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photos by Claire Warden, Michael Lundgren, and SMoCA Staff
At the Crossroads of American Photography: Callahan, Siskind, Sommer, examines the pivotal interrelationship of three mid-century photographers who helped define the course of American photography: Harry Callahan, Aaron Siskind and Frederick Sommer (who lived in Prescott, Arizona). This is the first full comparison of their work and exploration of their robust, prescient exchange of ideas about photography, abstraction and metaphor. Self-taught as photographers, they helped shape the evolution of photography as an art form. This exhibition highlights the powerful role of such camaraderie in shaping photography at this seminal time, before the emergence of a market for photography and before widespread artistic acceptance of the medium. Their work is an important bridge between classic mid-century photography and hybrid artistic approaches to the medium today.
This project also showcases the historical importance of Frederick Sommer, who worked in relative isolation in Prescott, Arizona, yet whose masterful and singular work is internationally recognized today. It has been some 20 years since Sommer’s art was last shown in depth here. SMoCA thanks the Frances and Frederick Sommer Foundation, Prescott, AZ for its consultation on and partnership in this project since its inception.
The exhibition will include 151 prints of remarkably high quality, many from a heretofore unseen private collection. The At the Crossroads of American Photography: Callahan, Siskind, Sommer catalogue is available through the SMoCA Store and Radius Books.
Organized by the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art. Co-curated by former Director Susan Krane (now Oshman Executive Director, San Jose Museum of Art) and Project Curator Claire Carter, with Consulting Curator Keith F. Davis (Curator of Photography, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art and the Hallmark Collection). Sponsored by the Walter and Karla Goldschmidt Foundation. Additional sponsorship provided by Sue and Bud Selig; SRP; Paul Giancola; and Phyllis and Richard Stern. Additional funding made possible by the National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) and from the J.W. Kieckhefer Foundation and the Margaret T. Morris Foundation.
FREE RELATED EVENTS: Thursdays @ 6:30 pm
MAY 28 Sketching in the galleries. Museum visitors explore works of art in At the Crossroads of American Photography: Callahan, Siskind, Sommer through directed activities. Bring a sketch pad and pencil.
JUNE 18 Lecture: "Objective Intimacy" Professor Betsy Schneider, ASU, discusses her intriguing photographs and the rich, compelling tradition of artist Harry Callahan, who also used loved ones to create work. Stage 2 Theater.
JULY 9 Artists on Artists: Rooted in the Real. A lively, experimental showcase of six documentary-based photographers and new media artists. Organized by local artists Aaron Abbott and Chris Todd, both members of SMoCA’s Artists Advisory Committee. Stage 2 Theater.
JULY 16 "Lineage: tracing generations of American photography" Co-curator Claire C. Carter provides scholarly context for the exhibition At the Crossroads of American Photography: Callahan, Siskind, Sommer. Stage 2 Theater.
And if you missed the MAY 8 & 9 SYMPOSIUM: "Exchanging Ideas: photography, abstraction and metaphor at mid-century", click here to see highlights from the event!
MEDIA BUZZ
PRESS RELEASE |
Frederick Sommer, Untitled (Painted Desert), ca. 1940, 7 9/16 x 9 7/16 inches. © Frederick and Frances Sommer Foundation, Prescott, Arizona.
Held over! Exhibition extended to August 9th
January 31, 2009-
August 9, 2009
Galleries 3 and 4, SMoCA |
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