Winter ‘07 Hot Shot Mickey Smith

Why visit one gallery, when you can visit 75+ all at once? The AIPAD Photography Show runs today through Sunday at the Park Avenue Armory. “More than 75 of the world’s leading fine art photography galleries will present a wide range of museum quality work by contemporary, modern and 19th century masters at the Park Avenue Armory in New York City,” says AIPAD.

“AIPAD is dedicated to creating and maintaining high standards in the business of exhibiting, buying and selling photographs as art. Acting as the collective voice of the art photography dealers that make up its membership, AIPAD maintains ethical standards, promotes communication within the photographic community, encourages public appreciation of photography as art, concerns itself with the rights of photographers and collectors, and works to enhance the confidence of the public in responsible photography. AIPAD members provide a wide range of services to the public, such as exhibitions, appraisals, expert opinions and consultations.”

And while an armory full of exhibitors can feel like overload, it’s also a great chance to quickly visit with some people you might not usually have the time (or the access) to see.

By Rachel Hulin, shown in the Hey, Hot Shot! Spring 2005 Showcase

Rachel Hulin at Shoot the Blog has done all of the hard work for you. She’s compiled a list of opportunities — competitive, fellowship, grant, publishing — open right now to photographers like you. It’s an exhaustive list, so, seriously, you should really thank her. And report back on your progress.

P.S. More info about our own competition, Hey, Hot Shot!, coming soon.

P.P.S. Hulin, herself, is a Hot Shot; she showed in Spring ‘05, our very first show.

We start this series of catching-up interviews with Spring ‘07 Hot Shot Mark Marchesi, who has a solo show now at Nelson Hancock Gallery.

How did you come to enter Hey, Hot Shot!?

MM: I had stopped by a couple of openings at Jen Bekman Gallery when I still lived in NYC, which was around the time she opened. Then I moved to Maine and became a father and was pretty far removed from the scene for a while. I was making work and when that work was ready to show I started compiling a list of contacts to send stuff to. I remembered about Jen Bekman Gallery, and went to the site to see if it mentioned anything about submissions. There was Hey, Hot Shot! and it said that the competition was the only way she was reviewing new photography. It happened to be just before the deadline for the Spring competition, so I entered.

What have you been up to since we last saw your work in Hey, Hot Shot?

MM: Last summer and fall I was shooting a lot of abandoned military forts in Maine and New Hampshire. I was really excited about that for a while, but I stalled out on it for several reasons when winter hit. I was also working on a pretty involved promotional mailing and a book proposal. Before the new year I was offered the opportunity to show at Nelson Hancock Gallery, and for two months all my free time was taken up by printing and framing. I build all my own frames from scratch, so as soon as Nelson and I firmed up a date I went to work cutting, gluing, and sanding. I also make all my own digital c-prints, so there was a lot of work to do on the files. Now that I am done with that, and I don’t need snowshoes and a parka to go shooting anymore, I am getting back out with my camera. My main focus right now is on a new project about working waterfronts and commercial fishing communities in Maine and the Canadian Maritimes.

What kind of impact did Hey, Hot Shot! have on your career?

MM: This question is a little difficult because I don’t always feel like I actually have a career in photography. I am definitely trying to start one, and Hey, Hot Shot! was a step that I am glad I took that direction. Whenever you present your work there is a thought process you must go through which is valuable no matter what the outcome. Entering these types of calls forces you to get outside of your own head, which is necessary at times for a lot of us. Hey, Hot Shot! didn’t launch me into art stardom, but it was a great experience. I got to know Jen who I have a lot of respect for, along with the other winners, some of whom I am still in touch with and continue to get feedback from. I am also happy that it gave (and is still giving) me a lot of exposure on the internet. Lastly, the positive reinforcement of actually winning something is always good.

From The Town and the City, by Spring ‘07 Hot Shot Mark Marchesi

Spring 2007 Hot Shot Mark Marchesi has a solo show at Nelson Hancock Gallery, in DUMBO. In The Town and the City, Marchesi travels between New York City and his home in southern Maine. He compares and contrasts, but also proves some similarities that might not be noticable at first glance.

“The Town and the City” is up through April 26.

Stay tuned for more from Mark and interview updates with other Hot Shots too.

• Dith Pran, Photojournalist and Survivor of the Killing Fields, Died at 65, on Sunday. The New York Times ran one of their is-it-eerie-or-is-it-amazing pre-death video-interviews, “The Last Word.” In it, Dith speaks of his mission, his role in assisting New York Times reporter Sydney Schaberg in reporting on survival under the Khmer Rouge, in the “killing fields.” Together they reported on the war and the collapse of the country. “I began to realize that he was just as obsessed a reporter, just as determined and driven as I was,” says Schanberg. “Coming from a whole different angle. His reason was that he was convinced that the rest of the world just didn’t know what his people were going through, what they were suffering. That was his mission.” Dith worked as a photographer for The New York Times from 1980 until 2007. This video was shot in March 2008.
• Apartment Therapy writes of the Perspektiva Lamp by Transparent House. Made from a vintage Leica and a tripod, the lamp is simple and sort of stunning. A unique, if obvious, light source. I’d love it in my home, but if I could afford a vintage Leica, I’d probably go for one I could shoot with first.
• Via Rachel Hulin , comes word of Light Work’s Artist-in-Residence program for photographers to pursue their own projects in Syracuse, New York. Past residents have included Renee Cox, James Casebere, Cindy Sherman, Dawoud Bey, Max Becher and Andrea Robbins, Laurie Simmons, and Joel Sternfeld, to name a few.

  There is no formal deadline, but “The next review process will consider all portfolios we have received by the end of April. We are currently scheduling residencies for 2009, although one or two spots remain for 2008.”

• Hello, I’m Rachel considers the following: “…does thinking that a recession is bad for art mean that you also think throwing money at an artist makes their work good? I’m not sure the two go together…but then, that’s why this work is in a gallery, asking me to think about these things days later,” while viewing Jennifer Dalton’s work at Smack Mellon. It’s a good question and a good read, click through and consider it.

You Are Important by Spring ‘05 Hot Shot Stephanie Cinelli, one of this week’s 20×200 editions