Today, I shared tips of offering value to photography collectors, hosted by B&H Event Space. The free webinar was recorded. I cover how to get work into a museum collection, how I package my prints, the value of a certificate of authenticity, tips on building your CV and your newsletter and more.
Like what you are learning? Reach out and learn more about 1:1 mentoring >>
A year after the Oklahoma State University Museum of Art booked my touring exhibition, I reached out to the curator, Carla Shelton, and offered her an upgrade to the exhibition of eight silver gelatin prints. She obliged. Since the loan fee was higher than the original budget, I offered to donate my artist proof silver gelatin print (printed by Keith Taylor). She said yes!
What a nice set of Walker Evans prints the OSU Museum of Art has! Wonderful that they made their collection digitally accessible and searchable, too. I stopped dead in my tracks seeing Marion Post Walcott’s "Children of Tenant Farmer, Younger One with Rickets on Poor Eroded Land, Wadesboro, North Carolina” Seeing that poor child with rickets made me just think how appreciative I am for healthy children.
Curious about the making of an art exhibit? Sue Bruns highlights advice about how I prepare for an exhibit (ARTICLE HERE >>), sharing the exhibit process from the Watermark Art Center, from start to finish, including how an exhibit is selected, exceptions to rules, a glimpse into the installation process, and programming ideas appreciated by grant funders (with photos by Annalise Braught).
I’m excited to be a part of Hennepin Theatre Trust's It’s The People 2023. This public art project, made in collaboration with Clear Channel, highlights members of the community in the theme of “Network of Mutuality.” This year’s project will also launch alongside the first Minnesota Triennial. The portraits will be displayed on billboards and large-scale banners across Minneapolis this summer, and the Minnesota Triennial will be hosted by Public Art St. Paul June 24 – September 16.
In collaboration with Sachidanandhan Venkatakrishnan, President of the Tamil Association of Minnesota (Minnesota Tamil Sangam, or MNTS, a non-profit organization), I will create one large-scale tableaux photograph depicting MN artists performing Tamil dances and traditional music instruments rooted in southern India and Sri Lanka.
As a portrait photographer since 2006, I am interested in sharing stories of the Minnesota community, especially those underserved in the arts. Lighting, styling and a formal approach elevate my subject out of the ordinary, telling a visual story of strength, character, and confidence.
I was intrigued with the theme, “Network of Mutuality” phrase drawn from the 1963 Martin Luther King, Jr. quote: "Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere. We are caught in an inescapable network of mutuality, tied in a single garment of destiny. Whatever affects one directly, affects all indirectly.”
R. J. Kern selected as a portrait photographer for the “It’s the People” commission by Hennepin Theater Trust.
I mentioned to several friends this week the importance of showing ACTUAL artwork, with the object framed, hanging on a wall. I chose to hold my photograph. The sense of scale of my hands gives the viewer a glimpse into output decisions made by the artist…. aka, how the object is presented. The installation view offers a potential ‘collector’ precise information for what they might expect to see hang on their wall… the size of the mat (4”), the type of glazing (museum glass), frame (simple white), etc.
Big Bird’s Tricycle, Redwood County Fair, Minnesota, 2022, archival pigment print, Ed of 10 + 2AP, 29 x 33 inches framed
This print heads to a new home at the Redwood County Fair, looking sharp thanks to Jim Ross at Ross Frame shop, Minneapolis. He does great framing, reasonable prices, local. I pay him a little extra to paint the corners of the frame. I much prefer “closed corner frames” which do not have four diagonal lines in each corner which I find distracting. Art is 90% presentation. Most never pick up on those details.
Now, to the artwork. Last summer, I began setting up large-scale photographs with 4-H kids, animals, and symbols of Americana— a typical county fair with carnival rides, food booths.. the stuff kids love, all over-priced, unnecessary, yet joy-filled for the kid at heart. I wasn’t sure what this effort would become but enjoyed the process. This summer, I’ve up for more like commissions.
Recognize the tricycle? It was the one in the 2014 movie, I am Big Bird, now a fair mainstay. I’ll let Jeff Potter, a long-time county fair supporter, share the story of how it ended up at the fair for another time. He’s been a supporter of my work, even lifted me up on the front of a fork lift to create this photograph.
This work is apart of a new series, The Last Fair. Joy often isn’t fully appreciated until gone.
The February / March issue of Cowboys & Indians magazine features The Unchosen Ones project, highlighting the upcoming exhibition opening at Oklahoma State University Museum of Art running April 18 - June 24, 2023. Thank you for Dana Joseph for the feature! VIEW ONLINE >>
The Unchosen Ones touring exhibition has made its first stop in the land of Paul Bunyan and Babe the Blue Ox: Bemidji, Minnesota. The show will be up at the Watermark Art Center through March 25, 2023. Special thanks to the staff at the Watermark and Executive Director Lori Forshee-Donnay for their amazing support!
This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota, through a grant from the Region 2 Arts Council, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
Michael Kirchoff, Editor in Chief of Analog Forever Magazine, selected one of my tintypes for his Top 10 analog photographs from 2022. This on-going series of personal photographic works uses ninetieth-century technology to focus on intimate, interdependent relationships of people, animals, and landscape as a means of exploring how ancestry shapes identity and how myth intertwines with personal history. I created the 8 x 10 inch tintype on July 16, 2022 using a Kodak 2d view camera.
The Tauer Family, Redwood County Fair, Minnesota, July 16, 2022 by R. J. Kern, unique tintype, 8 x 10 inches, 2022
The DELUXE PORTFOLIO EDITION of The Unchosen Ones (edition of 10 + 2AP, $5500) was acquired by the Gorman Rare Art Book Collection at the University of Minnesota. Special thank you to curator Deborah Ultan and Jennifer Phelps (Burnet Fine Art & Advisory) for making this happen!
Photo by O. Kern
Year 12 of the Tomte series is here, chronicling on-going Kern family antics.
CLICK HERE FOR THE BLOG POST >>
Warmth and humor lurks beyond the home, extending to school and the sledding hill. We have another cousin to feature, as well as evidence of intergalactic alien visitation (all welcome here) documented by my son and his first Nikon DSLR camera, gifted by my Dad. Witness homemade ginger-bread houses, a candy home, and a Lego battle while cookies cool. New to this holiday series? Discover the antics from 2011, 2012, 2013, 2014, 2015, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020, and 2021. Enjoy!
Business Practices for Fine-Art Photographers by R. J. Kern, Santa Fe Workshops, January 10 - 26, 2023.
The act of photographers helping each other builds community and results in a better, more robust art world. From this foundational premise, I will be offering my help to other photographers as they navigate the business of fine-art photography. In this online workshop, I will impart essential career tips that allow emerging fine-art photographers to grow creatively while also growing their business. Hosted by Santa Fe Workshops, this virtual experience runs January 10 - 26, 2023.
Five years ago I published my first book with German publisher, Kehrer Verlag. Since, I’ve had a box of match prints (8x12 inches) used for proofing purposes in the printing process and will be releasing them to celebrate five-years!
The archival pigment prints are all pristine condition, signed on verso. I will release this special series of prints for Paris Photo 2022, running Nov 8 - 12, 2022.
If you are in Paris, my friends Jamie Johnson and Dotan Saguy and I will be hosting a party. You are welcome, please RSVP. They will have prints from their Kehrer Verlag book, too!
As a follower of my work, I am pleased to offer special access, first come first served. They will go fast.
A selection of prints from my series Divine Animals: The Bovidae, Out to Pasture, and The Unchosen Ones will be released for Paris Photo 2022.
One of my photographs will be exhibited as part of the Eyes on Main Street (8th Edition), curated by Ghadah Alrawi, Jérôme De Perlinghi, and Carol Johnson, Wilson, NC (October 21, 2022 - March 25, 2023). Special thank you to the curators for inviting me to be apart of this really cool concept of photography exhibitions. I love bringing art to the people. For 150 days, 100 photographs will be displayed on 100 storefront windows, walls and buildings, spanning nine city blocks in Wilson, NC.
Ava, Pastoral Study, 2020 by R. J. Kern, exhibited Eyes on Main Street (8th Edition), curated by Ghadah Alrawi, Jérôme De Perlinghi, and Carol Johnson, Wilson, NC (October 21, 2022 - March 25, 2023).
I’m excited to offer my first LIVE Webinar, backed by enthusiastic response from my @spe_midwest talk last week, “Get the Show on the Road! Tips for Creating & Booking Traveling Exhibitions.”
Thursday, November 3, 2022 from 1:00 pm - 2:45 pm CST. CLICK TO ENROLL >>
Once your solo exhibition comes down, how do you keep the show on the road? What practical constraints make it easier to earn a "yes?" What does an 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?
I am excited to share the nuts and bolts of how I was able to book (in a matter of months) over 12 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.
The LIVE webinar is open to all levels. The class is $75 and will take place virtually via Zoom on Thursday, November 3, 2022 from 1:00 pm - 2:45 pm CST.
After 45-min presentation there will be a short break then 45-minutes for Q&A, deeper discussions, and lots of show & tell.
The session will be recorded and sent out to all participants after the class.
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 >>
“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.
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
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.
"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
"New book on 4-H kids who don't win the blue ribbon,” feature with Chris Hrapsky, NBC KARE-11 TV, original live air date August 27 at the Minnesota State Fair, St. Paul, MN. Special thank you to Chris Hrapsky for producing this segment. Watch below or linked here.
"New book on 4-H kids who don't win the blue ribbon,” RJ Kern interview with Chris Hrapsky, NBC KARE-11 TV, original air date August 27
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 >>
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.
