It’s hard to quantify how great it is that there’s another new photography organization serving photographers in Metro Atlanta. The Serenbe Photography Center located southwest of the city, in Palmetto, is a tremendous step forward as a serious resource for local (and regional!) photographers. Their Grand Opening was this past weekend, and we wanted to share with you a quick look of the facilities, which include a sizeable gallery and a digital/traditional darkroom. Amazing!

Please take a look at their site to see upcoming workshops, classes, and presentations, and find out how to get involved!

Grand Opening of Serenbe Photography Center from Atlanta Celebrates Photography on Vimeo.

The brand new Serenbe Photography Center is opening its doors this Saturday, March 13th, 5-8pm! Their calendar (pdf link) is already full of great programming, and it’s with great excitement that we welcome a new, robust photography organization to Greater Atlanta!

Here’s a pdf with info about the new exhibition at Trees Atlanta from David Knox and Kathryn Kolb.

We’re excited about the launch of the new Serenbe Photography Center, just south of Atlanta. They have an extensive program of workshops on the calendar, and their traditional (and digital) darkroom offers many options for local photographers. Fantastic!

Atlanta photographer Sheila Pree Bright has an impressive list of exhibitions this Winter & Spring:

Dolls, Girls and Grillz in Kentucky
Jan 9 - April 10, 2010
Dolls, Girls and Grillz in “Searching for the Heart of Black Identity” at the” Kentucky Museum of Art and Crafts , Louisville, KY.

Posing Beauty: Plastic Bodies
Jan 16- May 9, 2010
“Posing Beauty: Plastic Bodies” at the Art Gallery of Hamilton, Ontario, CA

Double Exposure
Jan 23 - May 30, 2010
Suburbia in “Double Exposure” at the Southeast Museum of Photography, Dayonta Beach, FL

Faraway Nearby
Feb 19 - May 9, 2010
Suburbia in Faraway Nearby Nerman Museum of Contemporary Art, Kansas City, KS

Young Americans premiering at The Armory Show NYC
March 4 -6, 2010
Young Americans in The Armoury Show at Jenkins Johnson Gallery New York, NY. Young Americans Artist talk and book signing event on March 5th, 4pm at the Jenkins Johnson booth, Pier 94.

Suburbia at Fotofest Biennial 2010
March 12 - 25, 2010
Suburbia in “Road to Nowhere” at Fotofest 2010 Biennial focusing on US Contemporary Photography, Houston, TX.

OnSite
April 1 - May 30, 2010
Suburbia in “OnSite” at the California Museum of Photography, Riverside, CA.

Dawoud Bey: Class Pictures
Emory Visual Arts Gallery
February 4-March 4, 2010

Opening reception: Thursday, February 4, 5-8 pm
Featuring…
~Food and Libations
~At 5:30 pm, a special presentation by the Transforming Community Project introducing Dawoud Bey’s Spring 2010 Artist Residency at Emory University*
~At 7:00 pm, an artist’s talk by Dawoud Bey

In images made in public and private high schools across the United States, renowned portraitist Dawoud Bey offers a cross section of a generation, which is also a microcosm of the American experience as it finds expression in and as adolescent preoccupations, dreams and intensities. Accompanying each photograph is a statement by its subject, interrogating, challenging and elaborating the image—effectively performing the first in a chain of readings (including our own) that catalyze the portrait’s meanings. The subjects’ receptivity to themselves—following Bey’s own sympathetic receptivity to them—solicits, directs and finally compels our own humanistic response.

*Class Pictures is presented in conjunction with a month-long residency by Dawoud Bey, during which he will work with the Transforming Community Project (TCP) to photograph students, faculty and staff, gather their written and oral testimonies, and conduct workshops that explore the racial history and diversity of Emory University. This residency celebrates TCP’s extraordinary five-year service to the Emory community (2005-2010) and seeks to contribute to their enduring legacy on campus.

Class Pictures and Dawoud Bey’s residency are sponsored by Emory University’s Transforming Community Project, the Hightower Fund, and the Emory College Center for Creativity & Arts.

© Paul Fusco

Great news from the High Museum:

The photography department has acquired twenty photographs by photographer Paul Fusco from The Robert F. Kennedy Funeral Train (1968). On June 8, 1968, Robert Kennedy’s body was transported by train to Washington, D.C., for burial at Arlington Cemetery. On board the train was Paul Fusco, a photojournalist on assignment for LOOK Magazine. As the train made its way down the Eastern Seaboard, thousands of mourners came out to line the railway tracks and pay their final respects. Fusco documented the mourners, taking approximately 2,000 pictures during the eight-hour train journey. Fusco’s photographs simultaneously tell individual stories while capturing the collective emotion of the American public. Unfortunately, Fusco’s photographs were never published by LOOK, and the magazine folded three years later. Fusco was able to retain 200 of the pictures, but the rest were donated to the Library of Congress along with LOOK’s photographic archives. The portfolio remained unpublished until 1998, when it was featured in GEORGE magazine to commemorate the 30th anniversary of Kennedy’s death. The images have since been published in two separate books and have been exhibited internationally. This portfolio of 20 cibachrome prints is part of a limited edition of 15 sets that have been made expressly for museums. It is the first work by Paul Fusco to enter the High’s collection, and it will complement the Museum’s prominent archive of more than 300 photographs that document pivotal events of the civil rights era.

Serenbe Photography Center will have their grand-opening in a few weeks, but their calendar is chock-full of great events, classes and workshops. We’ll be sharing more info about their efforts in the weeks ahead. Here’s what’s happening on February 6th…

Capture, Tweak, & Print Workshop! – with Harris Fogel

$125 (includes lunch) – limit 16 students

9:30 am to 4:30 pm

“Digital technologies have unleashed a newfound ability to create images that embrace the passion at the core of the photographic aesthetic since its creation. Though the learning curve can be frustrating, the amount of creative control we have is staggering, as are our options and approaches!” says Harris Fogel, internationally acclaimed digital photography mastermind. He’ll discuss image capture, the role of color management and profiling from capture through development and printing, and how to best optimize work for export and printing. Using Adobe Photoshop Lightroom 2 for digital workflow, he’ll explain and illustrate image formats and how they impact your work, and explore the use of software and hardware to help achieve the best image quality. This is definitely a double shot of Espresso workshop! – Just bring your camera.

to register contact: serenbephotographycenter@gmail.com

office - 770-463-9098, Jenna Duffy, Asst. Director

or contact Kathryn Kolb, Director, 404-862-0118

About the Instructor:

Harris Fogel is an Associate Professor of Photography, and Director of the Sol Mednick Gallery and Gallery 1401, in the Media Arts Department at The University of the Arts in Philadelphia. The Media Arts Department offers programs in Photography, Film, Animation, and Digital Video, and houses two gallery spaces. The Sol Mednick Gallery and Gallery 1401 offer a year-round schedule of contemporary exhibitions of photography. He is reviewing work for possible exhibition at the Sol Mednick Gallery and Gallery 1401. He would prefer to view work that is fully realized and ready for exhibition. Our dogma is that we are non-dogmatic, and exhibit a wide-range of work.

Celebrating its 30th anniversary the Sol Mednick Gallery was founded in 1978 by then-Department Chair Ray Metzker, and is named after the founder of The University of the Arts Photography Program, Sol Mednick. It is the only endowed gallery for the exhibition of contemporary photography in Philadelphia. Fogel has directed the Sol Mednick Gallery since 1997 and Gallery 1401 since 1999. Gallery 1401 is now celebrating its 10th anniversary. The Media Arts Department, home to the photography, film, digital video, and animation programs at the university, operates the galleries. In 2001, the Sol Mednick Gallery received the prestigious Photo Review Award for service to photography.

A quick reminder that the annual auction to benefit Art Papers is on February 6th, and tickets are on sale now. Plenty of photographers have pieces in the auction; here’s a list of participating artists.

Corinne Adams, Lisa Alembik, Todd Alexander, Tristan al-Haddad, Sterling Allen, Alvaro Alvillar, Larry Jens Anderson, Anita Arliss, Linda Armstrong, Meg Aubrey, Philip Auslander, Mali Azima, Peter Bahouth, Beverly Baker, Nancy Baker, Conrad Bakker, Corey Barksdale, Michael Barringer, Balam Bartolomé, Avantika Bawa, Anne Beidler, Laura Bell, Robin Bernat, Daniel Biddy, Joe Biel, Janet Biggs, Matt Blackwell, BORN, Elaine Bradford, Mark Bradley-Shoup, Laura Bruce, Tania Bruguera, Caroline Bullock, Lucinda Bunnen, Luca Buvoli, Stefani Byrd, Danny Campbell, Dennis Campay, Lilly Cannon, Philip Carpenter, Jennifer Cawley, Mel Chin, Susan Cipcic, Charles Clary, Clayton Colvin, Monica Cook, Ginny Cook, Kate Crosby, Jerry Cullum, Dorit Cypis, Cathy Daley, Patrick DeGuira, Rebecca DesMarais, Brian Dettmer, Terri Dilling, Craig Dongoski, Stephanie Dowda, Craig Drennen, Ruth Dusseault, Wes Eastin, Sarah Emerson, Jody Fausett, Malaika Favorite, Laura Faw, Barrett Feldman, Julia Fenton, Tom Ferguson, Brendan Fernandes, Rosemarie Fiore, Robert Fischer, Margaret Fletcher, Nancy Floyd, Taj Forer, Angela Fraleigh, Jason Francisco, Scott French, Anna Christina Frischknecht, Randy Gachet, Angus Galloway, Meta Gary, Eula Ginsburg, Rory Golden, Ben Goldman, Charles Goldman, Julie Green, Joshua Dudley Greer, Kojo Griffin, Hadley+Maxwell, Matt Haffner, Paul Hagedorn, Iris Häussler, Rachel Hayes, Jodi Hays, Sally Heller, Tony Hernandez, Julia Hill, Hope Hilton, Sarah Hobbs, Sun Hong, Ridley Howard, Scott Ingram, Doug Ischar, J. Ivcevich, Jennifer J.L. Jones, Glenn Kaino, Mark Karelson, Marcus Kenney, Harrison Keys, Lily Kuonen, Alexander Kvares, Kristofer Laméy, Judy Morris Lampert, Caroline Lathan-Stiefel, Jack Lawing, Scott Lawrence, Mark Leibert, Kalup Linzy, Matt Lively, Steve Locke, George Long, Pam Longobardi, Sharon Louden, Oliver Lutz, Jennifer Mack, Kelly Mark, Daniel Joseph Martinez, Victoria Martin-Gilly, David McConnell, Conor McGrady, Michael Jones McKean, Kelly McKernan, Michi Meko, Corrina Sephora Mensoff, Donna Mintz, Linda Mitchell, Katherine Mitchell, Traci Molloy, Julian Montague, Dana Montlack, Jiha Moon, Andy Moon Wilson, Gean Moreno, Rebecca Morris, Laura Mosquera, Carter Mull, Michael David Murphy, Prema Murthy, Patrick Nagatani, Warren Neidich, Ilona Niemi, Laura Noel, Brian Novatny, Karyn Olivier, Robyn O’Neil, Ernesto Oroza, Adrienne Outlaw, Susan Harbage Page, Carolanna Parlato, Vesna Pavlovic, Daniel Pelt, Joe Peragine, Sigrira Perret-Gentil, David E. Peterson, Sandra-Lee Phipps, Plastic Aztecs, Amy Pleasant, Greg Pond, Carl Pope, Sheila Pree Bright, Manny Prieres, Julie Püttgen, Sofya Radelet, Daniel Raedeke, Ray Rapp, Barbara Rehg, Allison Rentz, Jeff Rich, Matthew Rich, Shaun Richards, Shana Robbins, Rana Rochat, Ben Roosevelt, Jack Dingo Ryan, Jon Sasaki, Chris Scarborough, Mario Schambon, BE Schellinger, Michele Schuff, Michael Scoggins, Richard Sexton, Felice Sharp, Robert Sherer, Noah Simblist, Melissa Sims, Julie Sims, Deanna Sirlin, Brett Smith, Caroline Smith, Pat Snow, Joe Sola, Jered Sprecher, Micah Stansell, Whitney Stansell, Stephanie Sutton, Katherine Taylor, Tommy Taylor, Kelly Teasley, Dayna Thacker, John Tindel, Jeanie Tomanek, Tonel, Murphy Townsend, Gregor Turk, Lisa Tuttle, Yi-Hsin Tzeng, Yukari Umekawa, Waldo Vinces, Tracy Wagner, Robert Walden, Audrey Ward, Adam Waterson, James Way, Carrie Mae Weems, Heather Weese, Mark Wentzel, Angela West, Christian Bradley West, Holly White, Alex P. White, Martha Whittington, Pandra Williams, Teri Williams, Gwen Wong, Whitney Wood, Xenia Zed, Monica Zeringue and Marina Zurkow.

Athens-based photographer Mark Steinmetz’s latest book “Greater Atlanta” was chosen as one of the top photobooks of 2009, by Photo-Eye.

“Mark Steinmetz completes his powerful and moving trilogy, “South”, with Greater Atlanta. Photographing in Atlanta and its outlying regions, Steinmetz provides his testimony on contemporary American civilization. Combining portraits and landscapes, he weaves a symbolic and lyrical investigation that subtly questions notions of progress. He further develops motifs – on the automobile, on the telephone – that were first introduced in South Central, and catalogues car culture, fast food, convenience stores, and suburban sprawl. Beautifully printed in duotone on matt art paper, Greater Atlanta is printed in a first edition of 1,000 casebound copies. Mark Steinmetz is a Guggenheim Fellow. His work is included in the collections of the Museum of Modern Art; the Metropolitan Museum of Art New York; the Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; the Art Institute of Chicago; and the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.”

A peek at their collaborative exhibition at Youngblood via The Atlantan.

From the new issue of The Atlantan, where Atlantans were asked for ideas for the new Mayor, Kasim Reed.

Susan Bridges, Whitespace Gallery

“I recently went to Toronto to attend Nuit Blanche, an all-night art show. People stood in line at 3 a.m. to get into venues held in vacant buildings, grocery stores, and on tops of buildings. Everything was free and the entire city was into it. This “art show” draws about 1 million people into the streets. Atlanta has so many open spaces and so many amazing artists who want and need to have a more active and supportive community. How can we make our great city a cultural center as well? Through education and public art.”

Thanks to Felicia Feaster, the December issue of The Atlantan (with Jiha Moon’s painting on the cover) highlighted Atlanta’s local arts environment, featuring artists, photographers, collectors, gallerists, and organizations.

A quick playlist of notable mentions from the December issue:

* Photographer Drexina Nelson’s book “Hollywood Noir”
* Artist Gregor Turk’s pictogram plates
* Hagedorn Foundation gallerist Brenda Massie, who’s “transformed HFG into a go-to spot for brainy, blue-chip photography.”
* Spelman College Museum of Fine Art curator Andrea Barnwell Brownlee
* “LeFlash has been that wild card, a one-night-only celebration of light inspired by the annual international art-light show La Nuit Blanche.”
* Photographer Jerry Siegel, who “ventures into territory imprinted by Southern lensmen like William Eggleston and Christenberry.
* Dancer Lauri Stallings of gloATL, featured performers at LeFlash
* Susan Bridges of whitespace, a “gracious, wickedly funny Southern woman who could talk a nun into a game of blackjack”.
* Photographer Neda Abghari’s “Night of Music and Photography” at Studioplex
* Photos from the opening night of Tierney Gearon and Todd Murphy at Jackson Fine Art, on view through Sat. January 16th.
* Photos from the opening night o “Click, Click” at Kai Lin Art, featuring Richie Arpino, Robert Brown, and Patrick Heagney.

* Daniel Kariko opens at Snapdragon, 6-9, lecture at 7:30pm
* Courtney J. Martin lecture at the Contemporary, 6:30-7:30pm
* Two shows at Marcia Wood Gallery, Spanle & Starr
* 1st Thursday art stroll at TULA

…and on Friday, January 8th, Micah Stansell opens at MOCA GA, with a re-install of a project from LeFlash2009.

Über-blogger (& ACP 10 Portfolio Reviewer) Joerg Colberg has a great interview with Athens-based photographer Mark Steinmetz over on Conscientious. Steinmetz has just released “Greater Atlanta“, the third book in “a triumverate” of black-and-white photography from the South.

“Of course nowadays color’s takeover of photography is just about complete. Perhaps only those who work in b/w can make their way to b/w’s deeper poetry and secrets. Maybe it’s time for b/w photographers, like those weary elves in the end of that other trilogy, to trudge off the stage and head to some other distant shore.”