Atlanta Celebrates Photography Auction Gala 2022

Join Atlanta Celebrates Photography (ACP) for an elegant seated dining experience and world-class fine art photography live and silent auction, October 1 at 11am at the Thompson Hotel Buckhead in Atlanta, GA. Enjoy a Southern Dim Sum Brunch designed by James Beard-nominated Chef Todd Ginsberg.

I’m offering one of my most notorious portraits featuring Kenzi and Hootie (2020), mounted and framed in museum glass.

Festivities will begin with live music, cocktails, and the opening of our Silent Auction at 11:00 am, followed by a seated brunch with a curated menu of Southern favorites. The highlight will be a Live Auction of highly collectible fine art photography. Nicholas D. Lowry of Swann Auctions, New York (Antique Roadshow host), will wield the gavel.

Special thanks to Jerry Atnip, Todd Ginsberg, Eli Kirshtein, and Mary Stanley for their leadership in this festive event. The Auction Gala is Atlanta Celebrates Photography’s primary fundraising event in support of Atlanta Celebrates Photography and the 2022 ACP Festival.

CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS AND DETAILS >>

Nevada Museum of Art Acquisition

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“Dumb and Dumber, Freeborn County, MN” found a new home at the Center for Art and Environment at the Nevada Museum of Art, in honor of my friend Greg MacGregor (not dead yet). Greg recommended I reach out to them about a touring exhibition, for which they politely declined (this time). However, one thing lead to the next and the museum was interested in acquiring my work, thanks to the efforts of William L. Fox and Sara Frantz.

What really excites me is the trapezoid created between artist, collector, curator, and museum thanks to my friend, Jamie Siller, who donated the COLLECTOR’S EDITION’s of “The Sheep and the Goats” (Ed of 50) in honor of her late husband, Gino Siller. Gino and I used to photograph weddings together, and were in Ireland in 2012 when I created the first photograph for the project. Lots of warm fuzzies to know the book art project he acquired in 2017 will be given a new home in a public museum collection.

View the entry in the online collection database here >>

Jamie Siller holds the Collector’s Edition of The Sheep and the Goats, donated to the Nevada Museum of Art in honor of her late husband, Gino Siller.

R. J. Kern and the late Gino Siller, Denver, CO, circa 2008

FotoFest exhibit highlighted by Houston CityBook

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I’m delighted to return to Houston to be apart of the FotoFest Biennial Fine Print Auction Exhibition. Curated by Steven Evans and installed in an open space next to Veronica Beard on Westheimer, the exhibit opens Friday, Sept. 9. After a two-week run, the prints will be auctioned at FotoFest’s gala fundraising event, proceeds going to support the organization’s exhibitions, public programming, professional development programs, and more. This is an organization I love to support.

Thank you Chris Becker Houston CityBook for showcasing my print up for grabs, Taite and Beau, Anoka County, Minnesota, Edition 1/10, 20 x 24 inches.

Details about the Auction here >>

"FotoFest Pops Up at River Oaks District with Eye-Catching Two-Week Exhibit," by Chris Becker, Houston CityBook, August 31, 2022, features work by R. J. Kern

Get the Show on the Road! Tips for Creating and Booking Traveling Exhibitions

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Once your solo exhibition comes down, how do you keep the show on the road? What factors are most important? What practical constraints make it easier to earn a "yes?" What elements are most important in creating a touring exhibition? What does a successful exhibition proposal look like? How does a touring exhibition keep your book alive? How do you manage shipping costs and logistics for shows booking 3-4 years out? How much should you charge? What about a retainer? What does a written agreement look like? How do you identify and approach potential venues while keeping your i's dotted and t's crossed?

In my first SPE presentation, “Get the Show on the Road! Tips for Creating and Booking Traveling Exhibitions,” I am excited to share the nuts and bolts of how I was able to book (in a matter of months) over 12 PAID solo exhibitions from my photographic project, The Unchosen Ones. Traveling exhibitions support my creative practice, keep my books alive, and create PREDICABLE income, unlike gallery print sales or grants. I'm eager to share my enthusiasm and lessons learned with a goal of expanding your audience for your photographic projects. 

Friday, October 07, 9:00am
2022 MWSPE Conference, Cincinnati, OH

This year's theme highlights works concerned with the ebb and flow of social, political, and artistic trends and how these tropes and themes can return with differing focus and intensity. Learn more and see complete list of of speakers here >>

2022 MWSPE Conference, Cincinnati, OH Get the Show on the Road! Tips for Creating and Booking Traveling Exhibitions

Homage to Nadar

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Moments after this photograph was created on July 16, 2022, Michael Tauer (right) was declared Supreme Champion Showman at the 2022 Redwood County Fair in Minnesota. This was the last year of 4-H showing for the family, a bittersweet experience, according to Michael’s mother, Kris. Left to right: Morgan, Jeff, Kris and Michael Tauer.

The photograph was published recently in the exhibition, Time, juried by Michael Behlen, and featured in Analog Forever magazine (online). View the works here >>

This tintype photograph serves as homage to Nadar (Adrien Tournachon, French, 1825 - 1903) who photographed prizewinning animals at the agricultural competitions in the late 1850s, early 1860s. The photographs serve both artists and breeders, as they document fine specimens of horses, cattle, etc.

"The Tauer Family, Redwood County Fair, July 16, 2022" by R. J. Kern. Unique tintype, 8 x 10 inches, 2022.

Shangtuf Photography TV Photo Talk (China)

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Shangtuf Creative Photo Talk hosted by Guo Jing, streamed May 2nd, 2022, with Michael Pritchard, Leslie Sheryll, and Owen Harvey. (Mandarin Chinese translated)

This video is edited from a recording of the Shangtuf Creative Photo Talk streamed on May 2nd, 2022. In this episode, a panel of expert and photographers share their experience on International Photography Exhibition by Royal Photographic Society, including Dr. Michael Pritchard, Programms Director of the Royal Photographic Society, R. J. Kern, a photo artist from the United States, Leslie Sheryll, a visual artist from the United States, and Owen Harvey, a photo artist from the United Kingdom.

Summer Art at Burnet Art

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“Summer is a great time to visit art museums, which offer the refreshing rinse of swimming pools - only instead of cool water, you immerse yourself in art,” writes Jerry Saltz.

Dip your toes into the art pool back room at Burnet Fine Art and you’ll find to two special photographs from 'The Unchosen Ones' series special— exhibition prints from juried shows. Exhibitions and curation form the backbone of photographic art. These framed photographs have earned frequent flier miles:

"Anna and Helen, Blue Earth County Fair, 2016" (right), exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery (London, UK), below.

Exhibition print from the Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize 2017 Exhibition, National Portrait Gallery, London, England, 2017

And "Carlana, Pastoral Study, 2020" (left) at Photographic Center Northwest (Seattle, WA) from the exhibition "Time Capsule," Juried by Shamim M. Momin, 2021.

Exhibition print from "Time Capsule," Juror: Shamim M. Momin, Photographic Center Northwest, Seattle, WA , 2021

A thought to ponder as you float in the art pool from Jerry Saltz: "Billions of photos are shot every year, and about the toughest thing a photographer can do is invent an original, deeply personal, instantly recognizable visual style.”

Solo Exhibition at Burnet Fine Art

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I’m pleased to announce dates for my third solo exhibition held at Burnet Fine Art & Advisory (Wayzata, MN) opening May 21 (I”ll be there 4-7pm). The Unchosen Ones features a selection of photographs from the series of the same name, presented in archival pigment prints, tintypes, and toned silver gelatin prints.

“(Kern’s) work is about people and animals, but it is also very much about a world in which people and animals continue to coexist, and the ways a childhood experience may or may not shape a later life,” writes Alison Nordström, Independent Curator, in her essay in the The Unchosen Ones: Portraits of an American Pastoral (MW Editions, 2021).

Artist talk with Alison Nordström and R. J. Kern

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As part of the International Photography Festival of Castilla y León (Palencia, Spain). Alison Nordström and I shared in a virtual conversation in April 2022. We spoke about The Unchosen Ones project, my roots as a photographer, and what’s next for the creative project. Special thank you to Anne Morin for her support, as well as the Century Foundation for Tourism and the Arts of Castile and León. More information: www.fifcyl.com/en

BookEnds Online Edition - Wadena County Historical Society

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On March 12, join me for BookEnds Online Edition, a book talk sponsored by the Wadena County Historical Society in collaboration with the New York Mills Cultural and Historical Center and the Five Wings Art Council. The goal: a monthly literary event connecting readers and writers. I enjoyed the Q&A engagement with those who joined us. Special thank you to Lina Belar for inviting me to be apart of this wonderful group supporting my creative practice. We enjoyed an hour-long conversation, and you may listen in to our conversation, available below.

BookEnds Online Edition, a virtual book talk recording with R. J. Kern, The Unchosen Ones book, Wadena County Historical Society in collaboration with the New York Mills Cultural and Historical Center and the Five Wings Art Council. Recorded: March 12, 2022.