within reach: plastic

plastic bag on the pink chair © kjm

[within reach is a series of photographs examining the environment of home in detail]

99

Review Santa Fe is quickly approaching, and I've been scrambling to get ready, in the midst of a bunch of travel. Prints from the lab? Check. Replacement for (oddly) missing portfolio box received? Check. Blurb books printed? Check. Travel reservations confirmed? Check. Breath mints? Check.

The fun part has now started, as the list of 100 participants has been posted. There are so many photographers I wasn't familiar with, which is exciting. And I'm looking forward to meeting people who's work I admire, but have only met through email (above, from top left): Kurt Tong, Jeffris Elliot, Aline Smithson, Dave Jordano, Elizabeth Fleming, Amy Eckert and Meggan Gould.

Representing the great state of Wisconsin will be Sonja Thomsen, reviewer Wally Mason and Flak captain/reviewer Andy Adams.

Will you be there? If so, I'll be the short Asian guy who looks a little nervous and giddy.

as seen: curio

main street window © kjm

as seen: belt

as found in an arkansas hotel room © kjm

I'm used to them being in the drawer.

within reach: unwrap

tape from a package of c-prints © kjm

[within reach is a series of photographs examining the environment of home in detail]

within reach: skin

uneaten pear © kjm

[within reach is a series of photographs examining the environment of home in detail]

within reach: unfiltered

© kjm

A few weeks ago, I took down the plastic insulation from my front window. I had been pleased that it had lasted so long (5 years), because it was difficult to install, since the window is so large. Recently, though appearing smooth, the plastic started casting strange textural patterns on the wall. But it got a bit trashy looking from the outside, and it occurred to me one day that the unexplained texture/shadow thing might be some cancer-causing property, and maybe I was being off-gassed slowly to death. So off it came, in just minutes, and the result is quite dramatic (brighter!), even if this particular photo doesn't show it.

[within reach is a series of photographs examining the environment of home in detail]

nyph09: plus

© kjm

Collective: A little face time with the Redux folks, both in the office and at NYPH. The American Youth book is so gorgeous, and I'm sad that I missed the launch party. But it was great meeting some of the agency photographers for the first time, if for only briefly: Eros Hoagland, Darcy Padilla, Gina LeVay, Brad Swonetz, Michael Rubenstein, Andy Cutraro and Ben Baker.

Pages: I had my first visit to Dashwood Books, escaping alive and with just one small Jeff Brouws book - but also with some things for the wish list, including Jason Schmidt's Artists and What Still Remains by Jennifer Backhaus.

Old & new friends: It was great to spend time with Phaedra Singelis (of msnbc) and Craig Ruttle, both of whom I've known since our greenest days of newspaper work. Andrew Hetherington was ever-present at the festival and shared some face/beer time. After having a great conversation about art education with Ber Murphy on Saturday night, I was able to see some beautiful prints from his Sleeping Giant/11101 Rezoned project at FXFOWLE. Got to know fellow Midwesterner Greg Ruffing and his girlfriend Jenny - both charming, and who will soon be coming to Milwaukee on vacation (those last 5 words are rarely used in that particular order, so I'm excited). Met up with Doug Adesko too briefly, but with a promise for a rain check.

Say cheese: And lastly, just before heading to the airport, I took Jonathan Saunders up on an invitation to sit (well, stand) for a portrait at 1RN, his photo booth/living space/office/ship's galley that I'd heard so much about. I wasn't disappointed.

nyph09: pictures

© Tim Hetherington, Elaine Duigenan, Kevin Newark

Some highlights from this weekend at NYPH09:

Words: I love Corey Arnold's work, so it was nice to see prints in person at Caption Gallery. But the writing in his wall text was what made the show, for me. Some tidbits: There's an octopus wrapped around the toilet. Crabs for breakfast, crabs for lunch. Sleep. "You've got a piece of gut, or maybe a gill in your eyebrow." Coast Guard instructions on the radio: Place the fingers in a ziploc bag and put them on ice immediately.

Details: Kevin Newark's plastic bags in William A. Ewing's All Over The Place! exhibit, and Elaine Duigenan's hairnets at Klompching.

Presentations: A great talk by Tim Hetherington, the highlights of which were a fascinating/disturbing video of American soldiers, and then photographs of some of the same subjects sleeping in their bunks. A multimedia display of Alessandra Sanguinetti's project, The Adventures of Guille and Belinda and the Enigmatic Meaning of Their Dreams.

Surprise: Lorraine Grupe's personal snapshots from WWII - a thoughtful inclusion in Jon Levy's exhibit, Home For Good.

to do: addendum

7a. Find out flight is delayed until 3:50pm. Call Redux about an assignment and find out the book launch party is actually Friday night, not Saturday night. Kick self in head for somehow having the wrong night in mind for several weeks, despite repeated chances to discover mistake. Realize that I'll miss the book launch now
9a. Read Roberta Smith's review of the Avedon show at ICP. Coffee replaces ginger ale
12a. Cab replaces shuttle - it's a gorgeous Friday and most people are heading out of town. 25 minute ride in
14a. Kinda snappy - really
16a. Sneak into awards ceremony, already in progress, and sit right next to Lauren Greenfield(!)
18a. As expected, but I would have remembered to thank the little people
19a. Free, watered down vodka tonics
20a. Check in while searching for late night food
21a. Like a baby

(Real time: 21 hours)

to do: today

1. Wake up, Albert Lea, Minnesota
2. Depart, 5:00am
3. Drive 5 hours to Milwaukee
4. Drop off assistant Michelle
5. Pay mortgage
6. Give mom's cat i.v. fluids
7. Drive to airport
8. Fly direct to LGA, 1;50pm
9. Peanuts & ginger ale
10. Arrive LGA, 4:59pm
11. Call Marilu, tell her I arrived safely
12. Shuttle to bus terminal, 42nd & 8th
13. Cab to Phaedra's, 57th & 10th
14. Change into slightly snappy outfit
15. Head to Dumbo
16. Attend NY Photo Festival awards party
17. Meet up with old and new friends
18. Call Marilu, tell her I didn't win an award
19. Drinks
20. Call Marilu, tell her I love her
21. Sleep, Hell's Kitchen, NYC

(Total estimated time: 19 hours)

I'll be heading to the festival sans laptop, and promise a report early next week!

very fast

S. 27th Street Location, #5 © kjm

Imagine my glee, when Marilu and I found not one, but two restaurants to photograph last week - on one southside Milwaukee Street. They seem to be falling from the sky lately.

within reach: cut

daffodils, amazingly, from the back yard © kjm

[within reach is a series of photographs examining the environment of home in detail]

mother's day

mom this morning, after church © kjm

art.chicago, p.s.

Map of the World (After Buckminster Fuller) © Aspen Mays

I forgot that I loved this work as well - from Aspen Mays, an MFA student at the Art Institute of Chicago.

art.chicago

© Doug Dubois, New Catalogue, Ed Ruscha, Mike + Doug Starn, Sarah McKenzie

Marilu and I spent a long day at Art Chicago and NEXT on Saturday. I haven't been able to attend in the past few years, and I have to say that I prefer the lower ceilings of the Merchandise Mart to the former exhibition hall. But man, those art fairs really knock you out, both physically and visually. A few highlights:
- The small crowd, which was nice for viewing work, but was perhaps worrisome for the dealers.
- Chatting with Jen and Jeffrey Teuton in the Jen Bekman Gallery booth, and briefly meeting Sarah McKenzie, who had lovely paintings on display.
- A photograph of a 1970's Woolworth's store by Grant Mudford.
- A Brian Ulrich sighting at the Weinstein booth
- Blank Signs by Ed Ruscha.
- Photos by Susana Raab at Dean Jensen and Amy Stein at Robert Koch.
- Harry Callahan Color Test #2, by New Catalogue
- At the Aperture booth: a lovely Kelli Connell print, Doug Dubois' book, and a talk by Chicago photographer Barbara Crane.
- Starn Twins' snowflakes.
- And lastly, an attempt at a joke: Gallerist: "Have you seen the meat flower (a photograph in his booth of raw meat shaped like a rose)." Me: "Oh, but it's been done." Gallerist: Pause. "Really?" Me: "I was just kidding."

within reach: shard

broken jar @ kjm

[within reach is a series of photographs examining the environment of home in detail]

within reach: bright

the new lamp © kjm

[within reach is a series of photographs examining the environment of home in detail]