PGH PHOTO FAIR, 2nd EDITION. IT'S HERE!

It's finally here - the PGH Photo Fair weekend we’ve been leading up to for months through our incredible speaker series! Join us all weekend long for a fabulous lineup of exhibitors, activities and culinary delights. We kick off the festivities with the Next Level "Thank You Pittsburgh" celebration on Thursday and swing right into the fair on Saturday at noon. Please come out and show your support, we can't wait to show you how we've grown!  

Check out all we have planned for you below:

NEXT LEVEL PARTY 
Thursday, May 16  6:30 - 10:30pm
The Beauty Shoppe at 6101 Penn Avenue 2nd Floor
Free & open to the public

Sheyi Bankale, editor and founder of Next Level & PGH Photo Fair combine forces this Thursday evening to throw a ‘Thank You Pittsburgh’ celebration. Join us to welcome all of the people who made the Pittsburgh edition of Next Level a success from funders to artists and writers. This event is also a celebration to launch the weekend of PGH Photo Fair. Salt of the Earth will be supplying lite bites and drinks will be provided by Clique Vodka and Penn Brewery. DJ Soy Sos will set the mood with his musical stylings.

PGH PHOTO FAIR 
Saturday, May 18  12 - 6pm & Sunday, May 19 11am - 5pm
Unsmoke Systems Artspace at 1137 Braddock Avenue, Braddock, PA
Free & open to the public

PGH Photo Fair returns for a second year this weekend, Saturday May 18 & Sunday May 19 at Unsmoke Systems Artspace. This year, PGH Photo Fair will host twelve internationally known dealers to exhibit museum-quality prints and photo-based art spanning the history of the medium, from nineteenth-century vintage prints to contemporary photography, as well as photographic books and photo-based magazines.  

The expanded scope of exhibitors this year includes greater international breadth with Stephen Bulger Gallery from Canada, Next Level Projects from London and Only Photography from Berlin. Returning this year are Gitterman Gallery and L. Parker Stephenson,both specializing in classic and mid-century work. New, and with a very strong representation of the best in contemporary photography, are Higher Pictures and Sasha Wolf Gallery. In nineteenth-century works the excellent program of Gary Edwards Gallery is expected from the DC area as well as Winter Works on Paper, a trailblazer in showing the best in vernacular photography. Rounding out the roster with books, limited edition prints and magazines are newcomers Blind Spot, and returning exhibitors Aperture Foundation and Spaces Corners, all with compelling programs of contemporary work.

10x10 American Photobook Reading Room
Saturday, May 18  12 - 6pm & Sunday, May 19 11am - 5pm

Bibliopolis, third floor of Unsmoke

10x10 American Photobooks is a multi-platform photobook event with a reading room, online component and publication that presents American artists’ photobooks from the last 25 years. The project previewed earlier this month in New York. It’s final destination will be the Tokyo Institute of Photography in September 2013.  
 
BOOK SIGNINGS
Saturday, May 18   1:00pm
Anima, Charlotte Dumas
 
Sunday, May 19   1:00pm
Notes From the Foundry, artists TBA
Signings will take place on at the Spaces Corners table

Pittsburgh exhibitor, Spaces Corners has a few special plans for the weekend, including the launch of two new books: Dangerous Women from the collection of Peter J. Cohen and Notes From the Foundry a group show in a book featuring the work of sixteen contemporary photographers. In addition to these exciting releases, Dutch photographer Charlotte Dumas, known for her portraits of animals, will be signing copies of her newest book, Anima - a portrait series of the burial horses at Arlington National Cemetery photographed at night while resting.  
 
GOOD EATSFood will be generously provided by Kevin Sousa and Salt of the Earth all weekend long. Among the many delicious offerings, the onsite brick oven will be turning out made-to order pizzas, and Union Pig and Chicken will be roasting whole pigs. Thanks to all of our generous sponsors that helped make our event possible this year. We hope to see you in a few short days!
 
Best wishes,

Evan Mirapaul, founder of PGH Photo Fair & Fugitive Vision, LLC
& the PGH Photo Fair team

Next Level presents the PGH Photo Fair Launch Party

Two years ago during  Paris Photo, I was having a chat with Sheyi Bankale, the editor of Next Level magazine. He told me that the magazine was starting to focus on doing city editions, especially cities that have a developing photo/art scene. I suggested that Pittsburgh fit the bill very well. We decided to bring Sheyi to Pittsburgh to check it all out.

Fast forward a year or so later and the Pittsburgh edition of Next Level magazine is on the shelves with the fabulous work of Tomoko Sawada on the cover. I've got to say, I'm thrilled that Sheyi (with a little help from me) was able to make it happen with the involvement of a small army of writers, artists, foundations, and miscellaneous good-hearted folks.

So, Sheyi and I wanted to throw a "Thank You Pittsburgh" party and to invite all of the folks that had a hand in the edition who might be able to be in Pittsburgh on May 16th. Happily, this coincides with the launch of the 2nd edition of the PGH Photo Fair which will take place that weekend on May 18-19 and in which Next Level will be one of the exhibitors.

The party will take place at The Beauty Shoppe, 6101 Penn Avenue, 2nd Floor, and will go from 6:30-10:30. 

We have lots of fabulous contributors to the evening: light bites will be provided by Salt of the Earth, beer is provided by Penn Brewery,  and cocktails are provided by Clique Vodka. Copies of the Next Level Edition will be available. Nakturnal is handling the details of the event, so you know that the dj and ambience will be cool and fun. 

More details are on our facebook page (friend us!!) and we look forward to raising a toast to all our Pittsburgh friends who made the issue possible. Thank you!

Houston FotoFest Seeks new leadership

"After 26 years creating and developing  FotoFest, it is time for new leadership,"  say FotoFest Co-founders Wendy Watriss  and Fred Baldwin.  "As part of FotoFest's  Board of Directors, we are inviting  nominations and applications for the  position of Executive Director of FotoFest." The Executive Director will be responsible for leadership   of the organization, fundraising and financial development,  administrative oversight and development of future art and  education programming. Financial development will include  financial and fundraising planning with the Board of Directors. The Executive Director will succeed the strong leadership of  the founders, who have led the development of the organization  since its founding in 1983. The Director will lead and oversee the  future growth of this internationally known photographic arts  organization. Application Deadline: July 1, 2013 The Executive Director should have working experience with the  arts. The Board expects that the Executive Director will carry  forth FotoFest’s commitment to global and local programming;  the inter-connection of art and social ideas; discovery, development  and presentation of creative talent—artists and curators; the use of  creative skills and the arts to strengthen classroom education for  young people. Accordingly, the Board is seeking candidates  with the following qualifications: • Working experience with, and a strong commitment to,  the arts, particularly the photographic arts and their promotion. • A capacity for and an interest in executive and administrative  leadership of an internationally respected photographic arts  and education organization in order to further its growth  and development. • A demonstrable ability and willingness to accept responsibility  for financial development and fundraising for program and  general operating expenses. • A capacity for visionary thinking and action. • A strong and demonstrable interest in the connection between  the arts and social issues and a motivation to create high quality,   innovative visual arts programs that serve as a platform for the  communication of ideas through art. • An ability to motivate staff and coordinate well with a Board of  Directors.  The Board of Directors and FotoFest Co-founders are flexible with  respect to the  expansion and direction of the structure and programs  of the organization, but they expect an Executive Director to preserve  the core values of the organization: internationalism — international  programming and cross-cultural exchange; the inter-connection between global and local interests and constituencies as a centerpiece of FotoFest's  programming and administration; the interaction of art and social issues  in FotoFest’s programming.The leader of FotoFest will be expected to  maintain and expand the international network and programming  initiated and developed by FotoFest and its founders over the past 30  years. This programming includes a commitment to collaborating with  Houston-area organizations and using FotoFest’s programs to benefit  the arts and civic life in Houston. The leader of FotoFest will  also be expected to continue FotoFest’s commitment to  education - extending creative education to students of elementary to  high school grade levels. Qualifications: At least five years’ experience in management, resource  and financial development, and programming in the arts. A record of  success with fundraising and securing grants is strongly preferred. To Apply: Submit a letter of interest, curriculum vitae and three professional  references by July 1, 2013. The information should be sent to application@fotofest.org or FotoFest, 1113 Vine Street,  Houston 77002-4031, Attn: Marianne Stavenhagen. Please note that the position will remain open until filled. All inquiries,  applications or nominations will be held in the strictest confidence. The headquarters of FotoFest is in Houston, Texas. The position is  Houston-based.

PGH Photo Fair Speaker Series #6: Nora Kennedy and Peter Mustardo

As the PGH Photo Fair draws near, please join us for the final event in our Speaker Series as we welcome New York-based photo conservators, Nora Kennedy & Peter Mustardo.

Nora Kennedy & Peter Mustardo are at the very top of their field. Ms. Kennedy is the Sherman Fairchild Conservator of Photographs at the The Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York City and on the adjunct faculty at New York University's Institute of Fine Arts. Mr. Mustardo is the co-founder with Ms Kennedy of The Better Image which is one among the top conservation firms in the world. At any given time, his studio is occupied with masterpieces from major museums and collections.

The talk will be held at The Carnegie Museum of Art Theater on Wednesday, May 8, 2013 at 4400 Forbes Avenue. The talk will begin at 7pm. Join us before for refreshments at a cash bar and take a peek at the "Oh Snap" photography show off the lobby of the museum. . This event is free and open to the public. Come support our final event and hear the latest updates about the opening of the PGH Photo Fair just one short week later! 

While conservation may seem like an arcane, "insider baseball" topic, it's not. To anyone who is interested in making, owning, or showing photography, it is a help to also know how to take care of the work in their possession.

Photograph Conservators Nora Kennedy and Peter Mustardo will describe their adventures preserving photographic works of art at The Metropolitan Museum and in private practice at The Better Image, respectively. Working closely for over thirty years, this professional couple has actively shaped the coming of age of the nascent field of photograph conservation and is currently involved in photograph preservation initiatives internationally. Go “behind the scenes” to learn about large-scale installations of a diazo collage by Francesca Woodman and Richard Avedon’s photomurals at the Metropolitan, and the recovery of works of both high and vernacular photography after ‘Superstorm’ Sandy at The Better Image. Discover the advantages offered by scientific analysis to unravel secrets of artist’s techniques and keys to the conservation of our photographic heritage as well as contemporary photographic art.

We learned from our last speaker, David Howe, that works from his collection that were damaged by the flooding caused by Hurricane Sandy are now being restored by Mr Mustardo and Ms Kennedy. It's an unfortunate coincidence that illustrated just how personal the field of conservation can be.

10x10 American Photobooks at PGH Photo Fair

I'm thrilled to say that there will be a preview of the 10x10 American Photobooks project at Unsmoke Art Space during the PGH Photo Fair. My first encounter with the 10x10 concept was last year during the NY Art Book Fair at PS1 in NYC. Some folks connected with the library at the International Center of Photography (where I still have a supporting role) decided to do a pop up show of Japanese photobooks at a nearby space. They asked 10 experts in the genre to each nominate 10 Japanese books that they felt were important. The 100 resulting choices were all on display along with supporting text from the nominators describing why they loved these books. 

It was a huge hit. At the opening, luminaries from the photo and photobook worlds jammed in to see the books. It was such a success that folks from the Tokyo Institute of Photography asked if there could be another iteration in Tokyo. The ICP folks thought it would be funny to show Japanese books in Japan presented by Americans, so the American Photobooks idea was launched. Same concept, but this time 10 American nominators would choose 10 American photobooks each. There will also be a catalog with 10 additional writers (I'm happy to say I can count myself among the 10) and an online/blog presentation with some additional choices. 

The 10x10 American Photobooks Reading Room will be on the 3rd floor of the Unsmoke Art Space in the classroom which is being generously lent to us by Bibliopolis Books. 

There is also going to be a preview in New York with a panel:

NYC Preview of 10x10 American Photobooks
May 3 - 5, 2013
Opening reception: May 3 from 7 - 9pm
Ten10 Studios
10-10 47th Road
Long Island City, NY 11101

Panel Discussion on Sunday May 5 at 3pm
Fionn Meade, moderator – independent curator
David Senior – MoMA bibliographer
Christina Labey – Publisher Conveyor arts
Nicholas Muellner – Series Editor SPBH – self publish be happy

If you happen to be in NYC in the beginning of May, check it out.

You can read more abut the project at the website:

http://www.10x10photobooks.org/

Also, their Indiegogo site (which was fully funded and now closed) has a ton of info about the project:

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/10x10-american-photobooks--12 

PGH Photo Fair continues to add exhibitors and content that promise to make it a very satisfying weekend for lovers of photography. I hope to see you there.....

David Howe shows a personal path to collecting

In our 5th installment of the PGH Photo Fair Speaker Series (and our 2nd in the intimate theater of the Warhol Museum), David Howe was expansive and personal in his description of his career as a collector and artist. The "aha" moment for me was David's explanation that he is often attracted to art that he wishes he had made himself. Of all of the the collectors I've heard discuss the idea of why they choose what they choose to buy, I've never heard this longing-filled perspective. I also liked his account of how his collection exists in perfection only in his mind's eye. I think that's an important point. How the collector visualizes his collection as a totality in a mental image is an important concept both about what drives the collector and how a collection exists in the world. David was soft spoken (yes, we will have mics for the next event), but his voice was large in illuminating the psyche of an important collector.

Next up, we have photo conservationists Nora Kennedy and Peter Mustardo. It cannot be overstated, these two are at the very, very top of their field. Nora is the chief photo conservator at the Met Museum and Peter runs The Better Image which is one of the top 3 or 4 conservation firms in the world. At any given time, his shop is occupied with masterpieces from major museums and collections. Sorry to say, some of David Howe's collection was damaged in Hurricane Sandy. Unsurprisingly, the damaged work that can be saved is at The Better Image.

While conservation may seem like an arcane, "insider baseball" topic, it's not. I have heard these guys speak about their field many times. Trust me, it's fascinating. Plus, anyone who is interested in making, owning, or showing photography should also know how to take care of the work in their possession.

It promises to be a great evening and the closing event of the PGH Photo Fair Speaker Series' first year. Come support our final event and hear the latest updates about the opening of the PGH Photo Fair just a short week later. The 6th PGH Photo Fair Speaker event will be in the lecture hall of the Carnegie Museum. More details on the PGH Photo Fair website

PGH Photo Fair Speaker Series #5: David Howe

Please join us for our next PGH Photo Fair Speaker Series installment as we welcome New York-based artist, collector, curator and founder of 601Artspace, David Howe. Following on the heels of the fascinating talk given by Fred Bidwell last month, we continue to explore the myriad ways that a collector can approach collecting. 

The talk will be held at The Andy Warhol Museum on Wednesday, April 10, 2013. Join us for refreshments and a cash bar at 6pm followed by our talk at 7pm. This event is free and open to the public.

Mr. Howe has been a photographer and a stock-market investor since childhood. In college he directed plays, studied cinema, and then for more than a decade continued professional work in film, cinematography, and lighting. He then left the moving image world for the stock market and started a family. In the mid-nineties, he began collecting visual art, concentrating on contemporary art, video, and photography. He sought out dialogs with artists whose work he admired, such as Jeff Wall, Thomas Struth, Andreas Gursky, and Hiroshi Sugimoto.

In 2002 Howe returned professionally to camera work, enthusiastically embracing digital media. He studied at the International Center of Photography, New York, intensifying his visual awareness and engaging critical issues and discourses in contemporary art and media. Howe’s studio is in Bushwick, Brooklyn, where he generates his artwork and research. He travels frequently across the United States to photograph, make studio visits, and to continue informing his practice.

As Mr. Howe’s collection began to include large scale contemporary photographs, he leased space in the historic Starrett-Lehigh Building in the Chelsea area of New York City. Construction of a gallery was completed in 2005, and the first show, for private viewing only, went up that same year. In 2008, an exhibition was mounted for the public, and the space was named 601Artspace.

Today, 601Artspace partners with artists, curators and other not-for-profit organizations to produce unconventional exhibitions, talks, film screenings and special projects within a non-commercial context. Its permanent collection acts as a catalyst for artistic and curatorial encounters. Through these interdisciplinary practices 601Artspace engages and investigates issues in the making, organizing, and reception of contemporary art.

I hope to see you there!  

For more info about PGH Photo Fair, please click here.
For more info on PGH Photo Fair speaker series, please click here.
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Capricious extending open call

The excellent and forward-looking photo publication, Capricious", has extended the dates of its open call for submissions. See below. If you have work that fits their guidelines, I strongly suggest you make a submission asap:

EXTENDED CALL FOR SUBMISSION | Capricious #14 – Masculinity

Capricious #14 is ready to upend masculinity.  By seeking out contemporary shifts in the identity and ownership of the masculine, our next issue will dismantle the social artifice and re-shape its meaning. So how do you experience masculinity? How does it occupy your space? Where does masculinity endure today, where does it thrive and falter. Show us what masculinity looks like — in all its composite identities of wild and inherent, performative and parody, theoretical and aesthetic. Alter our expectations, and re-introduce us to masculinity.

Please submit 4-12 photographs. We accept all formats and all colors. Email your submission (images should be approximately 8×10 inches @ 72 dpi) to: submit@capriciousmagazine.com

Not all submissions will be guaranteed a spot in the coming issue yet Capricious will

consider your submission for future issues. Please make sure you have model (or any

other legally necessary) releases for all submitted work. Capricious has the right to use

published material in promotional matters.
 

EXTENDED Deadline:  April 20th, 2013
 

For further questions, please email submit@capriciousmagazine.com
 

Fred Bidwell wows crowd at PGH Photo Fair Speaker Series #4

Fred Bidwell put all of his experience as an advertising exec to good use last Wednesday night as he gave a polished, funny, engaging and informative talk in the auditorium of the Warhol Museum. Sorry to say, his lovely wife Laura was not with him as she had broken her wrist earlier in the week after slipping on the floor at O'Hare airport. Her bright, open spirit was missed, but Fred came through in a big way.

Starting with his genesis as a collector -- including showing a Polaroid portrait of him done by Walker Evans back in the day -- and finishing up outlining the new Bidwell exhibition space, "The Transformer Station", Fred covered many of the important questions asked about collecting and collectors in today's market. Always self-effacing, but direct and factual, it was a treat to hear Fred's views about art in Pittsburgh for the first time.

Thank you Fred Bidwell for making the evening the success that it was, and thank you to the Warhol for hosting our nearly full house in its beautiful auditorium. Next up is NYC artist/collector/curator, David Howe also speaking at the Warhol on April 10th. Remember, the talks are the 2nd Wednesday of every month until the PGH Photo Fair in May!

ECHO Art Fair in Buffalo call for submissions

I recently had the opportunity to meet the founder of a new art fair in Buffalo, New York, Frits Abell. He's doing grand work and reported to me that in only his 2nd year had attendance of 10,000! Wow. There's now a call for submissions for the next edition. Check it out nad be in touch with them if you think your work might be a good fit.

 

Contact:

Brooke Leboeuf

echoArtFair@gmail.com

716.510.1328

SUBMISSION PERIOD OPENS FOR ECHO ART FAIR 2013

exhibitors for juried art fair and site-specific installations are invited to apply

Buffalo, NY — echo Art Fair, www.echoartfair.com, a juried fine art fair held in Buffalo, NY, announces the opening of its submission period for artists and galleries to exhibit at the third annual fair. The fair will take place September 7^th and 8^th, 2013 at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library’s Central Library (BECPL), in downtown Buffalo, NY. 

The submission period opens Monday, March 4^th and continues until Friday, May 17^th, 2013 (midnight EST). Guidelines are available on www.echoartfair.com (Submission Info).

echo Art Fair is open to local, regional and international fine artists who work in all disciplines including painting, photography, sculpture, print, works on paper, video and mixed-media. Individual artists and galleries are welcome to apply. In its first year, echo’s single-day exposition drew more than 3,000 visitors; last year’s two-day event drew more than 10,000 visitors to the 17,000 square foot exposition space, and echo organizers aim to continue the momentum by increasing this year’s exposition space to 25,000 square feet.     

echo founder E. Frits Abell said of the location “The choice of the Library as a venue is ideal: it is larger than our previous venues, will be a raw , open space, it is well-ventilated and well lit--with floor-to-ceiling windows, and it is ideally situated in downtown Buffalo. Exhibitors will be very pleased with the space.” 

Jurors selecting this year’s exhibitors are: Tony Bannon, Executive Director, Burchfield Penney Art Center, Buffalo; Jax Deluca, Executive Director, Squeaky Wheel, Buffalo; Doug Dreishpoon, Chief Curator, Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo; Roberta Joseph, collector, Buffalo; Jonathan D. Katz, independent curator and Associate Professor of Visual Studies, University at Buffalo: and Maria Via, Director of Exhibitions, Memorial Art Gallery, Rochester.

Concurrent with the call for exhibitors is an invitation for site-specific installation projects, which complement, but operate outside of, the juried art fair. The site-specific proposals will be coordinated in collaboration with Hallwalls Contemporary Arts Center. A team assembled by John Massier, Hallwalls Visual Arts Curator, will review the proposals and select participants. 

echo Art Fair invites site- and event-specific temporary displays that respond to, or engage with, public areas within and directly surrounding the Central Library.  Artists of all media are welcome, including visual media and design works, temporary installations, temporary architectural interventions, time-based media, musical presentations, dance, movement art, theatre, and sound performance.

Abell said “The Library’s large entry-plaza, beautiful sight lines, and iconic mid-century architecture offer a wealth of potential for site-specific installations, particularly those that engage design or architecture themes.”

The submission period for both the juried art fair and the site-specific installations runs concurrently and will begin on Monday, March 4^th and continue until Friday, May 17^th, 2013 (midnight EST). Guidelines are available on www.echoartfair.com.

PGH Photo Fair Speaker Series #4: The Bidwells

Please join us for our next PGH Photo Fair Speaker Series installment as we welcome Northeast Ohio-based art collectors and philanthropists, Fred and Laura Ruth Bidwell, founders of the Bidwell Foundation and Cleveland’s new events and exhibitions space, the Transformer Station. After exploring the photography world from the perspective of the auction house and the gallery, the third and fourth installments of the PGH Photo Fair Speakers Series explore a new area by putting collectors in the spotlight.

The talk will be held at The Andy Warhol Museum on Wednesday, March 13, 2013. Doors open at 6:00pm with a cash bar followed by our talk at 7pm. This event is free and open to the public.

In this talk, the Bidwells discuss the pleasures and pitfalls of collecting, how they established their “ground rules” (to guide their collecting and to keep from getting overwhelmed) and why they chose to focus on contemporary art. For Fred, one of the special rewards of collecting living artists is the relationships that can develop. Besides the satisfaction of supporting creativity, he notes, “artists tend to be interesting people.”

Fred and Laura Bidwell will also introduce to Pittsburgh their latest project: the Transformer Station. This public-private partnership with the Cleveland Museum of Art, unique in the United States, is designed to bring original contemporary arts exhibitions, events and programming from around the world to the west side of Cleveland.

The Bidwells were first inspired to collect photo-based art after visiting a friend and passionate collector, whose home had been transformed into a remarkable floor-to-ceiling exhibition. Gradually, as their collection grew in size and significance, Bidwell Projects was formed. Today, the Bidwell Foundation supports numerous artists and arts institutions concentrating in Northeast Ohio. They have worked closely with Akron Museum of Art, University of Akron, Museum of Contemporary Art Cleveland, SPACES Gallery, Inter-Museum Conservation Association and the Cleveland Museum of Art.

Just as a refresher about the genesis of all this: PGH Photo Fair, through the auspices of Fugitive Vision, LLC, is sponsoring six talks on photography at a variety of venues in Pittsburgh on the 2nd Wednesday of every month leading up to the fair this Spring. The series aims to augment the already rich art and photography scene in Pittsburgh with speakers who will focus on the state of the art, collecting, and connoisseurship.

For more info about PGH Photo Fair, please click here.
For more info on PGH Photo Fair speaker series, please click here.  
Find us on Facebook here.
Written with the help of Alexandra Oliver

Pittsburgh welcomed Tom Gitterman

Even though Pittsburgh was hit with a snowy, slushy night, we had a great turnout for Tom Gitterman's talk in our 3rd installment of the PGH Photo Fair's Speaker series. Tom brought dozens of examples -- from Roger Fenton to Ken Josephson -- to illustrate his thoughts on connoisseurship, pricing, process, and (most importantly) his passion for the medium. The goal of the series has been to encourage debate and conversation around photography, so it was a pleasure to hear Tom's talk peppered with questions and enthusiastic responses. Gitterman Gallery will be one of the 12 galleries featured in the PGH Photo Fair this May 18-19, so those who missed the talk will have another chance to speak with Tom about photography and the work he will be bringing to show.

Remember, the Speaker Series is every 2nd Wednesday of the month up to the time of the fair in May. Next up will be Fred and Laura Bidwell, noted collectors from the Cleveland area, at the Warhol on March 13th. A post dedicated to that event will be up soon. Follow me for updates or sign up on our facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/pghphotofair.

PGH Photo Fair Speaker Series #3: Tom Gitterman at Mattress Factory February 13th.

Next up in the PGH Photo Fair Speaker Series, Tom Gitterman will share his expert knowledge and experience on collecting photography in a talk at The Mattress Factory Art Museum. Some of you may remember Mr. Gitterman from his participation in last year’s fair, and the wealth of exquisite prints he had on offer from the mid 20th century to the present day.

Through a hands on presentation with dozens of examples, Mr. Gitterman will demonstrate various ways that a photograph can be valued, what to look for when considering a print for purchase, and sharing key components of different photographic processes. This will be a very interactive event – more of a seminar – with audience members encouraged to handle and personally view matted prints that Mr. Gitterman has brought to illustrate his discussion.

“The overall goal in my talk is to give greater confidence to those thinking about collecting,” Gitterman says, “by providing them with questions to ask when considering buying for themselves, and by giving them specific examples of what to look for.” In addition to over 20 years of experience in the fine art photography world, Gitterman brings an infectious passion to his work at Gitterman Gallery in New York City, where he handles a range of style and periods that span the range of the medium’s history.

The talk will be held at TheMattress Factory, 500 Sampsonia Way, on Wednesday, February 13, 2013. Join us for refreshments at 6:30pm followed by our talk at 7pm. This event is free and open to the public.  

For those of you new to this blog, PGH Photo Fair, through the auspices of Fugitive Vision, LLC, is sponsoring six talks on photography at a variety of venues in Pittsburgh on the 2nd Wednesday of every month leading up to the fair this Spring. The series aims to augment the already rich art and photography scene in Pittsburgh with speakers who will focus on the state of the art, collecting, and connoisseurship.

A few weeks ago, we welcomed Deborah Bell, the Vice President Specialist of the Photographs Department at Christie's Auction House in New York City. Ms. Bell graciously shared highlights from recent and upcoming auctions and answered audience questions about her experiences at one of the world’s largest auction houses.  We were delighted to have a full house and hope to see another good turnout for our 3^rd event with Mr. Gitterman.

Deb Bell was a huge hit!

At least 100 people crowded into the Mattress Factory lobby last Wednesday night for a talk with Christie's photo specialist, Deborah Bell. It was SRO to hear Ms Bell speak on a wide variety of subjects from the ins and outs of the auction business to her thoughts on the world of contemporary photography. The crowd was an engaged mix of both amateurs (in the true French sense of the word) and art world professionals which led to a lively question and answer session. We ended up going quite a bit overtime because the questions kept on coming. Thank you to all who came to hear Ms Bell and to support the PGH Photo Fair Speaker series. I appreciate it more than I can say!

Next up is Tom Gitterman of Gitterman Gallery in NY. He will be bringing dozens of hands on examples in order to discuss the role of connoisseurship in buying a photograph. We will be doing away with the standard lecture format for this one. There will be matted examples of work to be passed around and viewed individually as Mr Gitterman discusses details that can only be seen in person and close-up. Not to be missed! More details as the event comes closer.

www.gittermangallery.com