Ryan Van Der Hout - Light and Objecthood Opens at Ryerson Gallery on January 7, 2010 in Toronto

Ryan Van Der Hout: Light and Objecthood

January 6 - February 6, 2010
Opening Reception: Thursday, January 7, 5-8 pm

Gallery Hours: Wednesday to Saturday, 12 to 5 pm

Light and Objecthood, an installation by artist Ryan Van Der Hout, distills photography to its most essential elements: light, photographic paper, and the action of the artist. Van der Hout creates gestural lines and forms through the direct reaction of light on photographic paper, establishing the photograph as pure surface, rather than a window into a new world. Through his elemental use of the medium, Van Der Hout reveals to the viewer the nature of the medium itself. Light & Objecthood was shown recently at Art Mûr Gallery during Montreal's Mois de la Photo in September 2009.

Ryan Van Der Hout is a graduate of Ryerson University's Photography program, and has exhibited in Toronto, Montreal and New York. His works have been featured in major Toronto events, including Scotia Bank Nuit Blanche, Toronto International Art Fair, and CONTACT Photography Festival, and he was chosen several times for Artscape's Emerging Artist Showcase of the 15 best Toronto-based artists under 25. His works can be seen in public and in private collections in Canada and the United States. For more information, please visit www.ryanvanderhout.com.

http://www.ryersongallery.ca/home.html

Curators and Artists: It's Time To Start Thinking About Submissions to Gallery 44s 2010-2011 Calendar - Deadline March 1, 2010

Call for Submissions from Artists - Deadline March 1, 2010

Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography is a non-profit artist-run centre committed to the advancement of photographic art. We encourage the submission of exhibition proposals from emerging, mid-career and established artists who are innovative in their use of materials and approach to subject matter.

Gallery 44 views photography within the larger context of contemporary artistic practices and relevant cultural issues in Canadian society. Please submit:

1. A maximum of twenty slides or digital images (CD must be readable on MAC OSX) representing a recent body of work or a specific project. Digital images should be: RGB, jpeg format no larger than 1024 x 768 pixels at 300 dpi. They should be numbered 01 to 20 (01_tree, 02_house, 03_car etc.) Slides must be: numbered and marked with the artist's name and a red dot in the lower left corner. GALLERY 44 DOES NOT ACCEPT ORIGINAL ARTWORK.
2. A slide or CD list indicating title, year, medium and dimensions.

3. An artist's statement or other written description.

4. A physical description of the proposed exhibition, including the number of works, the space required and any unusual installation requirements.

5. A curriculum vitae, resume or biography.

6. A self-addressed envelope (SASE) with sufficient return postage. Without an SASE we will not return submission packages and will dispose of submission materials appropriately.

Artists are paid in accordance with the CARFAC Fee Schedule.

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Vitrine Exhibition Cases - Deadline March 1, 2010

Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography has gained an additional venue with its three new vitrines. Located in the 401 Richmond Building, just outside the glass-walled entrance of Gallery 44 in a large corridor,two of the three 4' square cases have a viewing distance of 6 feet. The first of these cases opens onto a corner space opposite the gallery with approximately 7 feet of viewing distance. Between each is a space of approximately 1 metre. The walls of the hallway are exposed brick, painted white; the floor is varnished wood. These vitrines can also be used as light boxes, illuminating images from behind. Gallery 44 is seeking works executed for, or adapted to, a space such as this, with its contained character, sequential layout, and shallow (8”) depth. With electical outlets available, works containing elements such as sound may also be considered.

Please submit:

1. A maximum of twenty slides or digital images (CD must be readable on MAC OSX) representing a recent body of work or a specific project. Digital images should be: RGB, jpeg format no larger than 1024 x 768 pixels at 300 dpi. They should be numbered 01 to 20 (01_tree, 02_house, 03_car etc.) Slides must be: numbered and marked with the artist's name and a red dot in the lower left corner. GALLERY 44 DOES NOT ACCEPT ORIGINAL ARTWORK.

2. A slide or CD list indicating title, year, medium, dimensions.

3. An artist statement.

4. A description of the proposed site specific project for the vitrines, including the number of works and how they will be installed in each vitrine.

5. A recent curriculum vitae.

6. A self-addressed envelope (SASE) with sufficient return postage. Without an SASE we will not return submission packages and will dispose of submission materials appropriately.

Artists will be paid a fee.

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Call for Submissions from Curators - Deadline March 1, 2010

Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography is a non-profit artist-run centre committed to the advancement of photographic art. We encourage the submission of exhibition proposals from emerging, mid-career and established curators for exhibitions of photographic work which is innovative in the application of photographic materials and in the examination of subject matter. Gallery 44 views photography within the larger context of contemporary artistic practices and relevant cultural issues in Canadian society.

Please submit:

1. A maximum of twenty slides or digital images (CD must be readable on MAC OSX) representing a recent body of work or a specific project. Digital images should be: RGB, jpeg format no larger than 1024 x 768 pixels at 300 dpi. They should be numbered 01 to 20 (01_tree, 02_house, 03_car etc.) Slides must be: numbered and marked with the artist's name and a red dot in the lower left corner. GALLERY 44 DOES NOT ACCEPT ORIGINAL ARTWORK.
2. A slide or CD list indicating title, year, medium and dimensions.

3. A curatorial statement.

4. A physical description of the proposed exhibition, including the number of works, the space required and any unusual installation requirements.

5. Curricula vitae, resumes or biographies of the artist(s) and curator.

6. A self-addressed envelope (SASE) with sufficient return postage. Without an SASE we will not return submission packages and will dispose of submission materials appropriately.

Gallery 44 welcomes the opportunity to collaborate with other arts and community organizations. Please contact us to discuss your project.

Artists are paid in accordance with the CARFAC Fee Schedule.

Gallery 44 will take reasonable care with submission materials; however, we cannot accept responsibility for damage or loss to original photographic prints.

Gallery 44 does not accept submissions by fax or email.

www.gallery44.org

Winter 2010 Upcoming Workshops at Gallery 44 in Toronto

UPCOMING WORKSHOPS AT GALLERY 44

To Register or for more information contact sojin@gallery44.org or visit our website at www.gallery44.org

Digital Printing
Bob Carnie of Elevator Photographic Lab

Saturday January 30 and Sunday January 31, 10am - 5pm

Cost: $280/ $260 (members)

In this two-day workshop, Bob Carnie from Elevator Lab covers the essential steps to produce quality digital photographs. This workshop is geared towards photographers at beginner to intermediate Photoshop level. Participants will work on laptops (set up to external monitors) to achieve a photographic image with the best possible quality. During the course of the workshop, the instructor will cover calibration and paper profiles; how to set up a workstation to maximize workflow; colour neutralization, and colour theory; contrast and density; effective sharpening tools; dodging and burning; as well as adjusting final colour and contrast. After the first session, participants will send their files to be printed at Elevator Lab. The second session will be focused on evaluating the prints retouching them to make further improvements. Participants might also work on a new image on the second day. Students will leave with TWO 20x30 Lambda Fuji Crystal Archival print courtesy of Fuji and Elevator Lab.

Van Dyke
Sally Ayre

Saturday, February 6, 10am to 5pm

Cost: $180/ $160 (members)

Go back in time with this workshop and experience one of the earliest photographic printing processes. Van Dyke is a non-silver process that can be combined or used independently to create distinctive brown toned imagery on materials such as silk or art papers. This hands-on workshop with Sally Ayre will teach proper coating, exposing, and developing techniques for Van Dyke.

Self-promotion for the artist/curator
Bridget Indelicato

Tuesday, February 9, 6pm to 9pm 6pm to 9pm

Cost: $70/ $60 (members)

This workshop is geared towards artists and curators in all stages of their careers that want to learn professional and creative ways to promote upcoming exhibitions and events. Participants will learn effective press release writing for the general public, the art community and the media. Tips on how to maximize the Internet for marketing and promotions will also be covered. At the end of the workshop, you will walk away with a helpful resource list that includes online and print marketing services.

Portraiture, Narrative, and Intimacy
Meera Margaret Singh

Saturday, February 20 and Saturday, February 27, 12pm to 3pm

Cost: $140/ $130

Instructor and artist, Meera Margaret Singh’s work often deals with the idea of Intimacy through portraiture. This two-day workshop will examine the process of making conceptual work from the original idea to its conception. During the first session, participants will engage in a discourse around ‘intimacy’: What does it mean? How have other artists used this notion to create work? What are the challenges of working with such a layered concept? How can one transform a concept into a work of art?

Based on the discussion during the first session, participants will be asked to photograph and create work, which will be reviewed the following week. The sharing of individual’s work will create an atmosphere that would parallel the concept of the workshop creating an intimate form of discussion and critique on the idea of intimacy.

Intermediate Black and White
Ruth Kaplan

Sunday, February 21 and Sunday, February 28, 10am to 4pm

Cost: $320/$300 (members)

The Intermediate Black and White Workshop is designed for those with some basic darkroom experience looking to learn more advanced and archival techniques in the darkroom. It is also ideal for photographers who need a refresher on archival printing. Participants must provide their own fiber-based paper, up to 16” x 20” in size. They also have to option to print with R.C. paper. Instructor, Ruth Kaplan will cover techniques and challenges of printing, from enlarger and tray processing to the final wash and print flattening. The Basic Black and White workshop is recommended prior to taking this workshop but not mandatory based on participants’ experience.

Curation 101
Jennifer Long

Wednesday, February 24, 6pm to 9pm

Cost: $70/ $60 (members)

This workshop will provide learners with the essential steps necessary to envision and coordinate a curatorial project. Instructor, Jennifer Long will guide the participants with the research tools, roles, responsibilities and time lines required to initiate a curated exhibition. Through examples of her own curatorial projects, Long will present how to put together a strong conceptual base for a project as well as the organizational tools necessary to curate a successful exhibition.

Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography
401 Richmond Street West, Suite 120

info@gallery44.org
www.gallery44.org

Gallery hours: Tuesday – Saturday 11 AM – 5 PM

Visit Gallery 44's Online Database of Artists and Exhibitions

www.gallery44database.org

Natural Artifice: Elinor Whidden and 12 Point Buck Opens at Gallery 44 on January 8, 2010 in Toronto

Natural Artifice
Elinor Whidden and 12 Point Buck

January 8 – February 13, 2010
Opening reception: Friday, January 8, 6 - 9 pm

Artists’ talk: Friday, January 8, 6 pm

Gallery 44 begins the year 2010 with a distinctly Canadian exhibition called Natural Artifice, featuring photography and installation by Toronto artist Elinor Whidden, paired with video projection and print-based landscape dioramas by 12 Point Buck, a collaborative duo from Lethbridge, Alberta. These artists construct wry imagery to emphasize the disconnections between our representation of nature, our experience of nature, and nature itself.

Elinor Whidden considers the notion of progress by likening the promises of today’s off-road automobile advertising to those of the Canada’s Western Frontier when the fur trade first blazed its trails into the wilderness. Her photo series Ford EXPLORER captures Whidden’s car-carrying performances in which she endeavours to use car parts as survival tools in the wilds of Northern Ontario.

12 Point Buck comprises artists Leila Armstrong and Chai Duncan, who play with pop depictions of wildlife in their art to highlight the artifice of such representations, which make wild animals look cute and cuddly, and essential ecosystems appear trivial. This incongruity is portrayed in their video projection Deer Me, which follows a creature in a deer mask and wolf skin coat as it carries itself awkwardly through the coulees of an Albertan terrain.

Dayna McLeod in her essay on the exhibitions writes, “We have boiled down the natural world into simplified terms that permit the exploitation of the land and mediate our experience of what is nature.” For Danya McLeod’s full essay from the exhibition’s accompanying catalog, please visit www.gallery44.org

Elinor Whidden received a BA in Canadian/Environmental Studies from Trent University, a BFA from the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and a MFA from the State University of New York in Buffalo. She has exhibited throughout North America, recently showing work in Nova Scotia, Ontario, and Buffalo, NY.

12 POINT BUCK has been working collaboratively for two years. They have shown their work at the Toronto Urban Film Festival, Parlour in Lethbridge and worked in situ at the Southern Alberta Art Gallery. Chai Duncan holds an MFA from the University of Saskatchewan and is currently on staff at the University of Lethbridge. Leila Armstrong acquired an MA in Media Studies from Concordia University and went on to do doctoral studies in communications at Simon Fraser University.

Elinor Whidden’s, Georgian Bay from the series Ford EXPLORER, c-print 76 x 114 cm, 2009
12 POINT BUCK, Deer Me (production still), 2008

Gallery 44 Centre for Contemporary Photography is a non-profit artist-run centre committed to the advancement of photographic art. Founded in 1979, the centre consists of a gallery, resource centre, and production facilities. Gallery 44 is supported by its members and patrons, the Canada Council for the Arts, the Ontario Arts Council, and the Toronto Arts Council.

401 Richmond Street West, Suite 120

www.gallery44.org