Frank Gallery Frank in Focus
Artist Reception: October 19, 2024

Meet the artists for the 2024 edition of Frank in Focus: Ashlie Johnson Coggins, Peter Filene, Dan Gotlieb, Barbara Tyroler

Ashlie Johnson Coggins is an artist, who enjoys thinking and learning about human centered design, storytelling, environmentalism, art, culture, and the ways people create identity and connection in the digital world. 

Peter Filene taught U.S. history at the University of North Carolina. Nows lives and teaches at Carol Woods Retirement Community, volunteering for Meals on Wheels, member of FRANK Gallery and recently published two books.

Dan Gotlieb’s photo-generated work that investigates the subjective boundaries between environmental disruptions and human dislocation. “Having spent forty years creating cultural spaces and environments for art in the public realm, I now focus my creative life on personal perspectives that convey a subjective, often “blurry” aesthetic to depict nature and the human condition void of edges or boundaries. Visual ambiguity and mystery are core to my picture-making, as are a deep interest in physical and environmental sciences, and material process of picture making.”

Barbara Tyroler has a lifelong love of creating portraiture for constructing memories, rendering the figure as art abstraction within the landscape. Her current work addresses the concept of home, serving local organizations that serve the elderly, children, and families.

September 9- November 1, 2024
Allenton Gallery

Celebration of Show: October 18th from 6-8pm

 I have always struggled with the idea of the self-portrait. The camera is an ingenious tool that allows an introvert like me, a means of making oneself invisible by placing the focus on something or someone else. But when the camera is turned around and is in skilled hands, there is no longer anywhere to hide as it always bores down into one’s soul. I find myself at a point in life that I no longer want to be invisible. I want to be seen, but I want to be seen as myself, to break down the assumptions people make. But to be truly seen, one must know who they are. As life brought on new roles and identities, wife and mother, somewhere along the way I had forgotten who I am.

In my quest to regain my sense of self, I chose to focus on the fundamental relationships that have shaped me; those that are in the present, and those that are in the past. I have manifested this through masquerade. These photographs are not literally me, they are characters, people from my past amalgamated into one. They represent phases in my life and places and people I have known, but they are also the universal, the archetype. They are you just as much as they are me.

This project has dominated my life and thoughts for the past two and a half years and is the most intuitive work I have made to date. I always wanted to be a painter, but I was frustrated by the fact that I could never achieve an end result on the canvas to match what I had envisioned in my mind. This project made me see how photography – painting with light – is a more expressive creative medium for me. Photography can lend realism to an idea that is obviously constructed. I love the irony of the photograph being an arbiter of what is real. I chose to print these photographs very large, to deepen this illusion. They confront the viewer while inviting them to enter the scene that is being depicted.

This work represents time and the emotions and moments that shaped me and made me question the foundation of everything. Before we can ask, who are we, we have to ask, who am I?

A special thank you to the William King Museum of Art in Abingdon, VA and especially to Alice Salyer.

Thank you to Bart Fox and Julian’s of Chapel Hill for their generosity.

Artist Bio:

Jennifer Cantwell is a photographic artist based out of Chapel Hill, NC. She was born in Washington DC and has lived in Guadalajara, Mexico, New York City, Santiago, Chile, and many other places in between. As Jennifer has always lived in a multi-racial, multi-cultural, and multi-lingual space, her work tends to focus on ideas of identity, family, home, and community. Her work is about looking beyond the surface to see and to be seen. She studied photography at SUNY Purchase and graduated with a BFA in Painting and Printmaking from Virginia Commonwealth University. Her work has been described as minimalist, pared down to the essence of the subject, whether that is a still life or a person. Much of her work has explored the portrait, and she now expands that by examining the self-portrait.

September 9- November 1, 2024
Semans Gallery
Celebration of Show: October 18th from 6-8pm

sentimental riffs is an interdisciplinary exhibition that mines at the emotional depth of vernacular photography. This exhibition brings together works from different projects united by their engagement with the photograph from a sentimental disposition. These works vary in method, materials, and concept but intersect at the shared focus on the photograph’s emotive potential and how sentiment can be articulated through a visual means. The title sentimental riffs draws on an analogy to riffs in musical compositions, a recurring thematic element that shapes and defines a piece of music. “Riffs” in this context represents the varying meditations on sentimentality explored throughout the exhibition.

Artist Bio:

Mark Anthony Brown Jr. (b. 1991) is a journeyman. He currently lives and works between Cincinnati, Ohio, Durham, North Carolina and Atlanta, Georgia. Mark has received a Bachelor of Science Technology from Bowling Green State University and a Master of Fine Art in Studio Art from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill where he was a fellow in Museum Practice at The Ackland Art Museum.

Mark’s art practice is research driven and interdisciplinary; utilizing photography, sculpture, drawing and painting with interests in vernacular aesthetic practices & sensibilities, critical engagements with the vernacular landscape, the manifestation of African cultural retentions in the diaspora, semiotics, and archival practices. In conjunction with his art practice, Mark is also an educator & archivist.

His work has been exhibited nationally; including the Cincinnati Art Museum, Mint Gallery in Atlanta, Georgia and The Contemporary Art Museum in Raleigh, North Carolina. Mark has received various fellowships and awards including an Emerging Lens Fellowship from ArtWORKS in Chicago, (2022), the Nexus Grant from Atlanta Contemporary (2022), a Visiting Researcher Fellowship at Wilson Special Collection Library at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill (2023) and residencies at Ox-Bow School of Art and Shandaken: Storm King (2024) .

Third Friday Artist Reception: October 18, 2024
Through This Lens Gallery

Willie Osterman is a Professor and Program Chair of the Fine Art Photography department in the Photographic Arts Department at the Rochester Institute of Technology, New York where he has been teaching, researching and working as an active artist since 1984. He received his Bachelors of Fine Arts degree in photography with a minor in art history from Ohio University and a Master of Fine Arts degree in Visual Design and Photography with the award of two teaching fellowships from the University of Oregon.

After graduating he became a visiting assistant professor at the University of Oregon for two years. His teaching experience includes the Ansel Adams Workshops in Yosemite National Park, and in traveling workshops in twelve US states as well as in Italy, France, Austria and Croatia. As Former Curator of Photography at the University of Oregon Museum of Art, he received two grants from the National Endowment of the Arts. He was a printing assistant to the production of the Ansel Adams Special Edition Prints working with Mr. Adams in Carmel California and has worked as a contract photographer for the Eastman Kodak Company. His publication 'Déjà View: A Cultural Re-Photographic Survey of Bologna, Italy' in its second edition is now out of print. During his sabbatical for the year 2009/10 he received a Fulbright Scholars Award to develop a Masters Degree program and teach at the Academy of the Dramatic Arts, University of Zagreb, Croatia.

His work is in numerous collections including: The Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago; University of New Mexico Museum of Art, Albuquerque; International Museum of Photography at the George Eastman House, Rochester, New York; New Orleans Museum of Art; Portland Museum of Art, Museum of Art, Eugene, Oregon; Lotus Collection, Salzburg, Austria; Museo della Fotografia Cinisell Balsamo, Milan, Italy; Museo Civico del Risorgimento, Bologna, Italy; Alinari Photographic Archive, Florence, Italy; Muzej Grada Zagreba (City Art Museum of Zagreb), Croatia.

He has exhibited widely in the US including: Aspen Museum of Art, Aspen, Colorado; The Gallery @ 49th Street, New York, NY; The Ansel Adams Gallery, Yosemite, California; The Photographic Center, Carmel, California; Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg, Florida; The Sert Gallery, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts; Vision Gallery, San Francisco, CA, Visual Studies Workshop, Rochester, NY. His International Exhibitions, among others, include: Uluslararasi Foto raf Yari masi International Exhibition of Photography, Yildiz University, Istanbul, Turkey; Incorocio sulla via del Sale, Sacile, Italy; Centro Ricerca Archiviazione della Fotografia, Milan, Italy; USSR Traveling Photographic Exhibit; Diavassi Cultural Center, La Strada ‘Regina Margherita’ Athens, Greece; Lotus Gallery, Ernsting/Salzburg, Austria; Ping Yao International Photography Festival, Ping Yao, China; Galerija Klovicevi dvori Kula Lotrscak in Zagreb, Croatia.

Intro to DSLR:  Join us for an engaging and hands-on Digital SLR Workshop designed for beginner and intermediate photographers! This session will guide you through the essential features of digital SLR cameras, helping you to understand and utilize your camera to its full potential to elevate your photography skills.

Workshop Highlights:
+ Understanding key components and functions of your digital SLR
+ Understanding manually adjusting your aperture, shutter speed, and ISO
 + Explore fundamental principles of composition to enhance the storytelling power of your images.
+ Hands-On Practice: Participate in practical shooting exercises and photo walk that allow you to apply what you’ve learned in real-world scenarios with your instructor and peers.
+ Learn how to import your images and your options for storage and digital archive management.
 + Editing Basics: Get an introduction to photo editing software, providing tips on how to enhance your images post-capture.
Whether you're looking to improve your skills or just starting out, this workshop is designed to inspire creativity and provide you with the confidence you’ll need to take your photography to another level. BYO Digital SLR!

INSTRUCTOR: LINDSAY METIVIER
DATE & TIME: THURSDAY, OCT 17 // 11 AM-2 PM
MAX CAPACITY: 8
COST: $125

A Brief History of Press Photos and Photojournalism

Join Christine Benoodt, an art historian, curator and collector, as she interweaves the histories of photography, camera technology, press agencies, and newspapers and learn the stories behind the photos and photographers of years past.

About the Presenter:
Christine Benoodt is an independent art consultant providing art collection management and fine art appraisals. She frequently lectures at many senior residences, clubs, and organizations.

Exhibit opens  Tuesday October 15
Reception on Third Friday 6-8pm at Truist Gallery
Durham Arts Council

“The Art of Resilience” is not just an exhibit; it’s a photographer’s journey to the hearts and hands of indigenous communities around the world. Through life-size portraits, artisan interviews and processes, and cinematic glimpses of local traditions, visitors will be transported to the highlands of Guatemala, the Thai-Burma border, and the Kalahari Desert in Namibia. This immersive experience celebrates the artistry, culture, and unwavering spirit of Maya, Karen, Karenni, and San women and will showcase over 50 artisan pieces from overseas. Samples of ostrich eggshell jewelry and wall art, embroidery and rug-hooked pieces, and backstrap woven garments will be for sale to the public and proceeds will go to Multicolores, WEAVE, and OMBA Arts Trust, who are the three nonprofits championing these communities. Come saturate your senses and celebrate the transformative power of art.

Bio:

Susu Hauser is a professional photographer and documentary filmmaker specializing in weaving poignant narratives with stunning imagery. She has been referred to as a “trailblazing female” for over a decades’ work producing content for National Geographic, Discovery Channel, and The History Channel. Having honed her skills in television production, Susu cofounded The Invisible Lens, a full-service production company with a mission to create impactful programming. Highlights of this work include a full-length wildlife conservation documentary in Ethiopia’s Bale Mountain National Park, a cinematic memoir for NASA physicist, George Gloeckler, an environmental documentary entitled "Voices of the Inside Passage" which was selected to the 2018 Colorado Environmental Film Festival, and a medical docuseries for Detroit’s Top Docs.

In 2021, Susu founded Susu Hauser Photography with a continued commitment to lend her services to aligned missions and organizations. As the sole owner and operator of the production company, she has produced promotional videos for Dress for Success Triangle, The American Kennel Club, The Living Arts Collective, Sonda Yoga, Photographers Without Borders, Multicolores, WEAVE - Women's Education for Advancement and Empowerment Foundation, OMBA Arts Trust, the Jonah Garson Campaign, and Nnenna Freelon's Great Grief Podcast. Susu’s “trailblazing” career has been featured by Crew Connection, Production Hub, LensCulture, Philanthropy Journal, and Cary Magazine.

Susu is a 200-hour certified yoga instructor, salsa dancer, and tennis junkie, who dabbles in wheel-thrown pottery and wire-wrapped jewelry. She has filmed and photographed in 20 countries and 5 continents and now finds sanctuary in North Carolina with her pup, Kona.

Exhibition Runs October 15—November 15, 2024
Gallery Opening: October 15

Drawn to Water:
Water calls to us as human beings, perhaps because we are mostly made up of the stuff. It shapes the land and makes life livable. We are drawn to water for many reasons: for our health and survival, for spiritual rites and rituals, for athletic endeavors, and often for the pure pleasure of social engagement. Water cleanses and invigorates. In the heat of a southern summer it cools us and acts as a social focal point. Water attracts every race and social strata. It can be a place of isolation and lone meditation or a location where one lets down one’s guard, along with much clothing, and rub shoulders with complete strangers. Water motivates us to dare and it will cushion our fall.

Having spent 30 years away from my native state, I returned to North Carolina in 2012 with an idea to rediscover this beloved place with fresh eyes. I found myself drawn to the old landmarks that have remained the bookmarks of my memory and discovered that a common thread among them was water. My youthful fantasies were of Huck Finn floating down the Mississippi and my realities were tubing down mountain streams in water so cold it turned your lips blue. I did build a raft once…it sunk. Water flows down out of the Blue Ridge mountains and finds it way to the Atlantic ocean. It meanders its way across my southern landscape. Undeniably, water stands at the center of myriad political and environmental debates, however my interest in these images is to examine the social significance of water in our lives. These photographs capture the variety of human interaction found around beaches, lakes and quarries, along rivers, waterfalls and swimming holes.

-Bryce Lankard

About Bryce Lankard

Bryce Lankard's career has been immersed in photography from nearly every angle. He has been an art director, curator, educator, creative director, arts administrator, designer, and editor. An acclaimed editorial, documentary and fine art photographer, his work has been published internationally in countless magazines and he has exhibited in galleries and museums around the globe alongside such luminaries as Henri Cartier-Bresson, Andres Serrano, Bruce Davidson and Robert Frank. In 2018 his work was in “Across County Lines; Contemporary Photography from the Piedmont” at the Nasher Museum. “Drawn to Water” has been exhibited at Flanders Gallery in Raleigh, NC, at the South East Center for Photography in Greenville, SC and selections from the project have appeared in other exhibitions, most recently in “Water, Water” at the Walter Anderson Museum, in Ocean Springs, Miss.

A native of North Carolina and UNC alumnus, he has spent significant time in New Orleans and New York City. In 1995

Exhibit: October 6 – November 24, 2024
Horace Williams House
Artist Reception: October 13, 2-4PM

Gadisse Lee is a 25-year-old fine art photographer based in North Carolina. She was born and raised in Ethiopia for seven years before coming to the United States. Lee received her BFA in 2022 from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. She has had numerous group exhibitions throughout North Carolina including the For Freedoms Project – Lawn Signs, and has had her work published in Stubborn Magazine, The Danger Issue.

To learn more about Horace Williams House exhibitions, please visit their website here.

ARTIST STATEMENT

In my journey as a self-portrait photographer, the natural world has become an integral part of my creative process. Nature offers a vast, ever-changing palette that I find both grounding and inspiring. Rather than constructing artificial sets or seeking out man-made environments, I immerse myself in the landscapes that Mother Nature provides.

This connection with nature adds a layer of depth and authenticity to my work that might otherwise be absent in more controlled settings. However, my recent explorations have also led me to experiment with controlled environments, which has been an enlightening and enjoyable experience.

During this experimental phase of my practice, I've pushed the boundaries of color and form, discovering that color-driven compositions not only enhance the visual impact of my portraits but also deepen their emotional resonance. The carefully chosen palettes I work with create moods and atmospheres that are not just visual—they're visceral. They evoke memories, stir emotions, and invite viewers to step into the world I've created, even if just for a moment.

What I’ve found most rewarding about this stage is the freedom to explore, to push the edges of what I know, and to embrace the unknown. This sense of play is where true creativity blossoms. Through this process, I’ve refined my technical skills and gained a deeper understanding of myself as both an artist and a subject. Each portrait becomes a dialogue between the environment, the color, and my own presence within the frame.

As I continue this journey, I’m excited to explore how complementary and monochromatic colors found in nature can be applied to controlled subjects. My goal is to create work that not only inspires me but also resonates deeply with others.

Cyanotype Workshop: In this workshop, we will be making cyanotype prints from physical objects (you are welcome to bring any plants/flowers or objects that you like, smaller objects about palm size preferred) and photographic transparencies printed onto a film (provided). You will get to know the essential knowledge of cyanotype chemistry, coating paper and preparations, how to gauge exposure under the sun (making test strips), processing cyanotypes, enhancing the print and proper care of prints and more! Expect lots of fun!

All Materials Included + All Levels

INSTRUCTOR: Joseph Gu
DATE & TIME: SATURDAY, OCT 12 // 12 PM-2 PM
MAX CAPACITY: 6
COST: $ 100

Location: Cassilhaus, Chapel Hill
Event Sign ups/RSVPs linked below
Watch this space.

AIR LOOM celebrates 15 years of the Cassilhaus Artist-in-Residence program and features the work of 53 of the 61 artists that have been through our program. The curators have focused on work that was produced during the artists’ time at Cassilhaus or later work inspired by their time here. The opening of the exhibition will coincide with a four day celebration where 30 of the artists will come together to meet one another (or re-meet from the 5th and 10th anniversary) and share their common experience here. A wide range of media will be showcased including photography, painting, works on paper, video, poetry, dance, sculpture, book arts, choreography, music, animation, collage, drawing, writing, film, and textile arts.

AIR LOOM is being curated by Cassilhaus founders Ellen Cassilly and Frank Konhaus and will have a public opening sometime in late June.

Please RSVP.  If event is not full, directions will be forwarded upon receipt.  AIRLOOMclosing@cassilhaus.com

Opening October 11, 2024
Peel Gallery, Carrboro

Peel Gallery’s Carousel Slideshow is a curated exhibition of carnival photography. The reception features a slideshow screening of the works accompanied by live electronic music with framed works hung throughout the gallery. Works will range from traditional and digital to alternative and mixed media methods of photography to be displayed for the duration of October. The event and exhibition is part of the 2024 Click! Photo Festival 

This talk will demonstrate a practical approach to exploring generative visual artificial intelligence. Methods of shaping the visual outcomes will be discussed and demonstrated. Criticality, caution, and curiosity will be at play as we delve into this emergent component of visual culture.

With Augustus Wendell, Assistant Professor of the Practice in Art, Art History, and Visual Studies at Duke University

About Augustus Wendell

Augustus Wendell is an educator, technologist and designer who lives and works between Durham, North Carolina and Brooklyn, New York. Augustus is an Assistant Professor of the Practice in the Department of Art, Art History and Visual Studies at Trinity College, Duke University. Augustus has an MFA in Computer Art from The School of Visual Arts and an undergraduate degree from Northeastern University. He researches the intersection of the built environment and digital inquiry and has published on digital humanities and heritage, digital design research and design education. Prior to his appointment at Duke he taught at the New Jersey Institute of Technology where he directed the Digital Design degree and was the director of the Motion Analysis Lab and the Virtual Reality Lab. Augustus has also held appointments at Parsons the New School for Design, The New York School of Interior Design and Virginia Tech. As owner and creative director at kim.wendell design llc, Augustus has directed visual imagery campaigns for numerous national and international clients.

Augustus is the creator of the CULTURE IO LAB at Duke University

Augustus is co-creator of the Tele-Ocular live media festival

Exhibit: September 11 through November 15, 2024
Artist Reception: Thursday, October 10, 2024, 5:30 – 7:30 pm
Artists Reception: October 10, 5:30-7:30PM

Anything But Still aims to expand the traditional concept of the ‘still-life’ beyond the simplistic definition of an arrangement of objects. Each of the artists included has a unique approach to their work and demonstrates the vast possibilities of interpreting the documentation of objects within their photography practice.

Artists throughout history have used objects as subjects to capture a moment in time and, in the case of the 17th-century Vanitas theme, assign meaning and symbolism. Each item within this motif was selected for its symbolic representation of the ephemeral condition of life and the fleeting futility of worldly possessions. Examples may include a skull or hourglass to show the passage of time, shells, exotic fruits, and coins representing wealth and travel.

 Yana Slutskaya has a traditional approach with a contemporary take, “I approach each composition by envisioning the objects as dynamic characters, each playing a role in a captivating narrative.” Her colorful compositions incorporate natural light as an additional subject. Meanwhile, Derrick Davis captures random events from everyday life, “I’ve been exploring still life photography in a nontraditional way. I love to create images that dramatically reflect the energy of a moment.” And with that energy, Davis questions if, indeed, a still life needs to be still.

We view these objects and can’t help but wonder about their histories, how they came to be, what circumstances brought this moment together, and who may have encountered and interacted with them. The scenes are much more dynamic than the initial surface appreciation of the image and our attachment to material things. Through this photography, we can examine the relationships between art, the object, and society. The still life can be reflective of our times – what we are experiencing economically, politically, and socially.

Leah Sobsey’s new body of work “The Echoing Green” captures this relationship between history and objects seamlessly, [using] “the non-toxic chlorophyll photographic printing process to honor prominent historical women in the arts and sciences who were often overlooked in a male-dominated world.” Delicate and haunting portraits develop through photosynthesis, creating a fusion of art and science.

Perhaps huiyin zhou’s statement captures it best and expands the idea and genre of the classical still life, “[their] selected photo sequence reinterprets Still-Life in the politics of hope and endurance: as we are witnessing and living through multiple pandemics, genocides and ecocides, still, there is life.”

Iphone Photography Workshop: Learn how to make amazing photographs using the camera you have with you always, your iPhone!

In this workshop, you’ll discover how to make the most of your cell phone camera emphasizing content, composition, technique, workflow, and post-processing. We’ll use multiple image editing apps to edit and retouch images. You’ll also learn to navigate syncing, saving and sharing your photographs with ease!
Each participant will walk through every step from shooting, post-production, and printing! Everyone will take away a print of their very own phone photo!

Instructor: Lindsay Metivier
Max Capacity: 8
All Levels
OCTOBER 8, TUESDAY
11 AM -1 PM

Sunday, October 6, 2024
10:00 AM - 3:00 PM
Durham Central Park

The CLICK! Photo Fair, will be held during the Click! Photography Festival in the covered market at Durham Central Park on Sunday, October 6th from 10:00am–3:00pm. The fair will bring together arts organizations, galleries, vendors, and individual photographers to build community and promote photography in the Triangle.

Attendance to the Fair is FREE and open to the public!

For artists to exhibit, each 10’x10’ ft space is only $60. This is a great opportunity for individual artists or clubs to showcase their work and gain an audience.

We will be in a covered venue so this event will be held rain or shine!

To further enhance the opening weekend experience Click! has invited a specially curated group of exhibitors to showcase their products and services. Plans include product demonstrations, panel discussions, exhibits and more!

The Expo will take place October 4th & 5th at the Downtown Durham Convention Center.

Experience Event Highlights

Click! Masterclass – The Essentials of Inkjet Printing

Led by Eric Joseph from Freestyle Photo & Imaging

This class is for photographers at all levels.

Using a Canon imagePrograf Pro-2600 24 inch wide large format archival pigment inkjet printer, Eric will perform a printing demonstration instructing participants in best practices and how to achieve predictable, reliable, consistent, controllable and repeatable results.

We will touch on various topics including:

• Proper printer driver settings

• Printer troubleshooting tips

• Paper Selection

• Whatever other questions participants might have. (In my classes, there is never such a thing as a dumb question. Bring it on!)

Photograph: Eric Joseph

A few select participants images will be printed on various papers, showing just how important paper selection is. Select papers from the following brands will be available: Awagami, Canson-Infinity, Hahnemühle and Moab.

There will be 10 students whose names will be drawn by lottery from those registered by 10/1/24 who will be invited to submit a single image for Eric’s presentation. Seating is limited, so don’t delay, register today!

Durham Convention Center

Meeting Room 2

Saturday, October 5th 10:00am – 1:00pm

Fee: $20

Register

1st Annual (Mostly) Film Photo Walk

Caleb “BAd Flashes”Knueven

Will lead a film-centric photo walk around downtown Durham. Caleb is a passionate film photographer who’s dedicated his life to promoting the joys of film photography. Check out his YouTube channel HERE.

The walk will will begin at the Durham Convention Center at 9:00am on Saturday, October 5th. Rain or Shine!

The walk is made possible by the generous support of Freestyle Photo Imaging and Supplies. It is free and open to the public but registration is required.

Sign up here!

Don’t own a film camera? No Worries! All are welcome.

Photographers Roundtable

To paraphrase Oscar Wilde....... “When bankers get together, they talk about art. When artists get together, they talk about money."

So… let's talk about money! And contracts (remember those?) And the challenges of doing photographic work — finding business and figuring out how to charge for it.

All experience levels welcome — needed even! Come with the questions; bring the details, feel free to bring vintage or contemporary samples of contracts, invoices or any paperwork that you’d like to refer to or share. What was better back in the day? What's better now? Let's figure it all out once and for all! (OK, just kidding!)

The Photographers Roundtable will be moderated by reviewer MJ Sharp. This event is free and open to the public but please register as space is limited.

Please register here!

Durham Convention Center

Meeting Room 2

Saturday, October 5th 3:00pm - 5:00pm

Get a free Digital Silver Imaging fine art print

Special Offer!
Receive a FREE Museum Quality print, up to a $58 value, for attending CLICK! 2024

Attendees can have Digital Silver Imaging make them either a fine art inkjet print or a real silver gelatin black & white print from their digital file. Yes FREE!

How does this work?

• Hurry! You must upload your photo by Sunday 9/22/24.

• Only 1 photo per customer

• You must pick up your free print in person during the Click! Experience (You cannot pick up a photo for a friend.) 

• If you cannot pick up your FREE photo it will be safely disposed of to protect your copyright.

Don’t Delay, you must upload your file to Digital Silver Imaging by Sunday 9/22/24! Follow this link for upload instructions. Use Promo Code: CLICK24

Digital Silver Imaging (DSI) is the only lab in the world producing the DSI Digital Silver Print®. This process allows for direct printing of digital images on REAL silver gelatin, light sensitive photo paper. Digital Silver Imaging also crafts museum quality color pigment prints, as well as digitization, art reproduction and print finishing and framing services. Digital Silver Imaging has printed, framed, and delivered prints for exhibitions through out the USA and internationally to the Boston MFA, Philadelphia Art Museum, Chicago Art Institute, MOMA, Paris Photo, and the Musée de la Photographie Belgium to name only a few.

The link to order is: https://digitalsilverimaging.com/click-photography-festival/

To further enhance the opening weekend experience Click! has invited a specially curated group of exhibitors to showcase their products and services. Plans include product demonstrations, panel discussions, exhibits and more!

The Expo will take place October 4th & 5th at the Downtown Durham Convention Center.

Experience Event Highlights

Keynote Presentation

6 Steps to Making Perfect Inkjet Prints

Are you making the best prints possible on your Canon or Epson inkjet printer? Do your prints look like what is being displayed on your monitor? Do you really feel like you have control over your printing workflow?

Making beautiful, gallery/exhibition quality inkjet prints isn’t easy or intuitive. If it was everyone would be doing it and doing it well.

This class provides a comprehensive overview of the six steps you need to consider when setting yourself up for success for making perfect inkjet prints.

Durham Convention Center Meeting Room 2 Friday, October 4th. 12:00pm - 1:30pm

Panel Discussion

Crafting a Meaningful Career

Reviewer Dennis Keeley will lead a presentation discussing the paths to a career with meaning. The presentation will be followed by a panel discussion with other industry leaders.

Durham Convention Center Meeting Room 2 Friday, October 4th. 6:00pm - 8:00pm

Get a free Digital Silver Imaging fine art print

Special Offer!
Receive a FREE Museum Quality print, up to a $58 value, for attending CLICK! 2024

Attendees can have Digital Silver Imaging make them either a fine art inkjet print or a real silver gelatin black & white print from their digital file. Yes FREE!

How does this work?

• Hurry! You must upload your photo by Sunday 9/22/24.

• Only 1 photo per customer

• You must pick up your free print in person during the Click! Experience (You cannot pick up a photo for a friend.) 

• If you cannot pick up your FREE photo it will be safely disposed of to protect your copyright.

Don’t Delay, you must upload your file to Digital Silver Imaging by Sunday 9/22/24! Follow this link for upload instructions. Use Promo Code: CLICK24

Digital Silver Imaging (DSI) is the only lab in the world producing the DSI Digital Silver Print®. This process allows for direct printing of digital images on REAL silver gelatin, light sensitive photo paper. Digital Silver Imaging also crafts museum quality color pigment prints, as well as digitization, art reproduction and print finishing and framing services. Digital Silver Imaging has printed, framed, and delivered prints for exhibitions through out the USA and internationally to the Boston MFA, Philadelphia Art Museum, Chicago Art Institute, MOMA, Paris Photo, and the Musée de la Photographie Belgium to name only a few.

The link to order is: https://digitalsilverimaging.com/click-photography-festival/

Artists Joiri Minaya, Cara Romero, and Camille Seaman, in conversation with Duke Faculty, Michaeline Critchlow
Thursday, October 3
5:30 -8:30 PM
Free, pre-registration required, limited capacity. Registration link coming soon.
https://nasher.duke.edu/events/

Please join us for a panel discussion that brings together Joiri Minaya, Cara Romero, and Camille Seaman, three artists from Second Nature: Photography in the Age of the Anthropocene. Each artist brings a unique perspective from the different climatological zones in which they work. Seaman photographs vanishing ice in the Antarctic region; Romero imagines a female-oriented Indigenous-futurism; and Minaya investigates notions of femininity and identity in the Caribbean. Moderated by Michaeline Critchlow, Duke Professor of African and African American Studies, the discussion will illuminate the urgency of these artists’ practices and situate them within the context of the Anthropocene.

Click Opening Event

A Sense of Place

"A Sense of Place" delves into how environments shape experiences and emotions. Whether it's a bustling cityscape, a serene natural vista, or an intimate, personal corner, we were looking for images that convey the unique character and atmosphere of a place. Selected photographs should evoke a sense of connection, memory, or identity related to the locations captured. We were seeking a series of images that tell a story. 

Our Jurors

 Alex Harris has photographed extensively in the American South, New Mexico, Alaska and Cuba. He is one of the founders of the Center for Documentary Studies and of Doubletake Magazine. Harris is an emeritus professor at Duke where has taught for four decades through the Sanford School, The Center for Documentary Studies, and the MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts. His awards include a Guggenheim Fellowship in Photography, a Rockefeller Foundation Humanities Fellowship, a Lyndhurst Prize, and the Robert Cox Undergraduate Teaching Award at Duke. As a photographer and editor, Harris has published 20 books including River of Traps, a 1991 finalist for the Pulitzer Prize in general non-fiction.  Other books include The Idea of Cuba (2007), Why We are Here with evolutionary biologist E.O. Wilson (2012) and Our Strange New Land: Narrative Movie Sets in the American South with Margaret Sartor (2021).

Margaret Sartor is a writer, curator, and visual artist who lives in Durham, NC. Her books include Where We Find Ourselves: The Photographs of Hugh Mangum 1897–1922 (with Alex Harris), What Was True: The Photographs and Notebooks of William Gedney (with Geoff Dyer), and the New York Times best-selling memoir Miss American Pie: A Diary of Love, Secrets, and Growing Up in the 1970s. Sartor’s photographs and essays have appeared in numerous books and publications, among them The Paris Review, Aperture, The New Yorker, and, most recently, Visible Spectrum: Portraits from the World of Autism by Mary Berridge. Her photographs are in permanent collections including: Museum of Fine Arts in Houston, Ogden Museum of Southern Art, New Orleans Museum of Art, and North Carolina Museum of Art. As a curator, Sartor has worked with, among others, Nasher Museum of Art at Duke University, International Center for Photography in New York, and San Francisco Museum of Modern Art.

September 7, 2024 - January 19, 2025
North Carolina Museum of Art

This exhibition features works by artist Dan Estabrook, who uses 19th-century photographic printing processes and materials to examine history and memory in contemporary images. Adopting a familiar language of the passage of time, he utilizes elements that one identifies with something old and worn—stains, spills, tears, folds, fading, discoloration—to create the appearance of age. In his words, “I want a viewer’s first reaction to be one of wonder. Is this a found photograph? An old thing, lost and rediscovered?”

In an era in which we are constantly bombarded with images, where everyone is a photographer with the click of a smartphone, where images and facts are constantly manipulated and fabricated by artificial intelligence and digital technology, Estabrook creates photographs that are unique objects. Using antiquated photographic processes that rely on the artist’s hand, he questions photography’s ability to “tell the truth” from its very inception.

August 29, 2024 – January 05, 2025
Nasher Museum of Art

Just over twenty years ago, scientists introduced a term to denote a new geological epoch in which human activity has had a marked impact on the global climate: the Anthropocene. Since that time, the concept of the Anthropocene has been exposed to a wider public audience through expanding environmental studies and scholarship, increasing coverage in the popular press, widespread and fervent activism, and a variety of artistic responses.

Second Nature: Photography in the Age of the Anthropocene is the first major exhibition to examine the Anthropocene through the lens of contemporary photography. Comprised of forty-five photo-based artists working in a variety of artistic methods from studios and sites across the globe, Second Nature explores the complexities of this proposed new age. Collectively, these artists offer compelling visual imagery necessary for picturing the Anthropocene: aerial views of beautiful but toxic sites, collages that incorporate archival photographs to counter colonial narratives, depictions of urbanism on an unimaginable scale, and imagined yet precarious futures. In doing so, they address urgent issues such as vanishing ice, rising waters, and increasing resource extraction, as well as the deeply rooted and painful legacies of colonialism, forced climate migration, and socio-environmental trauma.

Since its emergence, the term “Anthropocene” has entered the common lexicon and has been adopted by disciplines outside of the sciences including philosophy, economics, sociology, geography, and anthropology, effectively linking the Anthropocene to nearly every aspect of post-industrial life. Organized around four thematic sections, “Reconfiguring Nature,” “Toxic Sublime,” “Inhumane Geographies,” and “Envisioning Tomorrow,” the exhibition proposes that the Anthropocene is not one singular narrative, but rather a diverse and complex web of relationships between and among humanity, industry, and ecology—the depths and effects of which are continually being discovered.

September 29, 2024 2-4PM
Photography Exhibition: MJ Sharp Registration through RCWMS is required. Sign up here.

Join us at the Fruit in Durham for a wide-ranging conversation about depictions of suffering in art and theology. RCWMS Artist-in-Residence MJ Sharp will be exhibiting and discussing her Terror Triptych with Art Historian Elizabeth Howie as part of the 2024 Click! Photography Festival. They will be joined by Theologian-in-Residence Racquel Gill, who will be discussing foundational feminist theology texts such as Phyllis Trible’s Texts of Terror with RCWMS Founder and Director Jeanette Stokes.

The exhibit will be open beginning at 2:00 on Sunday, with the presentations  beginning at 2:30. Audience questions and participation encouraged.

Leaders: A photographic artist and educator based in Durham, North Carolina, MJ was a Fulbright Scholar at the University of Exeter, UK, for the 2021–2022 academic year pursuing the art/science collaboration Our Disappearing Darkness and Recreating True Night with nocturnal ecologist Dr. Kevin Gaston. Learn more about MJ and her work here. Dr. Elizabeth Howie has taught Art History at Coastal Carolina University since 2008. Learn more about Elizabeth here. Racquel Gill obtained her Masters of Divinity degree from Duke Divinity School in May of 2015, and currently serves as the Minister for Intercultural Engagement at Duke University Chapel in Durham. Racquel is the Theologian in Residence for RCWMS. Learn more about Racquel here.  Jeanette is the founder and executive director of RCWMS. Learn more about Jeanette here.

Book Talk and Signing with Kate Medley

Join us on Friday, December 15th at Letters Bookshop for a talk and book signing with photographer Kate Medley. She will be there to talk about her book project: Thank You, Please Come Again, the documentation of Kate’s many road trips across the South photographing our service stations, convenience stores, and quick stops. Along the way, Kate pulls over for tamales, fried fish, and banh mi, but her images uncover the people and landmarks that supply far more than food and gas.

To keep things running smoothly the day of the signing, books may be ordered in advance of the talk here!

In an ever more divided America, these iconic gathering spaces provide unexpected community, generosity, labor, and creativity. Are these rural and urban pit stops the true “filling stations” of our time? In words and nearly 200 incredible images from the American South, Kate Medley shares her answers.

Kate Medley is a North Carolina-based visual journalist and filmmaker documenting the American South. Her work focuses on storytelling and environmental portraiture, and often explores issues of social justice and the shifting politics of the region.