By Elin Spring
As autumn rolls around and students flood back into Boston, the atmosphere becomes electrified with their energy for fresh explorations. Another exhilarating annual rite – minus the crazy traffic – is one of our favorite photography events of the year: Somerville Toy Camera Festival. STCF harnesses that same lust for discovery and delivers it to three galleries during the month of September. Photographers who can’t resist fiddling around with toy cameras, tinkering with homemade lenses, taping up light leaks and experimenting with all manner of films sent their entries to 2019 guest curator Gordon Stettinius, photographer and owner of Candela Books + Gallery in Richmond, Virginia. His selections are now on view at Brickbottom Gallery, Nave Gallery and Washington St. Art. We are excited to present a tiny sampling of the photographs at each venue, but to fully appreciate the delicious quirkiness of the prints – or to ponder adding one to your collection – there is nothing like seeing them firsthand. You have a month! For hours, directions and associated programming, including juror Gordon Stettinius’ solo exhibit Miss Americana at the Griffin Museum, go to:http://www.somervilletoycamera.org/
Brickbottom Gallery is located at 1 Fitchburg Street in Somerville, MA.
A selection of toy cameras on display at the Brickbottom Gallery.
“Among the Trees” by Kerrie Kemperman. Made with a Sprocket Rocket and 35mm T-Max film, advanced “in small amounts as I pivoted my point of view” (courtesy of the artist and STCF).
“Kingsnake” by Michael Weitzman. Zero image Pinhole camera, paper negative, Lith gelatin silver print, Selenium toned (courtesy of the artist and STCF).
“Stoop” by Mike Yoder. Made with Holga 120 camera and Kodak Tri-X film (courtesy of the artist and STCF).
“Where is Home? (Sedona: The Caves/ My Unsafe Hiding Place)” by Aaron Wilder. Made with a Holga camera. (Courtesy of the artist and STCF).
“29 Green” by Emma Bowman (courtesy of the artist and STCF).
“Red Dress Blue Gloves” by Chae Kihn. Made with a Holga camera (courtesy of the artist and STCF).
Nave Gallery is located at 155 Powderhouse Boulevard in Somerville, MA.
“Menlo Park Lights” by Robert Holmgren. Made with Holga 120N, in camera multiple exposure (courtesy of the artist and STCF).
“Palo Alto Shadows” by Robert Holmgren. Made with Holga 120N, in camera multiple exposure (courtesy of the artist and STCF).
“Pearl Sky” by Marky Kauffmann. Made with Plastic Panorama camera, Ilford XP2 film, archival pigment print from bleached, scanned silver print (courtesy of the artist and STCF).
“Mark’s Tree” by Sue Lezon. Made with a Holga camera (courtesy of the artist and STCF). Installation photo by Elin Spring.
“Tango in Plaza Dorrego” by Philip Arnold. Made with a Holga 120S camera (courtesy of the artist and STCF). Installation photo by Elin Spring.
“Tango” by Ronald D. Butler. Made with reversed lens Brownie Hawkeye camera, Cyanotype on birch veneer (courtesy of the artist and STCF). Installation photo by Elin Spring.
Washington St. Art is located at 321 Washington Street in Somerville, MA.
“Summer” by Silke Hase. Made with Holga 120S camera, gelatin silver print (courtesy of the artist and STCF).
“Dusk, Kingswood Lake” Gelatin silver print by William Franson (courtesy of the artist and STCF).
“I Love Expired Film” by Kathleen M. Dailey. Made with a Holga camera (courtesy of the artist and STCF). Installation photo by Elin Spring.
“On the Dutch Side” by Dawn Reilly. Made with a Diana Mini camera and Kodak Gold 200 film (courtesy of the artist and STCF).
“Cityscape” by Beth Maciorowski. Made with a Holga camera (courtesy of the artist and STCF).
“Sunset Boulevard Neon” by Maura Brennan Valentine. Made with Holga camera using multiple exposures at night (courtesy of the artist and STCF).
Feature Image: “A Dream of a Faraway Place XXXIII” by Jacqueline Walters. Made with a Zero Image Multiformat 6×12 pinhole/ zone plate camera, Kodak Tri-X hand processed film, scanned, archival pigment print (courtesy of the artist and STCF).
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