Real Photo Show with Michael Chovan-Dalton

"My work is very much about physical places and landscapes but it's' maybe more about communities and social markers that you can see in landscapes. So I was like, what's something social or community related that you could put in one of those capsules?" Ann Lepore is a multimedia artist in the in the most expansive definition of that term. She has made everything from lithographs to holograms, 3D printed amulets to animated sound experiments, she has made objects from street-interview requests and most recently, performed stand-up storytelling at a comedy club. Then there is her side hustle of consulting people and organizations on how to use tools and technology to their advantage which she presented to the hosts of Shark Tank. Ann is a great storyteller and we cover many of her fascinating projects and experiences in this episode, including acquiring lantern slides from the Metropolitan which lead to an interesting find and an entire project. From Ann's Bio: Ann LePore was raised in the garage under her father’s car and continued tinkering with analog video and kinetics in Western New York and later with computer driven electronics and animation in New York City. A New Leonardo artist and Geraldine R Dodge Foundation grant recipient, Ann has exhibited at events such as Digital Salon, the Free Biennial, and La Superette, in New York City and Internationally. She has completed residencies at Engine 27 Sound Space, the Taliesin Artist Residency Program, and was awarded a year-long studio residency at Gallery Aferro in Newark. The images and installations she creates as a result of her tinkering are heavily influenced by her experiences not just as an artist, but as a member of several communities that are defined by the physical assertions and limitations of a very specific environment. Ann received her BFA from Alfred University and her MFA from the School of Visual Arts. She is currently Associate Professor of 3D Design and Animation at Ramapo College of New Jersey. http://www.annlepore.com/ https://www.instagram.com/leporeann/ Seton Hall Show September 2019: https://library.shu.edu/walshgallery/future-exhibitions Moscow Show October 2019: The International Association of Synaesthetes, Artists, and Scientists has invited me to screen two of my animations at the Moscow State Tchaikovsky Conservatory October 17th. I will be delivering a talk on transcribing synesthesia to animation October 20th at Moscow State University of Psychology and Education. With me will be neurologist Dr. Svetlana Rudenko, Ben Neil and alumna Geri Hahn.

"Rodeo is sort of this universal expression of rural culture and everybody owns it…Native Americans own it, Mexicans own it, Black folks own it, White people own it…these are American Cowboys." Ivan McClellan grew up with adversity both from outside his family and inside his family. He speaks openly about the trauma and the healing in his life, and the choices he made that took him from acting, to UX design, and to photography. His best known work is a project he calls Eight Seconds, A tribute to the American Cowboy, of which he has an expansive definition. We have a fantastic conversation about mental health, race, and life in Portland. http://eightsecs.com/ https://www.instagram.com/eightsecs/ https://theundefeated.com/features/from-navajo-nation-to-rookie-of-the-year/ This episode sponsored by the School of Visual Arts MFA Photography, Video, & Related Media - Charles Traub, Chair. http://www.mfaphoto.sva.edu/ Visit realphotoshow.com @realphotoshow on Twitter/IG/FB

"I wasn't really a big fan of government when I was working as a freelancer, I was very skeptical, but when I stepped in I saw the incredible amount of work…and it was insane, and it was overwhelming…these people are doing so much work and sacrificing everything." Edwin Torres is the Deputy Digital Director for Governor Murphy's Office in New Jersey. Before that he was a staff photographer for New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio, and before that, Edwin was a freelance photojournalist. In 2016, he was the lead photographer and contributed reporting in a Pulitzer Prize winning story with ProPublica and the New York Daily News for public service, honoring their joint investigation on abuses in the New York City Police Department’s enforcement of the nuisance abatement law.He is a member of the Bronx Photo League which is part of The Bronx Documentary Center (BDC) and is published in book titled the Jerome Avenue Worker's Project by the Bronx Documentary Center. We talk about his past and his newfound love of New Jersey and more specifically, Trenton. https://www.edwintorrespf.com/ https://www.instagram.com/edwintorresphoto/ https://www.facebook.com/edwin.torres.79827

"Our job is to keep making work that speaks both to the conflicts as they unfold and also what they are going to mean…our job is to hold our political and military leaders accountable for the decisions they make and the people they affect." Victor Blue is a documentary photographer interested in the aftermath of conflict. He believes it is not enough to just cover the conflict, but that we also need to document the consequences of the decisions and actions of our political leaders. His recent show at the Bronx Documentary Center, Cities in Dust, consisted of a series of panoramic images of the aftermath of the US led airstrikes in Iraq and Syria, which Victor referred to as "broken domesticity" in the show. Victor also understands that the work he produces has to be rewarding to the reader in terms of interest and making people better informed because he is competing for your time with your job, your family and all kinds of distractions. http://www.victorblue.com/ https://www.instagram.com/victorblue/ This episode sponsored by the School of Visual Arts MFA Photography, Video, & Related Media - Charles Traub, Chair. http://www.mfaphoto.sva.edu/ Visit realphotoshow.com @realphotoshow on Twitter/IG/FB

MFA Photography, Video, and Related Media, in collaboration with El Museo del Barrio, presents the final program in the Scheimpflug Lecture Series of the spring 2019 semester entitled The Culture of Community: A Latinx Photo Symposium. This episode is from a recording of the Latinx Photo Symposium event. The Real Photo Show was part of the early planning for the show. The show was organized by Liz Zito with discussions led by MFA grads Jordan Cruz and Carla Maldonado. The discussion was moderated by El Museo del Barrio Curator, Susanna V. Temkin and the guests were artists Veronica Sanchis Bencomo, founder of Foto-Feminas, and acclaimed artist Perla De Leon. The Culture of Community: a Latinx Photo Symposium could not be possible without the generous support of ADORAMA and GramArt, as well as the collaborative efforts of Charles Traub, Michael Chovan-Dalton, Liz Zito, Jordan Cruz, Carla Maldonado, Susanna V. Temkin and El Museo del Barrio. This episode sponsored by the School of Visual Arts MFA Photography, Video, & Related Media - Charles Traub, Chair. http://www.mfaphoto.sva.edu/ Visit realphotoshow.com @realphotoshow on Twitter/IG/FB Links: http://www.veronicasanchis.com/ https://foto-feminas.com/ http://www.jordancorinecruz.com/ http://www.carlamaldonado.com/ http://lizzito.com/ https://www.elmuseo.org/

"I think that the early interest in infrastructure came from riding the subway to high school everyday and standing in the front car with my friends and watching the tunnel." Stanley Greenberg stopped by to talk about his new book CODEX NEW YORK - TYPOLOGIES OF THE CITY. It's a fascinating view of New York City organized by infrastructure, topography, carved out spaces, and architectural history. Stanley walked every block of Manhattan as part of this urban catalog of New York. We talk about how the work started and the discoveries along the way and we will talk about how Stanley got started and how his politics influence his work. https://www.stanleygreenberg.org/ https://www.instagram.com/stanleygreenberg/ This episode sponsored by the School of Visual Arts MFA Photography, Video, & Related Media - Charles Traub, Chair. http://www.mfaphoto.sva.edu/ Visit realphotoshow.com @realphotoshow on Twitter/IG/FB

"I think they see themselves as a second family, a found family, a supportive family and they're young in a way where they are exploring the world and seeing things for the first time, it's very exciting, it's intoxicating…" Michael Joseph was in town for his solo exhibition "Lost and Found" at Daniel Cooney Fine Art Gallery. Michael has some amazing stories about how the "Travelers" work took shape and about the connections he made along the way. We spend a good amount of time talking about one of the more well known Travelers, Knuckles, and how Knuckles' journey gave Michael a deeper understanding of who the Travelers are. Michael’s work “Lost and Found” has been featured on Vice.com and CNN.com. He has been exhibited nationally, most recently at Daniel Cooney Fine Art, (New York, NY) and the Aperture Gallery (New York, NY). He has lectured for Amy Arbus at the International Center of Photography (New York, NY) in portraiture classes at the New England School of Photography (Boston, MA) and taught at the Light Factory (Charlotte, NC). http://www.michaeljosephphotographics.com/ https://www.instagram.com/michaeljosephphoto/ https://www.instagram.com/wildwestoftheeast/ https://www.facebook.com/michaeljphotographics/ This episode sponsored by the School of Visual Arts MFA Photography, Video, & Related Media - Charles Traub, Chair. http://www.mfaphoto.sva.edu/ Visit realphotoshow.com @realphotoshow on Twitter/IG/FB

Sasha Waters-Freyer is a documentary filmmaker and Chair of the Department of Photography and Film at Virginia Commonwealth University. Her film, Garry Winogrand: All Things are Photographable, has been getting a lot of press and great reviews and it just aired on PBS American Masters. Sasha and I catch up on the success of the film, her awards, and what it took to get it made and the decisions that went into how it was edited and cut. We also talk about her Special Jury Prize for best feminist reconsideration of a male artist from SXSW and what that means. https://www.pieshake.com/ https://www.winograndthefilm.com/ Visit realphotoshow.com @realphotoshow on Twitter/IG/FB

"…I'm able to share a story in a small part of American on a large scale and that's not me, per say, that's the story of this culture that's been so overlooked and I feel really thankful that…I've been accepted and I've been able to photograph it…" Rory Doyle, Nicole Craine (Everyday Rural America, Ep.74) and I talk about his award winning Delta Hill Riders photo essay. Rory was in town for portfolio reviews and we talk about the difficulty of getting work outside of the major media parts of the country, which is a large part of the mission of Nicole's Everyday Rural America. We also talk about the responsibility of representing communities that you are not inherently a part of and how you work in those communities with respect. After this recording, Rory was awarded the 2019 Zeiss Photography Award and the 2019 Smithsonian Photo Contest Grand Prize. https://www.rorydoylephoto.com/ https://www.instagram.com/rorydoylephoto/ https://www.facebook.com/rorydvt https://twitter.com/rorydoylephoto This episode sponsored by the School of Visual Arts MFA Photography, Video, & Related Media - Charles Traub, Chair. http://www.mfaphoto.sva.edu/ Visit realphotoshow.com @realphotoshow on Twitter/IG/FB

"I feed off of other people, that's really how I teach, I love teaching this way. I like to improvise, I like to go by what is needed." Anja Hitzenberger and I talk about photography, food, Mozart balls, and her new online venture, StrudelmediaLive, where she sometimes teaches from a mountaintop. Anja Hitzenberger is a photographer and video artist whose work focuses on the body and its relationship to architecture and space, as well as themes relating to food and how people eat. Her work has been exhibited in solo and group shows, as well as at film festivals and on theater stages throughout Europe, the United States, South America and Asia, and published internationally in magazines and books. She is the founder of StrudelmediaLIVE, which offers live online interactive photography courses for students participating from locations around the world. She has received numerous art grants and has completed residencies in Rome, Paris, Warsaw and Beijing. She is on the faculty at the International Center of Photography (ICP) in New York, where she teaches personal vision classes. Originally from Salzburg, Austria, she divides her time between New York and Vienna, Austria. http://anjahitzenberger.com/ https://strudelmedialive.com/ This episode sponsored by the School of Visual Arts MFA Photography, Video, & Related Media - Charles Traub, Chair. http://www.mfaphoto.sva.edu/ Visit realphotoshow.com @realphotoshow on Twitter/IG/FB