I am happy to announce that the above photograph was chosen to be in the Society of Arts and Crafts (SAC's) & Stonehenge Gallery 2021 Photo Exhibition in Montgomery, Alabama.
I am especially honored that selection was made by Sarah Kennel, the curator of photography at the High Museum in Atlanta, who juried this exhibition.
For anyone near Montgomery the in-person opening reception is on Saturday, July 10, at 5:30 p.m. CDT at Stonehenge Gallery in Montgomery, Alabama. The gallery is located at 401 Cloverdale Road in Montgomery.
For those unable to attend the live event, a concurrent livestream feed from the gallery will be on “The Nine” Facebook page starting at 5:30 p.m. CDT with an awards ceremony will begin at 6 p.m. Find “The Nine” on Facebook using this link:
https://www.facebook.com/The-Nine-108793704604391
Sarah Kennel, will also present a juror’s talk about the exhibit on Sunday, July 11, at 10:30 a.m. CDT, at the Georgine Clarke Alabama Artists Gallery. The gallery is located on the first floor of the RSA Tower in downtown Montgomery, 201 Monroe Street. There is plenty of on-street parking and no need to feed the parking meters on Sunday.
The juror’s talk will be recorded, and the video will be posted to The Nine YouTube channel.
After the exhibit at Stonehenge Gallery closes on Thursday, July 29, the exhibition will then move the International Arts Center, Huo Bao Zhu Gallery, at Troy University. The second exhibition will open on Monday, August 9 and close on Friday September 24th. The International Arts Center, Huo Bao Zhu Gallery, is located at 158 International Drive (formerly Luther Drive) at Troy University, in Troy Alabama.
About the Photograph: “Just Another Day on Main Street”
On June 2nd, 2020 I set out to photograph some of damage from the George Floyd protests/rioting which had gone on in Southern California the night before and hopefully document some of the protests rumored to be happening that day. My son drove so I could photograph from his truck and we could cover more areas. We started in Westwood, and I found lots of boarded up business and an emptiness that made for solid images. As we drove East on Wilshire, we encountered a march in Beverly Hills which we had no idea about beforehand. The march was organized and, on the sidewalk, so I was able to photograph from the passenger seat as we drove along side of it. In Hollywood we found lots of damaged businesses then stumbled in to the middle of a massive protest march, while we were out on foot, for an hour as the marchers moved through side streets trying to avoid being stopped by law enforcement before they could close a major intersection. From there we drove to Los Angeles City Hall where I had planned to meet up with a friend who is an LAPD Sergeant who was assigned to guard City Hall. Other than a vehicle pursuit which drove past while we were there, things were calm at City Hall. While standing on Main Street talking, the girls in the photograph caught my eye as they approached. I quickly realized the potential of the National Guard soldier and the Armored vehicle in the background and made the exposure when I tought everything lined up well. The pedestrian with the LA hat was a nice bonus and I think the red of the bike tires really enhance the message of the image. As with most my work I am looking for a good document of the event while also having elements in the frame that contrast one another to encourage the viewer to think deeper. I finished the day photographing a drive in protest at Pasadena City Hall. All in all the day was one of the best days I have had photographing considering the number of quality images I captured and their potential long term significance. In the past I have avoided titling most of my images but there seems to be a greater expectation today with submissions for a title so I gave some thought for a title for this image. The irony of the contrast between girls on a bike and skateboard with a soldier and armored vehicle are obvious, the masks nailed the fact it was 2020. The contrast was so crazy that I wanted a title which also had an element of contrast. The “Just another day” part came to mind while looking at the image. At first I thought “Just another day in Los Angeles” but then I realized the street we were on is actually Main Street and knew the perfect title was “Just Another Day on Main Street - Los Angeles” ( CA -DSC 5976 6-2-20 are file numbers for referencing).