Archive for Funding the Arts

MVS MARKETING BLOG MOVED to www.mvswanson.com!

December 23, 2010 at 11:13 pm · Filed under APPROACHING DEADLINE, APPROACHING EVENT, Blogroll, Funding the Arts, Market Musings, MUST ACQUIRE, MUST ATTEND, MUST HEAR, MUST JOIN, MUST SEE, MVS BUSINESS BOOK, MVS LECTURE NOTES, MVS MARKETING GUIDEBOOK, MVS MUSTS, MVS On The Road, MVS PHOTO FAVORITES, READING MATTERS

To my readers:

I am pleased to tell you that I have merged my blog into my updated website. On my new homepage you will see the three most recent blog posts, as well as being able to navigate through the blog categories directly at any time.   You will also easily find “PLANNING AHEAD: Industry Events of Note” as its own category, as well as my event calendar “MVS ON THE ROAD” prominently featured on the new website.  Click here now:

www.mvswanson.com

I’m sure you will find the new combined blog AND website an even greater resource!

Thanks so much for visiting the past five years, and hope you will bookmark my new website.

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November 8th in Washington, DC: MVS and Darius Himes on “To Be Published, or Self Publish?””

November 2, 2010 at 2:04 am · Filed under APPROACHING EVENT, Funding the Arts, MVS On The Road, READING MATTERS

In conjunction with FotoWeek DC:
Darius Himes & Mary Virginia Swanson will speak at 12:00 noon at the Frances and Armand Hammer Auditorium of the Corcoran Gallery of Art and College of Art + Design, 500 17th Street NW (FREE).  Click here for event description and details.
“The print-on-demand revolution has opened up new publishing possibilities for photographers; it has never been easier or more affordable to produce and market a book of your photographs. The traditional publishing path has the advantage of a highly specialized team that brings experience with design, production, marketing and distribution systems to the table. In a self-publishing scenario you can create exactly the book you envision, but without the input and expertise of seasoned professionals at a publishing house. Which scenario is best for you?In this presentation, coauthors Darius Himes and Mary Virginia Swanson will discuss both avenues to publishing and help participants determine the pros/cons of each. Swanson will share resources from their forthcoming title, Publish Your Photography Book (Princeton Architectural Press, Winter 2011), and time will be allocated for a question/answer period at the end of the presentation.”
Cover, Publish Your Photography Book

"Publish Your Photography Book" Coming Winter 2011 (Princeton Architectural Press)

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MVS and Darius Himes present at PhotoPlus Expo tomorrow, 1:15-3:15

October 27, 2010 at 7:10 am · Filed under APPROACHING EVENT, Funding the Arts, MVS On The Road, READING MATTERS

“PUBLISH YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY BOOK”  Lecture at PhotoPlus Expo, Thursday October 28th from 1:15 – 3:15

“In this informative presentation, industry insiders Darius D. Himes and Mary Virginia Swanson survey the current landscape of photography book publishing today and point out the many avenues to pursue and pitfalls to avoid. Together, they will demystify the process of making a photobook from the perspectives of both traditional trade publishing and self-publishing. Lastly, they will lend essential advice about the marketing of your book at its launch and beyond. Whether your body of work is completed and ready for publication or you dream of one day having a book of your photographs, this seminar will be of value. Himes and Swanson are co-authors of Publish Your Photography Book to be released in Winter 2011 by Princeton Architectural Press. Handouts will be provided.”

photo © Jamey Stillings

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SPE STUDENT SCHOLARSHIPS and other awards: Submission Deadline November 1st

October 16, 2010 at 8:05 pm · Filed under APPROACHING DEADLINE, Funding the Arts, MVS MUSTS

PLAN AHEAD to not miss this deadline!

I have long been an active part of the Society for Photographic Education community, beginning my participation as a volunteer when an Undergraduate at ASU, where I met many of my best friends in our field.  Today, one of those colleagues I met as a volunteer at an SPE in the late 70’s, Susan kae Grant and I offer a closed-door Student Seminar moderated by Dennis Keeley which is held just prior to the launch of each National Conference, for all recipients of awards and all students working as volunteers.  Join us!  Apply for these grants, or Volunteer.  See you at the Student Seminar in Atlanta mid-March!

SPE National Student Scholarship Opportunities

Society for Photographic Education   /   Deadline: 11/01/10

Download in PDF Format

SPE student members can apply for scholarships to offset the cost of attending the 2011 national conference. A 2011 national conference fee waiver and a one-year membership to SPE are provided by SPE in addition to the cash awards. Please download pdf for full instructions on how to submit.

Fees

10.00

Eligibility

Applicants must be current full-time students enrolled at a post-secondary institution as an undergraduate or graduate student majoring/concentrating in photography not graduating before the end of the academic year 2010-2011.

Applicants must be student members of SPE or become members before submitting their scholarship application.

Applicants are not eligible to receive the same award for two consecutive years, and cannot receive two awards in one year.

Applicants submitting to more than one award must submit different bodies of work.

Requirements

A cohesive body of work with no more than FIVE images. Images around 1280 x 1280 px @ 72 ppi are ideal for good image quality and fast upload

A succinct artist statement of 200 words or less that informs the work

A statement addressing how your attendance at the conference will benefit you, as well as an overview of prior involvement with SPE or other arts organizations

A description of the conceptual basis of your work and its technical qualities, including a description of processes used

A brief resume, including name, address, phone number, email address and current institutional affiliation, and educational and professional experience

Contact information for a current photography professor (include name, title, email, and phone number)

Awards

Ten SPE Awards are offered and feature a $500 travel stipend to attend the national conference.

The SPE Award for Innovations in Imaging in Honor of Jeannie Pearce is open to all eligible students working primarily with digital technology and is designated for work only possible because of emerging digital technologies-no alternative processes or gelatin silver prints. A project description describing how the work is possible as a result of emerging digital technologies is required as part of the submission process. Jurors will seek to award work that demonstrates the most innovative, freshest and unique uses of digital technologies.

The Freestyle Crystal Apple Award for Outstanding Achievement in Black and White Photography is generously sponsored by Freestyle Photographic Supplies. Freestyle’s goal in offering this award is to provide greater support for students working in traditional black and white silver imaging and alternative processes. One student will be awarded a $5,000 cash prize. The sponsoring faculty member will be presented with an engraved crystal apple, a 2011 national conference fee waiver, and a one-year membership to SPE. Please note: sponsoring faculty must teach at the institution where the student is currently enrolled. All light-sensitive processes, including alternative processes (Van Dyke brown, platinum, albumen, gum bichromate, cyanotype, kallitype, salt, liquid emulsion, lith printing, hand coloring, bromoil, modern day tintype, etc.) are eligible for this award as long as the end product is a gelatin silver or handmade alternative process print. No digital prints accepted.

Considerations

The SPE scholarship competition open September 1 through November 1, 2010. Download the pdf above for full instructions on how to submit your portfolio online.

Contact Information

2530 Superior Ave #403
Cleveland, OH 44114

W: http://spenational.slideroom.com
E: membership@spenational.org

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Winners announced: Lens Culture International Exposure Awards

October 16, 2010 at 6:14 am · Filed under Funding the Arts, Market Musings, MVS MUSTS

The winners have been announced!  I was pleased to have been a part of the jury team for this competition, reviewing all the work submitted.  Along with my fellow judges, results were compiled by Jim Casper at Lens Culture and the winners are as follows.  From the Lens Culture website:

“We’re thrilled to announce the winners of the 2010 Lens Culture International Exposure Awards. For the judges, the process of looking critically at almost 6,500 photographs submitted by photographers from 47 countries was at once daunting and exhilarating.

The range of work is remarkable. It varies richly in subject matter, genre, and styles of technological and artistic approaches. Perhaps what was most pleasantly surprising about reviewing all of these photographs, for me, was the chance to discover so many multifaceted and unusual ways that people are using photography to tell an important story, or to explore an emotion, take a wild flight of imagination, dig a bit deeper into a psychological puzzle, capture a moment or an age or a culture, or to play with an idea.

All of the jurors were eager to see what “bubbled to the top” through the democratic judging process. Indeed, it is an eclectic mix, and a pleasure to discover the kinds of things that captivated each of us. We hope you will enjoy the winning portfolios and single photographs as they are revealed over the next weeks here in Lens Culture. Starting in early 2011, these award-winning works will comprise group exhibitions at galleries in Paris, San Francisco and New York.

The top award winners for 2010 are:

Portfolio Category

Grand Prize: Jessica Hines:  My Brother’s War
2nd Prize: Carolle Benitah: Photo Souveniers
3rd Prize: Louisa Marie Summer: Jennifer

Single Image Category

Grand Prize: Martine Fougeron
2nd Prize: Albertina d’Urso
3rd Prize: Anne Berry

Honorable Mention Awards (in alphabetical order):

Susan Bank
David Carol
Ellie Davies
Frank Day
Bruno De Cock
Margaret de Lange
Dan Dubowitz
Joachim Froese
Julia Fullerton-Batten
Kevin Greenblat
Daisuke Ito
Mary Shannon Johnstone
David Lazar
Sebastian Liste
Adam Magyar
Rania Matar
Justin Maxon
Bill McCullough
Marcia Michael
Julian Rder
David Rochkind
Evzen Sobek
Miki Soejima
Ian Teh
Jan von Holleben

Congratulations to all of these winners, and our sincere gratitude to everyone who shared their work with us in this year’s competition.

Be sure to check back here to view work from each of these winners over the coming weeks.”

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Deadline September 14th: Spectra Photography Triennial 2010, Juror is Brian Paul Clamp

September 5, 2010 at 4:19 am · Filed under APPROACHING DEADLINE, Funding the Arts, Market Musings, MVS PHOTO FAVORITES

From the Silvermine Guild Arts Center website:

SPECTRA ’10: National Photography Triennial

Click here to download a prospectus.

Juror: Brian Paul Clamp, owner, ClampArt, Chelsea, NY

Brian Paul Clamp is the owner and director of ClampArt, a gallery in Chelsea in New York City specializing in modern and contemporary art with an emphasis on photography. ClampArt mounts ten to fifteen exhibitions per year featuring the work of emerging and mid-career artists. Mr. Clamp opened the gallery in 2000 after completing a Master of Arts degree in Critical Studies in Modern Art at Columbia University. For eight years prior to that Mr. Clamp served as the director of a gallery on Manhattan’s Upper East Side specializing in late 19th- and early 20th-century American paintings. Aside from exhibitions at his own gallery space, Clamp has curated numerous photography shows at various venues throughout the United States, and has reviewed photographers’ portfolios on dozens of panels over the past several years. Mr. Clamp is the author of numerous publications on American art to date, and also occasionally contributes written work to various art periodicals.

Eligibility: All original photography, completed since January 2007, is eligible. Residents of the United States only. Maximum print size must not exceed 165 inches in length or width. CD-ROMs and DVDs will be accepted. No slides.

ENTRY DEADLINE: Tuesday, September 14, 2010

All entries received after that date will not be eligible.


ABOUT SILVERMINE:

Silvermine is a learning community on four scenic acres in New Canaan, Connecticut.  We are dedicated to creativity and growth through the making and understanding of the visual arts.  Silvermine Guild Arts Center promotes artistic experimentation and growth through the Guild of Artists; courses and workshops in ceramics, sculpture, photography, new media, painting, drawing, jewelry and more.  Our classes, lectures, gallery and community outreach offer a full spectrum of opportunities to creative individuals of all levels and ages.  The facilities feature fully equipped art studios and galleries.  Silvermine Guild Arts Center’s programs and activities draw 15,000 artists and patrons annually to this historic section of Fairfield County dedicated to the fine arts.

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Deadline September 18th: Lens Culture International Exposure Awards

September 4, 2010 at 3:57 pm · Filed under APPROACHING DEADLINE, Funding the Arts, MUST ACQUIRE, MUST JOIN


Lens Culture International Exposure Awards discover, reward, and promote talented, new, emerging and established photographers from around the world.

We’re looking for exciting images from every continent, and from diverse points of view: documentary, fine art, photojournalism, street photography, nature, sports, fashion, poetic, personal, abstract and human.

An international jury of photography experts will review and judge every photo submitted.

This year, in addition to cash awards and other prizes, we’re delighted to announce that all winning photographs will be featured in well-publicized International Exposure Awards traveling exhibitions at galleries in Paris, New York and San Francisco in 2011. (Additional international gallery venues may be announced soon.) The winning photographs will also get prominent, exclusive photo features in Lens Culture, giving them access and broad exposure to an enthusiastic, influential worldwide audience.

Six photographers will win top honors (3 Portfolio Awards, and 3 Single Image Awards). Additionally, 25 photographers (from either category) will win Honorable Mention Awards.

Last year, we received over 6,000 images from photographers in 48 countries on six continents! Many of the 29 winners from 2009 continue to achieve great success with their careers — winning other awards (including two World Press Photo Awards), signing publishing contracts, getting editorial assignments, group and solo exhibitions, artists residencies, and having their work collected by institutions and private collectors around the world.

Award Categories and Prizes

All levels of emerging and professional photographers are invited to apply for these awards. Two categories of photographs will be judged:

Portfolio Awards

Submit 10 to 15 photographic images that are linked — thematically, aesthetically, as a story, or simply as a range of your photographic talent. Edit your selections carefully, since this category will be judged on the strength of the group of photographs as a whole, and not as individual photographs. Entry fee: $75.

Portfolio Category Prizes:

Grand Prize $2,500 cash
2nd Prize $1,000 cash
3rd Prize $500 cash

PLUS:

Each winning portfolio will be presented in a prominent feature article in Lens Culture (along with the photographers’ names and links to their web pages), PLUS publication in our deluxe 2010 Winner’s Catalog, AND inclusion in the International Exposure Awards traveling exhibitions — all powerful ways to get the attention of hundreds of thousands of photography lovers!

Single Image Photo Awards

Often, a single powerful photograph captures our attention as important, artistic, meaningful, and memorable. A great photo can stand on its own, demonstrating a remarkable level of visual perception, sensitivity, and creativity. Photographs of all genres and all categories are welcome. The jury will choose three cash prize winners in this category. Entry fees: $35 per image, or $60 to submit two to five images.

Prizes for Single Image Photo Awards:

Grand prize: $1,500 cash
2nd prize: $500 cash
3rd prize: $250 cash

PLUS

All Single Image Winners will be presented in a prominent feature article in Lens Culture (along with the photographers’ names and links to their web pages), PLUS publication in our deluxe 2010 International Exposure Awards Winners Catalog, AND inclusion in the International Exposure Awards traveling exhibitions.

25 Honorable Mention Awards:

25 Honorable Mention photographs (chosen by the judges from either category — Portfolio or Single Image) will win prominent placement of a single photo on the Award Winner’s Page in Lens Culture, including a link to your own personal or professional website. PLUS publication in our deluxe 2010 International Exposure Awards Winners Catalog, AND inclusion in the International Exposure Awards traveling exhibitions.

ALL winners will also be announced in the Lens Culture blog, along with a special mention in the Lens Culture email newsletter that is sent to thousands of subscribers. Prints of some of the winning images may also be eligible for sale via Lens Culture Editions, subject to an optional agreement between the winner and Lens Culture.

Submit your photos by September 18, 2010

Applicants must submit their photos to us online at: http://lensculture.slideroom.com. After you have uploaded your images and information, you will be asked to pay your submission fee of $75 for the Portfolio category, or $35 (to submit one photo) or $60 (to submit two to five photos) for the Single Image category. For good image quality and fast upload, your image files should be less than 2 MB each, and sized around 1024 x 768 pixels @ 72 ppi. Our online portal offers additional instruction for submitting work. For complete submission guidelines and rules, please see our FAQs and rules.

Winners will be announced on October 15, 2010

Prizes will be awarded, and all winning photographs will be exhibited online, prominently, to coincide with Lens Culture’s extra-special Paris Photo Edition in November 2010.

About Lens Culture

Lens Culture is one of the most popular and influential online magazines about contemporary photography today. The site attracts between 7,000 and 10,000+ unique visitors every day, from more than 50 countries (over 2.7 million visits each year). Our audience includes photography collectors, photo editors, book publishers, museum curators, art gallery owners, agents, critics, journalists, festival directors, and other passionate lovers of photography. Several artists whose photographs have gained attention as a result of their feature in Lens Culture have won book publishing contracts, solo and group art gallery shows, museum exhibitions, participation in international photography festivals, and commissions from around the world. Select artists are offered the opportunity to sell limited editions of their work through Lens Culture Editions, earning them thousands of dollars from sales to international art collectors.
Good luck!

Lens Culture International Exposure Awards
2010 Prize and Traveling Exhibition Sponsors:

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Deadline September 15th: “FAMILY” Photography competition sponsored by Santa Fe Workshops

September 3, 2010 at 3:55 pm · Filed under APPROACHING DEADLINE, Funding the Arts, MVS MUSTS, MVS PHOTO FAVORITES

This is the first competition sponsored by the Santa Fe Workshops, and winners receive the gift of education – all expenses paid trip to take a workshop in Santa Fe.  Other prized include equipment, VisualServer website and more.  Judges include a photo editor, museum director, artist among others.  Here is a link to the competition webpage:Santa Fe Photographic Workshops Photography Contest

“WIN THE WORKSHOP OF YOUR CHOICE AND BE HONORED BY LEADERS IN THE PHOTOGRAPHIC
COMMUNITY.

For many of us our families are a great source of photographic inspiration. In delight, and in heartache, they are our muse. We’re looking for images that speak of FAMILY—in all its glory, from its humor to its quiet moments of grace.

Husbands, wives, children. Parents, siblings, partners and pets. Old friends, and the new acquaintances who are instantly old friends. They are all family, and their images tell the stories of our lives.

Join our international community of photographers and share your photographs with our distinguished panel of judges. The experience will be rewarding. And the prizes are great!”

PANEL OF JURORS
We are privileged to have such an esteemed panel of jurors to view the entries and select the contest winners.
View complete details.

Brenna Britton, Deputy Photo Editor
People Magazine
Julie Blackmon, Photographer
Anthony Bannon, Director
George Eastman House
Reid Callanan, Director
Santa Fe Photographic Workshops

CLICK HERE to enter, and good luck!

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Early Bird rate extended through tomorrow, September 3rd, for En Foco’s 9/25 portfolio review in NYC

September 2, 2010 at 8:25 pm · Filed under APPROACHING EVENT, Funding the Arts, Market Musings, MVS MUSTS, MVS PHOTO FAVORITES, READING MATTERS

From En Foco’s event page:

Portfolio Review Sessions – September 25, 2010
“This En Foco program offers one-on-one reviews with several arts professionals on the same day, in a supportive, nurturing and affordable environment. Reviewers can advise about opportunities and/or provide guidance on career development. This is an outstanding opportunity for ALL photographers to have their work critiqued by curators, editors, educators and other arts organizations.

Whether you’re ready for Chelsea galleries, or just looking for feedback and advice, we have reviewers to suit all needs – you just have to be serious about your craft (call if you have questions). In between sessions, you’ll be able to relax in the photographer’s creative lounge and share your work with peers.

This workshop is only available to current En Foco Members (ALL are welcome to join). Each review session lasts for 20 minutes; photographers are guaranteed a minimum of three reviews and receive a ‘gift bag.’ Upon registration, participants will receive an article written by photo marketing expert Mary Virginia Swanson, on how to best prepare themselves for the Review. Read her new blog article, Assessing the Value of Attending Portfolio Review Sessions.

Reviewer´s will be added on a daily basis. To REGISTER, click here.

Those reviewers confirmed to date (8/14/10) are:

  • Rocio Aranda-Alvarado, El Museo del Barrio
  • Elizabeth Avedon, Independent Curator/Consultant (pm session)
  • Florian Bachleda, Latina Magazine
  • Kalia Brooks, Independent Curator
  • Song Chong, Magnum Photos
  • Mary Ann Fahey, Umbrella Arts
  • Elizabeth Ferrer, Director of Visual Arts, BRIC / Rotunda Gallery
  • Hannah Frieser, Light Work
  • Rosie Gordon-Wallace, Diaspora Vibe Gallery
  • Lisa Henry, Independent Curator, CA
  • Michael Itkoff, Daylight Magazine
  • Danielle Jackson, Magnum Photos
  • Stella Kramer, Photography Consultant
  • Lesley Martin, Aperture
  • Ruben Natal San-Miguel, ARTmostfierce Editor & Independent Curator
  • Saul Robbins, Photographer, Consultant & former board of CCNY
  • Ariel Shanberg, Center for Photography at Woodstock
  • Yukiko Yamagata, Open Society Institute’s Documentary Photography Project”

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    Reminder: Postmark deadline September 8th for the Honickman First Book Prize in Photography

    August 31, 2010 at 11:30 pm · Filed under APPROACHING DEADLINE, Funding the Arts, MVS PHOTO FAVORITES, READING MATTERS

    All submissions for the Honickman First Book Prize from the Center for Documentary Studies must be postmarked no later than September 8th; juror is William Eggleston.

    For more information on this important publication competition, click here.

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