Real Photo Show with Michael Chovan-Dalton

"Like shooting in black and white it really is just trying to find a way to see all these tones of gray and to not see things so stark as good and bad or life and death…"   Jesse Lenz and I talk about his first monograph, The Locusts. It is a gorgeous book that explores childhood wonder and discovery, beauty and terror, and memory and imagination, as well as the notions of what is family and home. As you will hear in our conversation, the process of making this work was part of a turning point in Jesse's life about what home means to him.   Jesse Lenz is a self-taught photographer and multidisciplinary artist. As an illustrator he has created images for the most well-respected publications around the world, including TIME, The New York Times Magazine, Newsweek, Rolling Stone, and many others. He is the founder and director of Charcoal Book Club, Charcoal Press, and the Chico Hot Springs Portfolio Review. From 2011-2018 he also co-founded and published The Collective Quarterly and The Coyote Journal. He lives on a farm in rural Ohio.    https://www.jesselenz.com   This episode is sponsored by the Charcoal Book Club, a monthly subscription service for photobook enthusiasts. Working with the most respected names in contemporary photography, Charcoal selects and delivers essential photobooks to a worldwide community of collectors. Each month, members receive a signed, first-edition monograph and an exclusive print to add to their collections. www.charcoalbookclub.com   Call for Entries to the fifth annual Chico Hot Springs Portfolio Review and Publishing Prize are open until December 20th. The Chico Review is typically a seven day, photography retreat at Chico Hot Springs Resort, near Livingston Montana. Hosted by Charcoal Book Club to spark relationships between artists and industry professionals in an environment that fosters community and conversation. Due to uncertainty for travel and gatherings in March, the 2021 Chico Review has been restructured into a 2-week online masterclass and portfolio review.   Submit your work now for a chance to be one of 64 artists invited to participate with Sian Davey, Alejandro Cartagena, Tania Franco Klein, Ron Jude, Susan Lipper, Christian Patterson and 20 other respected photobook publishers and contemporary photography institutions. Participating artists receive ten formal reviews by speakers and reviewers over a two week period and take part in artist lectures, panel discussions, and peer reviews. At the end of the event, one grand prize winner will be announced and their project will be published and distributed as a monograph by Charcoal Book Club.    Additionally, this year, all participating attendees will have a selection of their work published and distributed in an opus catalog by Charcoal Book Club.   For more information and to apply, visit chicoreview.com

Episode Notes "What this project looks to do is go well beyond that with more nuance and more authentic voices from the community that is being reported on." -Finbarr O'Reilly   I have two amazing guests for today's show Finbarr O'Reilly and Bernadette Vivuya. This show coincides with the release of the book and multimedia online collaboration, Congo in Conversation by Finbarr O'Reilly. Finnbarr and, journalist and filmmaker, Bernadette talk about the work, the messages they wanted to convey, and the importance of representative and varied voices when trying to tell complex stories.   Congo in Conversation is a collaborative online chronicle through close cooperation with Congolese journalists and photographers. The project addresses the human, social and ecological challenges that Congo faces today, within the context of this new health crisis. Relaying information via a dedicated website and social networks, “Congo in Conversation” provides an uninterrupted and unprecedented stream of articles, photo reportages and videos, which visitors can consult by theme or by contributor. With “Congo in Conversation”, the Fondation Carmignac provides an outlet for Congolese voices to contribute to the global discourse, communally attest to the on-the-ground situation within this immense country, and raise public awareness. “Congo In Conversation” is presented in a bilingual French-English monograph, co-published by Reliefs Editions and the Carmignac Foundation, with two covers illustrating different aspects of this collaborative reportage   https://congoinconversation.fondationcarmignac.com   Finbarr O’Reilly is an independent photographer and multimedia journalist, and the author of the nonfiction memoir, Shooting Ghosts, A U.S. Marine, a Combat Photographer, and Their Journey Back from War (Penguin Random House 2017). Finbarr lived for 12 years in West and Central Africa and has spent two decades covering conflicts in Congo, Chad, Sudan, Afghanistan, Libya, and Gaza. He is the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize exhibition photographer (exhibition « Crossroads Ethiopia » around the 2019 Nobel Peace Prize Abiy Ahmed Ali) and a frequent contributor to The New York Times. His photography and multimedia work has earned numerous industry honors, including First Place in the Portraits category at the 2019 World Press Photo Awards. He was also winner of the World Press Photo of the Year in 2006.   http://www.finbarr-oreilly.com   Bernadette Vivuya is a journalist and filmmaker based in Goma in Eastern DRC. She reports on issues related to human rights, the environment and the exploitation of raw materials, bearing witness to the resilience of the people in this conflict-affected region.   https://www.instagram.com/bernadettevivuya

Michael Kamber and Cynthia Rivera of the Bronx Documentary Center call in to talk about several events coming up at the BDC for this short series pre-election episode. Here are the events you should support or attend if you can. https://www.bronxdoc.org 6TH ANNUAL PHOTO AUCTION BENEFIT VIRTUAL CELEBRATION THURSDAY OCT 22, 2020 | 7PM The Bronx Documentary Center (BDC) is proud to present our 6th Annual Photo Auction Benefit. To give back to the many Bronx photographers who work with us, we're sharing 50% of proceeds with Bronx photographers in need of financial support due to COVID-19. This means that every print sold will directly benefit our program participants and the Bronx photographers who inspire them the most. This year's 6th Annual Photo Auction will include beautifully printed photographs by artists including Stephanie Foden, Johis Alarcón, Daniella Zalcman, Inbal Abergil, and Mauricio Palos. Each of these photographs depict the vibrant landscapes and narratives of the world, and have been part of projects featured in The New York Times, Washington Post, TIME, and more. Auction prints and photobooks will be available to bid on from 8:00 AM EST October 8th through 8:00 PM EST on October 22nd. ALL IN: THE FIGHT FOR DEMOCRACY WOMEN'S FILM SERIES SATURDAY OCT 24, 2020 | 6:30PM All In: The Fight for Democracy examines the issue of voter suppression in the US. The film interweaves personal experiences with activism and historical insight to expose a problem that has corrupted our country from the beginning. With the expertise of Stacey Abrams, the film offers an insider’s look into the barriers to voting. The film can be screened on Amazon Prime with a subscription. Please join us on Saturday, October 24th, at 6PM EST for a short virtual Q&A discussion with co-director Lisa Cortes. VIRTUAL EXHIBITION WEBSITE LAUNCH TRUMP REVOLUTION: THE END OF TRUTH THURSDAY OCT 29, 2020 | 7PM In America today, the very notion of truth is under assault. Citizens vigorously disagree about matters of scientific evidence; about the very existence of widely reported news events; about basic facts. The Bronx Documentary Center's upcoming exhibition, The End of Truth, documents our country's shift toward conspiratorial thinking by examining the rapidly changing roles of traditional and social media over the past 25 years. This is the third and final segment of Trump Revolution, a series of exhibitions examining America's societal and political transformation over the past four years, one whose speed, reach and consequences are unmatched in our country's history. On October 29th, the exhibition will available to view online at www.trumprevolutionbdc.org

Eric Kunsman and I talk about his work, Fake News Archive Project: A Historical Archive of the Donald J. Trump Presidency. Eric is looking for people interested in the next election, and any archive enthusiasts, to search through his screen captured collection of news headlines from the past almost four years and to highlight, through your own social media, the stories that were impactful to you but, because of the overwhelming news cycle, may now be lost to history. Here is his description of the work: This is my approach at recording history in the tumultuous times we live in and a historical approach to looking at the Presidency of Donald J. Trump and his claim of “Fake News.” These images are to serve in a historical context and not as a political statement. This project started the day after Election Day and will continue until (TBD.) I started by imaging only CNN due to the President’s verbiage and quickly realized I needed other major news sources as a comparative measure. The use of multiple news sources serves as a barometer and allows the viewers to view this in its historical context. You can learn more about this work at: https://www.fakenewsarchiveproject.com Share the Fake News: UnGlued Re-Broacast News Event here: https://fb.me/e/1DTe7wR2b Eric's Website: https://www.erickunsman.com Eric's Email: eric@erickunsman.com Eric T. Kunsman (b. 1975) was born and raised in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania. While in high school, he was heavily influenced by the death of the steel industry and its place in American history. The exposure to the work of Walker Evans during this time hooked Eric onto photography. Eric had the privilege to study under Lou Draper, who became Eric’s most formative mentor. He credits Lou with influencing his approach as an educator, photographer, and contributing human being. Eric holds his MFA in Book Arts/Printmaking from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia and holds an MS in Electronic Publishing/Graphic Arts Media, BS in Biomedical Photography, BFA in Fine Art photography all from the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York. Currently, he is a photographer and book artist based out of Rochester, New York. Eric works at the Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) as a Lecturer for the Visual Communications Studies Department at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf and is an adjunct professor for the School of Photographic Arts & Sciences. In addition to lectures, he provides workshops on topics including his artistic practice, digital printing, and digital workflow processes. He also provides industry seminars for the highly regarded Printing Applications Lab at RIT. His photographs and books are exhibited internationally and are in several collections. He currently owns Booksmart Studio, which is a fine art digital printing studio, specializing in numerous techniques and services for photographers and book artists on a collaborative basis. Eric’s work has been exhibited in over 35 solo exhibitions at such venues as Nicolaysen Art Museum, Hoyt Institute of Fine Art, Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, and numerous university galleries. His work has also been a part of over 150 group exhibitions over the past 4 four years including exhibitions at the Center for Photography, A. Smith Gallery, SPIVA, San Luis Obispo Museum of Art, Spartanburg Museum of Art, Atlanta Photography Group, CEPA Gallery, Site:Brooklyn, Colorado Photographic Arts Center, Philadelphia Photo Arts Center, and many more. Eric was named one of 10 B&W photographers to watch of 2018 by BWGallerist, B&W Best Photographers of the Year 2019 by Dodho Magazine, and won the Association of Photography (UK) Gold Award for Open Series in 2019, Finalist, Top 200 Critical Mass 2019, Top 15 Photographers for the Rust Belt Biennial. His Project Felicific Calculus was also awarded a Warhol Foundations Grant through CEPA Gallery in Buffalo, NY. Eric’s work has also been published in magazines such as; LensWork, Dodho, B&W Photography, All About Photo, Dek Unu along with online articles by Analog Forever Magazine, Catalyst: Interview, Texas Photo Society, and others. He is currently represented by HOTE Gallery in Los Angeles, CA and Malamegi in San Daniele del Friuli (Udine), Italy.

"Really my favorite thing about photography is walking around with my camera…If I could do only one kind of work for the rest of my life, I think that would unquestionably be what I would want to do."   Sasha Rudensky is an artist and an educator. She is currently the Program Director and an Associate Professor of Art at Weslyan University. She studied Studio Art and Russian Literature at Weslyan University and received her MFA from Yale University. When Sasha was young her family left Russia, just as the Soviet Union was breaking apart. We talk about the duality and tension of her insider/outsider approach to photographing in Russia and Ukraine as well as her description of people and place through fact and fiction. We also talk about teaching in-person during the pandemic and we talk about a book that Sasha has been working on that combines multiple projects into one body work. Sasha also reveals the new title of this book which we expand upon at the end of the episode. I should also note that Sasha is represented by my podcast partner, Sasha Wolf.   Sasha Rudensky is a Russian-born artist whose work has been exhibited widely including Musee de l’Elysee in Lausanne, Switzerland; Fries Museum in Leewarden, Netherlands; Macro Testaccio Museum in Rome, Italy; ArtScience Museum in Singapore, and Danziger Projects in New York. In 2010 Sasha’s work was included in “reGeneration 2: Photographers of Tomorrow Today”, an international survey of emerging photographers. Her work is held in a number of public collections including Musee de l’Elysee, Yale Art Gallery, and Center of Creative Photography in Tuscon amongst others.   Sasha received her MFA from Yale University School of Art in 2008 and BA from Wesleyan University in 2001. She was the recipient of the Ward Cheney Memorial Award from Yale University, Mortimer-Hays Brandeis Traveling Fellowship, Leica/Jim Marshall Award, and Jessup Prize from Wesleyan University. In 2013 Sasha was awarded the Aaron Siskind Individual Fellowship grant. Her work has appeared in New York Times Magazine, Der Spiegel, Cicero Magazine, American Photo, PDN and others. She is an Assistant Professor of Art at Wesleyan University, where she is the head of the photography program.   http://www.sasharudensky.com/index.html https://sashawolf.com/artist/sasha-rudensky/

"I was thinking about that lately…as far as black photographers in general, will it always be a counter-narrative…" Duquann Sweeney is a photographer and a community organizer in Jersey City, NJ. He is a founder of The Royal Men Foundation which provides mentoring services, health and educational workshops, and works with the county courts to provide alternative sentencing for people accused of minor crimes. I've posted a link to The Royal Men Foundation in the show notes. Duquann and I talk about a series he is working on following a Doula and her client, an expecting mother in Jersey City. He started this work after looking into the disparity in healthcare and lower health outcomes for pregnant women of color and their babies. We also talk about his mother surviving Covid-19 and the work he makes in his neighborhood where he was born and raised. https://www.duquannsweeney.com/ https://www.instagram.com/duquann_sweeney/ https://www.facebook.com/The-Royal-Men-Foundation-218661284952655

"When the green comes in, the grass comes back first, and then the smaller shrubs. It's always this sort of hopeful space…I always feel that nature reminds us that after trauma there's regeneration." Deborah Jack is a multimedia artist. Her current work deals with trans-cultural existence, memory, the effects of colonialism and mythology through re-memory. Deborah was born in the Netherlands and grew up in the Netherlands/Saint Martin. She went to grad school at SUNY Buffalo, NY and currently resides in Jersey City where she coordinates the photography program at New Jersey City University. We talk about how growing up on a small island with colonial heritage and landscapes altered by the patterns of water and severe weather influence her work and we talk a little about teaching in the time of corona and the limits of how much we can prepare for it. You can see the work that we discuss at Deborah's website: https://www.deborahjack.com

"There's a small neighborhood that's called Wilbur Section…It's known for crime, gang activity, drug usage, murders, unsolved homicide, and this is where I am from and this is what formed and shaped me…I want to give something back to my community. I want people to acknowledge themselves and know that they are beautiful." Habiyb Ali Shu'Aib is a Trenton, NJ based photographer who has been photographing life in Trenton since he was 9. His work is a mix of portraits of neighborhoods and portraits of people. The Covid shutdown and the Black Lives Matters marches and protests have impacted the Trenton landscape and Habiyb is processing his role as a black photographer whose work speaks both universally and journalistically about his home city. Habiyb has shown at Artworks, Roebling Wire Works, and the JKC Gallery in Trenton, and he has taught photography to young adults at Mercer County College and Artworks. Recently he was featured on a panel of photographers at the BH Photo Event Space for a discussion about Photojournalism in 2020. https://beloved1photo.com/ https://www.instagram.com/beloved1___/

Here's an introduction and a short clip from PhotoWork with Sasha Wolf, a new show that I am producing for Sasha about some of the more existential questions that artists think about but don't always talk about. Subscribe to it on your favorite podcast service or listen to it at photowork.podbean.com.

"You really have to understand the times we live in and…the things that you push against are the things that make you who you are." Martin Bough is a photographer, a teacher, and a Jazz musician. He has been photographing since 1962 but that is not where this story begins. Martin is 92 years old and he was already an accomplished saxophone player and a highly skilled printing press operator before he took up the camera. Martin is a storyteller and you will not hear me very much in this episode because he has a unique way of talking about his life and how he had to live with and overcome the obstacles of neglect, racism, and exploitation for most of his life. It is a story filled with pain and anger and you will hear some of that life-long pain when Martin speaks. We also talk about Martin's connection to Fundamental Photographs, the science stock photo agency I worked at for 15 years with Kip Peticolas and Richard Megna. Martin's sons, Quavin Evans and Bonin Bough, are currently cataloging his work and you can see the start of that effort on Instagram, linked below. Special thanks go to Bonin Ventures and Executive Assistant, Vanessa Ekin for helping me with the logistics of this recording with Martin Bough. Photo ©1968 Martin Bough | Ralph Abernathy speaking at Poor People's Campaign rally in Central Park shortly after the assassination of Martin Luther King Jr. https://www.instagram.com/martin_bough/ https://www.instagram.com/martinboughproject/