Wow. The Heat.The Humidity. Some of the best photographic shows on Earth.

[photopress:shore_popup2x.jpg,full,centered]
Stephen Shore
U.S. 97, South of Klamath Falls, Oregon, July 21, 1973
© Stephen Shore
Courtesy Aperture Foundation
Biographical Landscape: The Photography of Stephen Shore, 1969-79
May 11-September 9, 2007

You want to talk about emotional soul food? We got a belly full while on this trip to NYC.

Starting with the International Center of Photography, 4 rich shows of images you probably haven’t seen before.

Walking through the top floor gallery, Let You Motto Be Resistance : African American Portraits May 11 through September 9, 2007.

[photopress:motto_popup3.jpg,full,centered]
David Moses Attie
Lorraine Hansberry, c. 1960
Gelatin silver print
National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution
and you will find portraits of everyone from George Washington Carver, to Jimi Hendrix.
From the release” Let Your Motto Be Resistance features 100 photographs from the National Portrait Gallery’s permanent collection, selected by guest curator Deborah Willis. Starting with portraits from the mid-19th century, the exhibition explores ways the sitters collaborated with photographers to create positive images and challenge demeaning stereotypes, and in the process shows how people demonstrated their “resistance” to the predominantly negative representations of African Americans circulating in American mainstream culture.”

Honestly one of the most gripping images I saw was the small photograph of an unnamed former slave whose back, shown to camera, revealed the years of scarring from the beatings he received. At the time it was taken, it was suggested that hundreds of thousands of copies of this photograph be distributed to show the brutality in hopes that the visual confrontation would prevent it from happening again. I guess they didn’t.

The book of the show is not to be missed, with high end reproductions.

Walking downstairs, you’ll find the Stephen Shore Exhibit, as we mentioned earlier, presentation on of our favorite era of this masters work. And ICP has produced one of the most fun items culled from this era, disposable placemats with Shore’s images on each.

[photopress:placemats.jpg,full,centered]

Hmmmmm… sounds like a perfect item for a weekly giveaway.

One of the founders of Magnum Photo Agency David Seymour, know as “Chim” has a 25 image exhibit of some of his iconic works of the humanistic side of war. The innocent bystanders and those that participate.

[photopress:chim1.jpg,full,centered]

©David Seymour
TERESKA, A POLISH CHILD IN A HOME FOR DISTURBED CHILDREN. WHEN ASKED TO DRAW A PICTURE OF HER HOME, SHE PRODUCED THESE SCRAWLS, 1949
Gelatin silver print
Museum purchase
George Eastman House collection

And then you have Amelia Earhart: Image and Icon.
[photopress:aearhart.jpg,full,centered]
Amelia Earhart, Boston, 1928
The New York Times Photo Archives

With photos of this aviator, strung together to give a personal portrait of this world famous woman, who disappeared somewhere over the Pacific while attempting a record breaking round the world flight in 1937. The inclusion of images taken before and after the shot selected for publication are great revelations. As they usually are.
BONUS: Here is a video interview with ICP Associate Curator Kristen Lubben.

No visit ould be complete without a trip to the bookstore. On-line or in person, you’ll find some of the best items for your photographic home. And remember, they can’t list very book, so contact them to check to see if they have one you’re looking for.

As you can tell, ICP is one of our favorite places to be. If you live in NYC, a memebership is a must.

Well that’s it for now. Lots more on the photography in NYC.

Opening and closing:
Make sure you go to the Andrea Gursky before it closes on June 30th, and opening tonight: The Evolution of the Digital Portrait.
More on those shows tomorrow.

Time to get on a plane again. Outstanding!.

Cheers!
Damon Webster