By Elin Spring and Suzanne Révy
September, a month of endings and new beginnings. A month whose quickening days and glorious displays of brightening leaves herald both reflection and hope. In this month of “back to work” and “back to school,” we welcome a return to each other’s company, to gatherings that nurture our expressions of compassion and creativity. All around us, we see reasons to be hopeful. In our September Best Photo Picks, we have extended our summertime reach across New England, while focusing on the most exciting new crop of exhibitions open to public viewing and interaction in the greater Boston region. They are listed here geographically for your planning convenience and will be updated throughout the month.
SOWA – Boston’s South End Arts District
“Taos-2, New Mexico” 2017 by Robert Richfield, courtesy of the artist and Gallery Kayafas, Boston.
Gallery Kayafas – Inspired by the belief that cemeteries and shrines are gateways into the lives and cultures they memorialize, Robert Richfield’s solo show “BUDHA + CHRIST” is a vibrant collection of revelations regarding global customs. In the Alcove, “Familiar Interplay” features photographs, video and installation by Sanjé James of her bedroom, which doubled as her classroom during the Covid-19 pandemic in her senior year at Lesley University. Both exhibits will be on view from September 10th – October 16th, 2021. The gallery is hosting Artist Receptions on Friday, September 10th and Friday, October 1st, from 5:30 – 8:00pm (mask or face covering required).
For more information, go to: https://www.gallerykayafas.com/
“Untitled #07” 2021 ©Sanjé James, courtesy of the artist and Gallery Kayafas, Boston.
BOSTON PROPER
“Patti Smith, New Orleans”
Annie Leibovitz (American, born in 1949)
1978
Photograph, chromogenic print
Gift of Jan Colombi and Jay Reeg
Courtesy Museum of Fine Arts, Boston.
Museum of Fine Arts, Boston – Treat yourself to Personal and Political: Women Photographers, 1965-1985, the newly installed rotation inside the Women Take the Floor show at the top of the Art of the Americas Wing. Representing a pivotal era in feminism, more than 30 works address themes ranging from the natural world to street photography to the domestic sphere and include renowned US photographers such as Diane Arbus, Sally Mann, Annie Leibovitz (above), Cindy Sherman and Ming Smith, as well as recently acquired works by under-recognized photographers from the Americas, such as Adriana Lestido. On view through November 28th, 2021.
To read our review, go to: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/personal-and-political-women-photographers-1965-1985-at-mfa-boston/
For information, go to: https://www.mfa.org/exhibition/women-take-the-floor
“Paessagio & Pretini” photographs by Mario Giacomelli, courtesy of Robert Klein Gallery, Boston.
Robert Klein Gallery (RKG) – “Paessagio & Pretini” is a curated selection of famed and poetic silver gelatin prints by Italian photographer Mario Giacomelli (1925-2000), on exhibit concurrently with the Getty Museum’s Giacomelli retrospective, “Figure/ Ground” (exhibition catalog available). You can visit the RKG exhibit by appointment only through October 10th, 2021 along with the solo show “Here Forever,” contemporary images by Swedish wildlife photographer and conservationist Björn Persson.
For information, installation views and appointments, go to: https://www.robertkleingallery.com/
“King of Kings” by Björn Persson, courtesy of Robert Klein Gallery, Boston.
“Glass Egg Reflecting Trees, Cushing, Maine” 1999 by Paul Caponigro, courtesy of the artist and Pucker Gallery, Boston.
Pucker Gallery – “Seeing with My Heart” is a solo retrospective of rich, tactile silver gelatin prints by the acclaimed photographer Paul Caponigro. On view from September 11th – October 24th, 2021, there will be a public Opening Reception at the gallery with the artist on Saturday, September 12th from 3:00 – 6:00pm.
For information about the exhibit, associated gatherings and online events, go to: https://www.puckergallery.com/upcoming
“Pines at the edge of Newbury Field, Concord, MA” 2020 by Suzanne Révy from the series A Murmur in the Trees courtesy of the artist and Panopticon Gallery, Boston.
Panopticon Gallery, Hotel Commonwealth in Kenmore Square – For a sublime journey through New England’s seasons, visit WWYR Associate Editor and photographer Suzanne Révy’s solo exhibition, A Murmur in the Trees, featuring her sweeping, meditative multi-panel landscapes. On view through September, 2021, there will be an Opening Reception and Wine Tasting with a talk by the artist on Friday, September 10th, 2021 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm.
For more information or to register, go to: https://www.panopticongallery.com/
A Yellow Rose Project can be viewed at Boston University.
Faye G. Jo and James Stone Gallery, Boston University – A Yellow Rose Project is a collaborative photographic effort to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the passage of the 19th amendment, giving women the right to vote. Photographers Frances Jakubek and Meg Griffiths invited over one hundred women photographers to respond to the anniversary and reflect on the strength and resiliency of women. A gallery exhibit will be open to members of the Boston University community, but an ongoing slideshow will be featured in the gallery’s main window, along with an online component. Last chance! On view through September 15th, 2021.
For a gallery tour, go to: https://www.bu.edu/art/a-yellow-rose-project/?fbclid=IwAR14AEf6QQbds2NRkyJXWxDF6ICCS4N-hb9JIzztSoAYVf7PYwo0p4LTJ-E
For more information: http://www.bu.edu/art/a-yellow-rose-project/
The Focused Eye: Our Unique Views outdoor photography exhibition at Fan Pier on the Public Green in Boston’s Seaport District, pictured with exhibit curator Emily Belz.
Boston Camera Club, outdoor exhibit at Fan Pier – Three cheers for public art! Stroll the 250-foot long banner at Fan Pier in Boston’s Seaport District to enjoy The Focused Eye: Our Unique Views, 88 images curated by Boston photographer and educator Emily Belz, culled from members of the Boston Camera Club, (the second oldest of its kind in the country!) on view through November 2021.
For information, go to: https://bostoncameraclub.photos/?fbclid=IwAR1aUIQWa6ijWde7kcZ9CvJqJ10X4F9CeyjQb34CyIpxeffHJD0nrbB8hsk
CAMBRIDGE
Feature Image: “Fence, Gettysburg National Military Park, PA, 2008” by Oscar Palacio, courtesy of the artist.
Harvard Art Museums, Cambridge – Promising to be the blockbuster show of the season, “Devour the Land: War and American Landscape Photography since 1970” considers how contemporary photographers have responded to the US military’s impact on the domestic environment. Assembled by Makeda Best, Harvard Art Museums Richard L. Menschel Curator of Photography, the expansive exhibit features over 160 photographs by 60 artists across seven thematic groupings, presenting a wide range of views, such as that of Oscar Palacio (Feature Image and above), which addresses the roles historic site architecture and photography play in shaping an American collective experience. Creatively conceived and presented,“Devour the Land” raises awareness of the ways violence and warfare surround us, in a selection of images from artists including Robert Adams, Terry Evans, Lucas Foglia, LaToya Ruby Frazier, Susan Meiselas, Richard Misrach, Steven Tourlentes, Alex Webb and Will Wilson, to name a few. On view by advance reservation from September 17th, 2021 – January 16th, 2022.
For more information about the exhibit, reservations, and/or to register for the free online opening lecture at 3:00pm on Friday September 17th, 2021, go to: https://harvardartmuseums.org/exhibitions/5877/devour-the-land-war-and-american-landscape-photography-since-1970
THE BURBS
“Dada” by Lou Jones from the series distressed:memories, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.
Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester, MA– Lou Jones delves deep into his own psyche to create images from the subconscious in distressed:memories. By making pictures, Jones brings the ephemeral interior into the real world, and seeks to find shared visions from mythologies, religions or fairy tales. On view from September 2nd through October 1st, 2021. A free public reception is planned in the museum on September 12th at 5pm.
“Moment of Light” by Rhonda Lashley Lopez from Life Narrated by Nature, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.
“Weep” by Zachary Stephens, mounted cyanotype from Watching the Ice Melt, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.
“Blue Room” by Dylan Everett, courtesy of the artist and the Griffin Museum of Photography.
Also at the Griffin Museum in Winchester, quiet meditations on nature by Rhonda Lashley Lopez in Life Narrated by Nature and cyanotype photograms in Watching the Ice Melt by Zachary Stephens are accompanied by Dylan Everett’s collages celebrating LGBTQ-identified creative figures such as John Dugdale, George Platt Lyons and James Baldwin. All three exhibitions will be on view from September 2nd through October 24th, 2021. A reception at the museum is planned for September 12th at 5pm.
For more information on exhibits and accompanying programs visit: https://griffinmuseum.org
The FENCE installation outside the Griffin Museum of Photography in Winchester, MA, on view through September 6th, 2021.
Photoville’s 9th Edition of the Fence at Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester, MA – Get your walking shoes! In collaboration with the Griffin Museum, Photoville’s The FENCE returns to downtown Winchester for the summer. The FENCE is an annual juried competition and the exhibit includes a national and regional selection of photographers, all within walking distance of the Griffin Museum. Last chance! On view through September 6th, 2021.
To read our review: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/photoville-fence-outdoor-photography-exhibition-in-winchester-ma/
For more information, go to: https://griffinmuseum.org/9th-edition-of-the-fence-2021-winchester/
“Karen, Brooklyn, NY” 2016 from Major Arcana: Portraits of Witches in America series by Frances Denny, courtesy of the artist and ClampArt, NYC.
Peabody Essex Museum (PEM), Salem, MA – As a descendent of both the accusers and those accused of witchcraft in the Salem Witch Trials of 1692, photographer Frances Denny explores the face of modern American witchcraft in Major Arcana, her series of portraits including healers, artists and tarot readers across a spectrum of identities and spiritual practices. Thirteen of Denny’s portraits are featured in an expansive fall show at PEM, “The Salem Witch Trials: Reckoning and Reclaiming” on view September 18th, 2021 through March 20th, 2022.
For more information about the exhibit, go to: https://www.pem.org/exhibitions/the-salem-witch-trials-reckoning-and-reclaiming
“Camera Obscura View of the Florence Duomo in Tuscany’s President’s Office in Palazzo Strozzi, Sacrati, Italy” 2017 by Abelardo Morell from the Projecting Italy exhibition courtesy of the artist and the Fitchburg Art Museum.
Fitchburg Art Museum, Fitchburg, MA – The master of the camera obscura, Abelardo Morell comes to the Fitchburg Art Museum with Projecting Italy. Morell’s use of this ancient technique brings Italian vistas into sumptuous rooms to honor the twentieth anniversary of the Center for Italian Culture at Fitchburg State University. On view from September 5th 2021 through January 2nd, 2022. Due to unforeseen circumstances, the Fitchburg Art Museum is closed until Wednesday September 8th and this exhibit will open on September 11th.
For more information: https://fitchburgartmuseum.org/projecting-italy/
What We See in the Shadows, two photographs from the Sawtooth Mountains in Idaho taken in 2005 (left) and 2007 (right) by Laura McPhee, installation photograph by Suzanne Révy
deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln, MA – Two shows incorporate photography among other media. What We Do In The Shadows features prints and photographs that explore places hidden in shadows where systems or governments can conceal something sinister, and artists seek to reveal it . The exhibit includes local luminaries such as Lou Jones, Barbara Norfleet and Laura McPhee. A second show, Sonya Clark: Heaven Bound includes six large scale vinyl print portraits of former enslaved Americans, such as Frederick Douglas and Sojourner Truth, among others. Extended! On view through January 9th, 2022.
To read our review: https://www.whatwillyouremember.com/what-we-do-in-the-shadows-at-decordova-sculpture-park-and-museum-lincoln-ma/
For more information and to make reservations: https://thetrustees.org/program/decordova-exhibtions/
From the series Blossom Blizzard by Valda Bailey, courtesy of the artist and Sohn Fine Arts, Lennox, MA.
Sohn Fine Art, Lenox, MA– Valda Bailey’s solo exhibition of colorful and layered impressionistic landscapes, We May as Well Dance is on view through October 10th, 2021.
For more information: https://www.sohnfineart.com
“Saint-Sulpice, Paris, France” 2019 by Francis Olschafskie, courtesy of the artist and Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM), Provincetown, MA.
Provincetown Art Association and Museum (PAAM), Provincetown, MA – In The Silent Side of A Shiver: Photographs by Francis Olschafskie, curator Breon Dunigan presents the artist’s literal and metaphorical reflections on his (pre-Covid) wanderings from Boston to Europe. Last Chance! On view through September 19th, 2021.
For more information, go to: https://galleryschoolhouse.com/francis-olschafskie-at-paam/
ROAD TRIP!
Rhode Island
“Devon” by Tara Bogart from the series Modern Hair Study, courtesy of the artist and the Newport Art Museum, Newport, RI.
Newport Art Museum, Newport, Rhode Island– Hair Stories is a splendid multimedia exhibit exploring cultural, religious and societal ideas intertwined with hair, featuring photographers Tara Bogart (above), María Magdalena Campos-Pons, Sean M. Johnson, Vivian Keulards, Zanele Muholi, Lorna Simpson and DM Witman among others. On view through October 31st, 2021.
Later in the month, the museum will open an exhibition by photographic artist Annu Palakunnathu Matthew featuring work from several of her projects including her black and white photographs in Memories of India, self-portraits in conversation with the work of Edward S. Curtis in An Indian from India and recent work examining the traumatic aftermath of the partition of India in 1947 and the forgotten history of Indian soldiers who served the British during WWII. On view from September 25th 2021 through January 9th, 2022.
For more information: https://newportartmuseum.org
“Memories of India-Woman at River” 2002 by Annu Palakunnathu Matthew, courtesy of the artist and sepiaEYE, NYC.
“After the Rain, NYC” by Steve Sorensen, courtesy of the artist and RICPA, Providence, RI.
Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts (RICPA), Providence, RI – In a group exhibition juried by Kat Kiernan, Editor-in-Chief of Don’t Take Pictures photography magazine, A Fall of Rain explores the regenerative and destructive powers of precipitation. Last chance!! On view through September 10th, 2021.
“Annye Raye Pitts” by Mary Beth Meehan, courtesy of the artist.
Opening at RICPA on September 16th, 2021 is “Annye Raye Pitts: Witness,” a collaborative exhibit by photographer Mary Beth Meehan and Jonathan Pitts-Wiley, grandson of the show’s subject. Annye Raye Pitts was a community activist, educator and singer who escaped the oppression of Montgomery, Alabama in 1959 as part of the Great Migration to seek freedom and a better life for herself and her children in Providence, R.I.. Meehan’s photographs and Pitts-Wiley’s personal effects, artifacts and stories create a rich tapestry of a remarkable life. On view through October 12th, 2021, there will be an Opening Reception on Thursday, September 16th, 2021 from 5:00 – 8:00 pm.
For more information, go to: https://www.riphotocenter.org/annye-raye-pitts-witness/
New Hampshire
From the series Becoming Grey by Nancy Grace Horton, courtesy of the artist and Jessica Hagen Fine Art, Newport, Rhode Island.
3S ArtSpace, Portsmouth, NH – Known for her investigations into the stereotypical roles and imagery of women, Nancy Grace Horton turns her camera to women who opted to forgo hair dyes in favor of their natural greys. Her project, Becoming Grey is designed to be interactive, with photographic and audio components. Horton celebrates realistic representations of female identity, power and desire. On view from September 3rd through October 2nd, 2021, an Opening Reception with the artist is planned for Friday September 3rd from 5 :00 – 8:00 pm.
For more information: https://www.3sarts.org/gallery/becoming-grey-exhibit
Maine
“Parked Car, Small Town, Maine Street” 1932 by Walker Evans, gelatin silver print, printed circa 1969 by Charles Rodemeyer. The Museum of Modern Art, New York. Gift of the artist, 1975. © 2021 Walker Evans Archive, The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Portland Museum of Art, Portland – To commemorate the 75th anniversary of Walker Evans’ landmark show at the Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) in New York City and the accompanying influential monograph, American Photographs, former MoMA curator Sarah Hermanson Meister along with Collections Specialist Tasha Lutek organized this selection of Evans’ pictures which travels to Portland this fall. On view from September 10th through December 5th, 2021.
For more information: https://www.portlandmuseum.org/walker-evans
“Harvest Moon” 2020 by Nina Poole. courtesy of the artist and Cove Street Arts.
Cove Street Arts, Portland, ME– In Harvest Season, curator Bruce Brown brings together twelve Maine-based photographers in a study of reaping the fall harvests of Maine’s precious growing season: Susan Porter, Kris Larson, Audrey Gottlieb, David Stess, Julie Searls, Joyce Tenneson, Nina Poole, Nanci Kahn, Lynn Karlin, Linda Cullivan, Mike Cullivan and Corrie Zacharias. On view through October 9th, 2021.
For more information: https://www.covestreetarts.com/exhibitions-1/harvestseason
“Painted Lobster Buoys, Stonington, Maine” 1971 by George Tice, Gift of Norton and Thelma Webber, Waterville, Maine, 1992, courtesy of the Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland, Maine.
Farnsworth Art Museum, Rockland, Maine – Here is a show we’d love to see: George Tice and Andrew Wyeth: Parallel Visions, the first exhibition to show Tice’s Maine work in the place that inspired it and the first to pair the two artists together, exploring the unique vision of each artist through their depictions of those evocative parallel worlds that capture both the myth of Maine and the reality its residents call home. On view through October 31st, 2021.
For more information, go to: https://www.farnsworthmuseum.org/exhibition/george-tice-and-andrew-wyeth-parallel-visions/
From the show Nor’east by SB Walker, courtesy of the artist and the Center for Maine Contemporary Art.
Center for Maine Contemporary Art, Rockland, Maine – Since 2014, photographer SB Walker traveled hundreds of thousands of miles around the state of Maine to document its many corners, including farms, harbors and people at play, work and worship in Nor’east. Last Chance!! on view through September 12th, 2021.
For more information: https://cmcanow.org/event/sb-walker-noreast/
Vermont
“On the Outside” by Erik Williams from Black Frame Vision “Street Photography” courtesy the artist and the Shelburne Museum.
Shelburne Museum, Shelburne, VT – New England Now: People is the second exhibition in a new biennial series featuring regional artists. This multi-media exhibition explores the cultures and traditions among diverse communities in contemporary New England, and includes the photographs of Melonie Bennett, Evie Lovett, Erik Williams (above) and Annu Palakannathu Mathew, on view through October 17th, 2021.
For more information: https://shelburnemuseum.org/exhibition/new-england-now-people/
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