the COLLECTOR'S EDITION of the The Unchosen Ones fresh off the press and The Sheep and the Goats (Kehrer Verlag, 2018).
Lenscratch reviews "The Unchosen Ones" book
Aline Smithson features "The Unchosen Ones" book and project along with an interview on April 27, 2018. In the article, I share tips on navigating the fine art waters, lessons I’ve learned, perspectives into my working process, what I learned from my subjects, why I decided to self-publish, what a perfect day looks like and more!
Aline Smithson reviews reviews "The Unchosen Ones" book along with an interview with R. J. Kern.
New acquisition by the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston
The Museum of Fine Arts in Houston acquired the first COLLECTOR'S EDITION of The Unchosen Ones (ed 20) in pre-sale this week. The project features photographs by R. J. Kern and a cloth clamshell box and print folio created in collaboration with Keith Taylor in Minneapolis, MN. The Artist Book Edition includes essays by independent curator Alison Nordström, PhD and Joe Scapanski, Minnesota State Fair Board of Managers. The pre-sale began on April 15 and books will ship May 2018 in conjunction with a solo exhibition at Klompching Gallery in New York from May 9 - June 30, 2018.
This is the second acquisition of work created R. J. Kern by the Museum of Fine Arts in Houston. The first included the COLLECTOR'S EDITION of The Sheep at the Goats in 2017.
Communication Arts Award of Excellence 2018
in Accolades
"The Unchosen Ones" book received an Award of Excellence from Communication Arts magazine and will be featured in the 2018 Photo Annual issue on newsstands June 2018. In the editorial and advertising photography world, this is HUGE! I remember thumbing through back issues of Communication Arts in high school art classes looking for creative inspiration. I'm honored to have my work featured along of some of the best photographers in the world!
"The Unchosen Ones" Pre-Sale
"The Unchosen Ones" artist book and COLLECTOR'S EDITION pre-sale has begun. I’m proud of every piece of this project including it being all made in Minnesota, USA.
The Artist Book Edition includes essays by independent curator Alison Nordström, PhD and Joe Scapanski, Minnesota State Fair Board of Managers. Designed by Matthew Steaffens. Publisher: Author. 2018. Softcover, unbound. 12.5 x 15.5 inches (31.6 x 39.4 cm). 76 pages, 65 color illustrations. Printed in Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. First Edition, 200 copies. Retail price: US $35.
The COLLECTOR'S EDITION features:
- SIGNED Limited Edition PRINT (11 x 14 inches) from a choice of two images (1/10)
- 20 numbered copies + 4APs
- Clothbound, embossed clamshell box created by Keith Taylor
- Custom “The Unchosen Ones" rosette ribbon, inscribed by artist
- Hand-signed book, “The Unchosen Ones"
- Includes all Artist Book Edition details
Pricing to increase as edition sells out. Available May 2018.
The Sheep and the Goats: Book Review
Suzanne Révy reviewed three recently published photography books exploring relationships between humans and animals: The Sheep and the Goats by R.J. Kern, The Shepherd’s Daughter by Clare Benson, and Amelia and the Animals by Robin Schwartz. This is the first official review of my monograph published by Kehrer Verlag and I am honored to be featured along with the work of two accomplished artists, Clare Benson and Robin Schwartz!
Click here to read the review on What Will You Remember published on March 27, 2018 >>
Suzanne Révy reviews The Sheep and the Goats by R.J. Kern, The Shepherd’s Daughter by Clare Benson, and Amelia and the Animals by Robin Schwartz.