Author: jentucky

Artists4Artists: A Retrospective of Anne McKee Grant Recipients

 

Frida Rebel, (Digital Photograph, encaustic wax, oil pastel and digital image transfer on board, 2015), featured in the Artists4Artists Exhibition at TSKW.

The first artist grant I ever received was from the Anne McKee Artist Fund in Key West.  The year was 2000 and just the beginning of my artistic career.  The awarding of this grant not only funded a photo project, but it solidified the belief in myself as an artist in an established and esteemed community of creative individuals.   I was fortunate to receive other grants from Anne McKee in 2005 and 2009 as well.  These grants encouraged my exploration of the photographic medium and steered my work into new directions.  It goes without saying that I would not be where I am (or whom I am ) today if it were not for Anne McKee!

Since 1994, the Anne McKee Artists Fund has been the only grant program of its kind for Florida Keys artists.  It has had an immeasurable impact on an entire generation of artists and has helped to shape the cultural landscape in the Keys.  In the past 22 years over 250 grants have been given!!

Tonight marks the opening of Artists4Artists, A Retrospective Show of Anne McKee Artists Fund Grant Recipients at The Studios of Key West.  This exhibition celebrates 100 visual artists, authors and performers who have received Anne McKee grants over the past 22 years.

The opening reception is tonight January 5th from 6-8pm.  The exhibition dates are from January 5th – 26th at The Studios of Key West, located at 533 Eaton Street.  Artwork will be displayed on the 2nd and 3rd floors of TSKW with live performances and book readings in the main theatre.

 “When I started, I thought it would help people buy frames and materials,” said McKee of the fund that offers such tangible and intangible benefits to the local creative community. “I never dreamed it would help people do so many big things.”

 

Thank you Anne McKee! Wish I could be there in person to celebrate with everyone!!

~jz

 

 

 

 

 

 

“Ways of Seeing”, a statewide traveling exhibition

Artwork that depicts an alternate reality is the feature of the Kentucky Arts Council’s traveling exhibit titled “Ways of Seeing.”  The work is abstract, conceptual, fantasy-based and experimental.  Some pieces imagine an alternate reality by exploring the unknown or by re-envisioning the known world.  Each work is by an artist in the Kentucky Crafted program or a recipient of the Al Smith Individual Artist Fellowship and will travel to 5 venues around the Commonwealth of Kentucky through December 2017.

Looking Backwards 2 (from Attempting Utopia series), Dye Sublimation on Aluminum, featured in “Ways of Seeing” exhibition.

As a 2014 Al Smith Fellowship recipient, it’s a real honor to be a featured artist in this exhibition and I’m also very grateful for the opportunity to have my work travel across Kentucky.  I must admit that the show is traveling to places in the state I have yet to visit.   And I love going to places I have never been before…even if it’s vicariously through my artwork!

Check out the exhibition in the following locations: (I will update this page with specific dates for shows in Williamsburg, Somerset and Madisonville when that information becomes available)

Appalachian Artisan Center, Hindman October 3rd – December 22 2016
Eastern Kentucky University Center for the Arts, Richmond January 9th – February 26th 2017
Whitley County Fine Arts, Williamsburg March – May 2017
Center for Rural Development, Somerset June – August 2017
Glema Mahr Center for the Arts, Madisonville September – December 2017

 

“‘Ways of Seeing’ transports the viewer to a different time and place and gives them a sense of otherworldliness,” said Lori Meadows, Kentucky Arts Council Executive Director.  I’m ready to transport myself to some of these smaller towns, check out areas of Kentucky currently unfamiliar to me and see these works in person!

Road trip anyone?

~jz

 

A look back at my recent photo workshop with the Louisville Photo Biennial

This past fall I had the opportunity to teach an 8 week digital photography course, geared to 10-15 years olds at Baxter Community Center in downtown Louisville with the Louisville Photo Biennial.  This photo course was taken from, and expanded upon, the original 1-day, 5-hour workshop, I led for the Louisville Photo Biennial at 5 different community centers last fall.

Oh look…my favorite thing ever…having students take my picture…NOT!  Photo by Amira Karaoud

One of those 5 workshops was at Baxter Community Center, and I was really excited to have three prior students from that class return to work with me again this fall!  I also loved the idea of breaking down the initial one day workshop into a consecutive 8 week program, where I could really get to know the students and potentially have far greater impact on their interest in photography.

Most classes began with looking at photo books. This was a source of inspiration to me in my arts education and was a great intro to the topic we covered that day. Photo by Amira Karaoud.

With a new lesson introduced each week I also addressed the fundamentals of strong photo composition.  Having this longer session enabled us to really dive into the numerous creative options of the Nikon Coolpix S7000 camera.

 

 

And like last fall, we brought in photo printers for making images of the work created.  This is always a huge hit.  We all take photographs, but very few are ever printed anymore.  And just like the darkroom, there is a sense of magic when you see your image coming to life…and in this case, out of the printer.  This process also allowed them to review the images they have created and select the most worthy of being printed.

    

Probably the most memorable class was our Louisville Belvedere field trip.  It was a mid October day when the air is still warm and the light is just right late in the day!  No one wanted to leave and you can’t beat that!

 

 

The 8 week course ended with a pizza party and exhibition of work created. Students selected their best images for exhibition and arranged them themselves.  The exhibition reception was well attended by members of the community and the students were very proud of their work!

   

 

 

Many thanks to my awesome photography assistant Amira Karaoud!  She was great at helping keep the students on track and it was wonderful to have another person offer some one on one assistance to them!  Check out her website…she’s an amazing photographer!!

Photo assistant Amira Karaoud looking super cool…ummm, because she is!  Photo by Tre Walker.

 

As I look back on this experience, my biggest take away is the pure joy these students expressed each week.  Incredibly grateful for the Louisville Photo Biennial and their mission to bring photographic education to those in underserved communities.

~jz