A new interview with Julian Cox, curator of photography at the High Museum about “Road to Freedom” over on art 21.

“I was excited to move to Atlanta because I sensed that there was great energy among collectors and an eagerness for engagement with the High, and that has proven to be the case. We still have some way to go before we can consider the High a national leader in the photography field, but I firmly believe we are heading in that direction and agencies like ACP will help get us there.”

It’s interesting to see the similarities across these four projects: Robin Rhode’s “Stone Flag” which was on the cover of “Art in America” in January, Jan Von Hollenben’s exhibition at Marcia Wood Gallery in 2008, “Sorry I’m Late” which has been rocketing around youtube this past week, and Oren Lavie’s “Her Morning Elegance“.

© Robin Rhode

© Jan von Hollenben

A fantastic aural preview of the “On The Beach” exhibition opening at the High Museum this weekend: Richard Misrach on Studio 360.

“You don’t have to be a Rockefeller to collect art.” The story of Herb and Dorothy Voegel. More on imdb, & official site here. (via Amy Stein)

HERB & DOROTHY Trailer from Herb and Dorothy on Vimeo.

It’s inspiring to know that there are young artists and arts organizers in Atlanta who are plugged-in (literally) and are looking for new ways to expand their communities and to reach out to the community at large. Gather Atlanta is an inaugural event where local non-profits, arts organizations, community organizers, and artists will be coming together for the evening to take stock, learn from each other, and network toward new opportunities.

There will be a panel discussion at 7pm, moderated by Cinque Hicks, including Stephanie Dowda, Louise Shaw, Rachael Spiewak, Matt Haffner, and Michael David Murphy from ACP.

Here’s a list of participating organizations, a few of whom have participated in ACP in the past: ASIFA Atlanta, Beep Beep Gallery, Young Blood Gallery, The Photographer’s Print Studio, MINT Gallery, WonderRoot, BurnAway, Art House Co Op, Atlanta Printmaker’s Studio, Epidemik Coalition/ We Are the Process, The Art Department Gallery, Fallen Arrows, Plaza Theatre, See Through Souls, ISP, Dorkbot, & Artlanta!

Richard Misrach’s exhibition, On the Beach opens this weekend at The High Museum, and there will be a lecture on Thursday at 7pm in the Hill Auditorium. The High’s site has plenty of info, including a Q&A with Misrach.

“Color photography pioneer Richard Misrach will discuss past and present projects including the inspiration behind his recent series of monumental photographs on view in the Richard Misrach: On The Beach exhibition.”

“Untitled #222-04″ © Richard Misrach

Here’s a new interview on Art 21 between Victoria Lichtendorf and ACP’s Program Manager, Michael David Murphy.

“It’s (ACP’s) 11th year, and we’re excited to be bringing Gregory Crewdson and Harry Shearer to our Lecture Series this fall, in addition to all the other events; portfolio reviews, public art, exhibitions, a film series, and more. ACP’s goal is for Atlanta to become a city that’s known for its photography, and it’s an honest challenge to meet and address every day.

As someone new to the South, it was remarkable to move here and discover ACP and the festival. I felt as culturally plugged-in as I could be, while still a stranger in a pretty strange land. One of my goals at ACP is to provide as much support as we can to the diversity of photographers who are here in the metro area, but also provide something significant to people who’ve just moved here and are looking to hit the ground running.”

Denise Lira-Ratinoff’s book “16:03:27″ of her exhibition in Atlanta last year is now available as part of the collection at the library of the Museum of Modern Art. Here’s the library record in case you’re in New York and want to check it out. Congrats, Denise!

We’re now accepting listings for the ACP 11 Festival Guide! This year, 20,000 printed guides will be distributed in the Atlanta Metro area, and the online listings will be better than ever, with a downloadable PDF. We’re planning a fantastic month of programming, and we’re looking forward to learning about your events!

How to Participate:
* Plan your event (artists / venues)
* List your event in the Festival Guide
* Show your participation!

Jackson Fine Art has an exhibition from Steve Schapiro opening later this week. The show includes pictures taken behind the scenes of “The Godfather” and photographs from Schapiro’s “Heroes” series. Steve Schapiro had a photograph in the ACP 10 Auction, as well!

“Jackson Fine Art is pleased to present photojournalist Steve Schapiro’s iconic images from Francis Ford Coppala’s, The Godfather. Schapiro’s photographs provide an insider’s view of the making of the legendary trilogy. Imagine the experience of witnessing renowned actors as they created their most unforgettable performances.”

“Also on view is the Elton John AIDS Foundation Photography Portfolio I, the result of a very happy marriage between two of Sir Elton’s greatest passions, collecting photographic art and raising money for the Elton John AIDS Foundation. The Portfolio includes some of the most outstanding international names: Nan Goldin, Katy Grannan, Damien Hirst, Sally Mann, Richard Misrach, Shirin Neshat, Thomas Struth, Sam Taylor-Wood, Juergen Teller and Ruud van Empel. A majority of these artists are also represented in Sir Elton’s own collection. “I am both thrilled by the extraordinary array of art that has been contributed to this collection and profoundly grateful to the generous and talented artists represented within for supporting EJAF’s vital work”, said Sir Elton.”

A 25k award, applications due July 31st, more info at William H. Johnson Foundation for the Arts.

“The William H. Johnson Foundation for the Arts is a nonprofit, tax-exempt organization that seeks to encourage African American artists early in their careers through its annual award, The William H. Johnson Prize. Early career African American artists who work in painting, photography, sculpture, printmaking, installation and/or new genre are eligible to apply.”

At the Bank of America Plaza on the corner of Peachtree and North, there’ll be a reception for Corinne Adams’ current exhibition “Flora Photographica” on Tues., June 9th, from 3:30-6pm.

(Ed. note: Corinne is a founder of Atlanta Celebrates Photography)

APG’s latest show “Emerging Visions” has opened and will be up through July 3rd. Juried by Chip Simone, photographers include:

Amelia Alpaugh - Portfolio Center
Amy Arrington - The Creative Circus
Patricia Chourio - Kennesaw State University
William Hogan - University of West Georgia
Maria Joyner - SCAD Atlanta
Artem Nazarov - Portfolio Center
Yen Ngoc Phan - SCAD Savannah
Margaret Strickland - University of Georgia
Kevin Tadge - UNC School of the Arts

Plus, don’t forget to submit to APG’s In Your Dreams (pdf link) by June 3rd.

SCAD BFA grad Yukari Umekawa is showing her digital pinhole photographs at Whitespace.

“Yukari Umekawa’s art emerges from her efforts to find peace in a state of longing and isolation. Born in Osaka, Yukari left her friends and family in Japan to pursue her BFA in photography at Savannah College of Art and Design in Atlanta. She juxtaposes images of telephone wires and the sky to express a nostalgic homesickness. The telephone wires represent her perpetual desire for contact with home, while images of the sky serve as a comforting reminder that she and her distant home are under the same sky. The exhibition is aptly titled itodenwa, which is the Japanese word for a telephone created from two cans and a string. By deconstructing her digital camera, she created a pinhole camera to capture her images. Through the use of long exposures, her constructed pinhole camera returns dreamlike images that are softened and out of focus. Yukari states, “The photographs then become unclear like my memories.” The show marks her debut, and will be displayed at whitespec alongside Scott Silvey’s exhibition “Civic Remedies”. In contrast to Yukari, the American-born sculptor and painter now resides in Tokyo and is presenting his newest paintings from Japan. Together, the exhibitions will be a unique opportunity to explore the influences of Japanese and American culture on artists living outside their respective homelands.”

ACP’s public art project this year (curated by Beth Lilly) is going to be amazing, and there are only a few days left to submit. For more info, and details on submitting, see: Curating 12 Local Photographers. And check out other Opportunites and Call to Artists!