Thanks to All

The November 1st Salon “Documentary Storytelling and Social Change” marked the end of the FRANK: In Focus photography festival. As the festival wound down, my internship with FRANK also came to a close. For the past few months I’ve been on board with the FRANK team, photographing and documenting the events, assisting in PR, and communicating with lecturers and members in the community. I have gotten to meet numerous talented artists and curators and contribute to discussions on the artist of today. Being a part of this festival was unbelievable and is an experience I will never forget!

Although I have come to the end of the internship and am no longer reporting on FRANK events, I will most surely still be seen at the gallery, attending future Openings and lectures and keeping the crew updated about UNC news.

I am extremely fortunate to have had this opportunity and thank my intern advisers and all who followed the blog and/or supported me during my internship. To my followers, I do not currently have another blog, but will post an update when I start the next in the future!

Until next time!

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Documentary Storytelling and Social Change

Thursday, November 1, FRANK hosted the final event of the FRANK: In Focus photography festival, the Salon “Documentary Storytelling and Social Change.” Before beginning, Gordon Jameson, Torey Mishoe, Barbara Tyroler and Bryce Lankard thanked the community for all of the participation, positive encouragement, and support that made the festival possible. Elena Rue, Catherine Orr, and Kathryn Stein led the evening, discussing their photography and videography, created to make a difference in our community.

Kathryn Stein, documentary artist and UNC Masters in Public Health candidate, began the lecture, speaking about the four months she spent in Malawi working with obstetric fistula patients. Her work focused on the strong bonds and friendships that were created among patients and doctors of the clinic while she documented their journeys of recovery.

Catherine Orr and Elena Rue, co-founders of StoryMineMedia and CDS instructors at Duke University, followed Stein’s presentation. Through documentary and storytelling, the pair calls attention to different issues in the community. Orr and Rue take a personal approach, engaging people in a new way.

A short question and answer session and reception followed the lecture.

As the evening drew to a close, many thank-yous were exchanged with those in charge of the photography festival, who, over the course of the last few months, have successfully brought together the community and initiated interesting discussion on the artist and curator of today.

Endeavors Article

Friday, October 19th, UNC’s magazine Endeavors ran a feature about “The Lens of the Emerging Artist.” Marc Derewicz’s article focused on the three UNC student shows that Opened at FRANK, Hanes Art Center, and 143A University Square on October 12th. UNC MFA’s Ali Halperin’s “Border Glitches” and FRANK’s UNC undergraduate intern Kaitlin Knapp’s “The American Landscape”

The original article can be found here.

Orange County Artists Guild Exhibition Opening

Thursday evening at 6pm, FRANK hosted the Opening Reception for the Orange County Artists Guild’s Exhibition in Chapel Hill. From October 25-November 11th, seventy-five members of the Guild have their works on display at FRANK and the Hillsborough Gallery of Arts. On the weekends of November 3 &4 and 10 &11, participating artists will have their studios open for public visitation.

This event marked the beginning of the exhibition and of the 18th Annual Studio Tour. Visitors to the gallery had the opportunity to meet and greet the artists and see the new works in the space.

Upcoming Events:

1. Salon: Documentary Storytelling and Social Change, Thurs., Nov. 1 at 6 pm at FRANK

Join Kathryn Stein, Catherine Orr, Elena Rue, and moderator Barbara Tyroler for a multidisciplinary look at how we use photography and videography to make a difference in our world and community.

2. Ackland Film Forum: Barefoot Gen, Thurs., Nov. 1 at 7 pm at the Varsity Theater

Watch Barefoot Gen, a Mori Masaki 1983 film at the Varsity.

3. Bunka no HI: Japanese Culture Day, Sat., Nov. 3 at 10 am-5 pm at the Ackland Art Museum

Celebrate the Japanese national holiday honoring culture and the arts! Explore the Ackland’s exhibitions of Japanese art, take part in a hands-on workshop, and marvel at demonstrations of traditional Japanese arts and crafts throughout the day. We’ll explore haiku, oragami, bonsai, and more.

Mondo Public Slide Show

Saturday, October 13th, FRANK in collaboration with the Town of Chapel Hill hosted the Mondo Public Slide Show on top of the Wallace Parking Deck. Photographers of all ages gathered to celebrate their artwork against the backdrop of a clear, crisp October night.

FRANK opened up the opportunity to the public to submit between 15 and 30 slides of personal work to share through projection onto a large screen. Local artists Barbara Tyroler, Bryce Lankard, and Lori Vrba were among the photographers who participated, showing works both old and new. As the slideshow rotated through the art, the crowd enjoyed complementary popcorn and live music by Mahalo Jazz and Friends.

Upcoming Events:

1.Tea Tasting, Thurs., Oct. 18 at 6-7:30pm at the Ackland Art Museum

Sample a variety of teas while learning about traditional and contemporary tea practices in Japan. Led by Nancy Hamilton, Cultural Programming Coordinator, Sarah P. Duke Gardens, and instructor in the Urasenke Tradition of Tea.

2. Salon: Taming Technology for the Photographic Creative Process Thurs., Oct. 18 at 6pm at FRANK

Creating fine art photography in the digital age requires more than a push-button solution. From custom made programs to mastering your cell phone camera. Dispelling myths of the “magic button” are Goodloe Sutter, Sam Kittner, Irene Owsley, and Shawn Rocco.

3. Music in the Galleries Sun., Oct. 21 2pm at the Ackland Art Museum

Enjoy the dynamic, traditional drumming of Triangle Taiko, the only taiko ensemble in North Carolina.

The American Landscape Opening

Friday, October 12th, also marked the Opening of FRANK intern Kaitlin Knapp’s show, “The American Landscape.” As a part of the FRANK: In Focus photography festival, this show featured works of photography or works with elements of photography. Four UNC Undergraduate Studio Art majors explored the cultural and political landscape of America.

At 8:30pm, Knapp gave a short introductory speech, presenting the theme and the featured artists to the visitors. Jeremy Bass, Senior Studio Art major with Entrepreneurship minor, focused on the food industry and the influence major corporations have on our lives. Diego Camposeco, Sophomore Studio Art major, used photographs to explore Latino-American identity and the common representation of this group as hybrid or spectacle. Kaitlin Knapp, Senior Studio Art with Art History Emphasis major, used collagraph prints to discuss suburbia and its effect, both physically and aesthetically, on the American landscape. Hannah Shaban, Senior Studio Art major, explored Middle Eastern-American identity and the experience of a veiled woman in a Southern town.

A light reception followed and visitors had the chance to talk with the artists. The gallery will be open Saturdays and Sundays 2-6pm through November 4th.

Border Glitches Opening

Friday, October 12th at 6pm, FRANK hosted a reception for the Opening of Ali Halperin’s show, “Border Glitches.” At 6:30pm, Ali Halperin led a discussion on both her works and that of the other featured artist, Michael Lauch. Halperin’s exhibition theme is “Border Glitches,” exploring the blurred line between our digital lives and our corporeality, perpetuated by recent technology.

Halperin’s works are layered images of hoarders superimposed over their hoarded goods. Through photography, she aims to show the muddied distinction between the two separate worlds.

After her speech, Ali Halperin encouraged the visitors to attend the Opening of her Undergraduate students’ show “A Sense” at the Allcott Gallery of Hanes Art Center. This show explores the five senses through digital photography. Featured artist Deigo Camposeco gave a short speech introducing the theme and the artists.

Daily Tar Heel Publication

Friday, October 12th, the Daily Tar Heel featured an article on “The Lens of the Emerging Artist,” the series of exhibitions of UNC student work at FRANK, UNC, and University Square. The article by James Smith can be found here.

 

The American Landscape Setup

Wednesday, October 10th, the artists of Knapp’s show, “The American Landscape,” met to hang their works in the gallery space. The exhibition, up until November 4th, features works by UNC Undergraduate Art Majors Jeremy Bass, Diego Camposeco, Kaitlin Knapp, and Hannah Shaban.

The group worked together to arrange and hang the artwork.

Special Focus: The Curatorial Perspective

Sunday afternoon, FRANK hosted “The Curatorial Perspective,” a 6pm panel discussion in UNC’s Wilson Library with Stephen Fletcher, Dennis Kiel, Roger Manley, Linda Dougherty, and moderator Xandra Eden.

To begin the event, each panelist introduced both themselves and their background in curating. Linda Dougherty, chief curator and curator of contemporary art at the North Carolina Museum of Art, published critic, and exhibition cataloger, started by talking about her museum and its rotating exhibits. Dennis Kiel, chief curator of the Light Factory, specialist lecturer, and North Carolina Arts Council Visual Artist Fellowship Panel and NEA Panel member, followed Dougherty, explaining his process of selecting theme then artist for exhibitions. Roger Manley, director of the Gregg Museum and grant and fellowship-awarded published artist, spoke about the expanding collection at his museum. Stephen Fletcher, Photographic Archivist for the NC Collection and photographer, presented last, introducing the collecting and archiving process used at Wilson Library.

After the short presentations, the panel, moderated by Xandra Eden, published curator of the Weatherspoon Museum, opened up for discussion. When asked about their institution’s involvement with photography, the panelists had different responses. Stephen Fletcher answered about promoting the use of archival photographs as a parallel means of research to text over its common use as a secondary source in accompanying analysis. Dougherty and Manley spoke of the increasing presence of photography in museums of today. Kiel added that although more commonly seen, some places such as Charlotte require photography be defended as an art form now more than ever.

The panelists discussed the increasing ease of access for photographic production and reproduction in the digital age. All agreed that the omnipresence of photography today was beneficial to the visual literacy of the public.

Dougherty, Kiel, Fletcher, and Manley are all excited about the trajectory photography is taking, re-exploring alternative processes and expanding through digital means.

Following the panel discussion, panelists and FRANK members gathered at the gallery for a celebratory cocktail party. Board members mingled with curators over hors d’oeuvres and a live band.

Upcoming Events:

1. Tea at Two, Wed., Oct. 10 at 2pm at the Ackland Museum

“Colors of Confinement: Rare Color Photographs of Japanese American Incarceration in World War II.” Join Eric Muller as he looks at and discusses Bill Manbo’s documentation of his family’s experience in a Japanese-American internment camp.

2. Salon: Alternative and Legacy Processes Thurs., Oct. 11 at 6pm at FRANK

Discover the appeal of the hand-made, getting your hands dirty approach to photography with Alan Dehmer, Bryce Lankard, and Brady Lambert.

3. Curator’s Seminar Thurs., Oct. 11 6-7:30pm at the Ackland Art Museum

Ackland curators Peter Nisbet and Timothy Riggs present on and look at Noh Kabuki theater woodblock prints.

4. Opening: “Border Glitches” UNC MFA Visions in Contemporary Photography Fri., Oct. 12 at 6pm at FRANK

Ali Halperin discusses the blurred line today between our digital lives and our corporeality through her works.

5. Opening: “A Sense” UNC Undergraduate student photography exhibition Fri., Oct. 12 at 7pm at the Allcott Gallery of UNC’s Hanes Art Center

6. *Opening: “The American Landscape” Fri., Oct. 12 at 8pm at 143A University Square

FRANK intern Kaitlin Knapp is curator of this show, delving into the topic of the political and cultural landscape of America. Featured artists are Knapp, Jeremy Bass, Diego Camposeco, and Hannah Shaban.

7. Photo Gazing: Mondo Public Slide Show Sat., Oct. 13 at 6pm at the Wallace Parking Deck

All are welcome to bring 15-30 images on a CD or thumbdrive to share your work on a giant projector. Bring a blanket, lawn chair, picnic, and friends to enjoy a night of art and live music.

8. Public Tour: “Perspectives on Japanese Painted Screens and Scrolls” Sun., Oct. 14 at 2pm at the Ackland Art Museum

This tour explores the history and aesthetics of the Japanese painted screens and scrolls on view in New Light on Japanese Painting: Recently Conserved Screens and Scrolls.