The group uses profits from beach photography to generate a stream of donations to the Make-A-Wish Foundation.
WELLS, Maine — Maine’s rocky coastline is often the subject of beautiful photographs, something that inspired Wells local Matthew Rainey to pick up photography as a hobby a few years ago.
Rainey started to take photos of southern Maine’s beaches, sharing them online with friends and family. And it didn’t take long for the photos to gain traction and for others to join in.
“It just started, you know, taking pictures with a cell phone,” Rainey said. “Just doing pictures here and there, and then I just got a lot of encouragement from the Wells community.”
But instead of turning a profit, Rainey and his crew had a different plan: to give back to the state he fell in love with.
“That’s when we started thinking, well maybe we can turn it into something that we can benefit Make-A-Wish from?” Rainey added.
After founding the Facebook group “Maine Beach Photos,” Rainey and others started to display and sell their photos through prints, decor and photo books for Make-A-Wish’s Maine and New Hampshire chapters.
So far, the group has generated $12,000 dollars for the foundation.
The group has even partnered with small businesses such as Salt Water Farm and the Wells Harbor Shellfish Lab.
“They send us updates, on the good that it’s doing,” co-worker and Make-A-Wish liaison Peter Parisey said. “You wanna do more, and that’s why we didn’t make it a one-off. We wanted to continue and build.”
With no signs of stopping, both Parisey and Rainey hope continue to inspire others to find their own niche to give back, or join in on the movement.
“You’re among all of this beauty. Grab a camera, and keep practicing,” Rainey said.
What price will a museum pay to hold onto a contested artwork? The Cleveland Museum of Art is facing this question following the seizure of one of its prized Roman antiquities.
The work in question is a spectacular, life-sized, headless bronze statue of a man wearing a toga-like garment. Featured in every “greatest hits” guide to the museum, it presided until recently over the Roman sculpture gallery, despite previous claims by the republic of Turkey that it was looted. The label called it, “The Emperor as Philosopher, probably Marcus Aurelius (reigned AD 161-180),” and dated it to just after Marcus’ death, “c. AD 180-200.” The museum’s online listing for the statue repeated this information, adding that it came from “Turkey, Bubon(?) (in Lycia)”. But in recent months, the work’s origins and provenance have come under intensifying scrutiny.
First, law enforcement officials in both the United States and Turkey renewed their interest in artworks looted from Bubon. At this ancient site in southwest Turkey, local peasants discovered a number of bronze portrait statues in the 1960s. Despite strict cultural patrimony laws, they secretly sold the bronzes to antiquities traffickers. By the time Turkish authorities arrived on the scene in 1967, all that remained were empty pedestals and a single statue, now in a nearby museum. The pedestals bear the names of 14 Roman emperors and empresses, including Marcus Aurelius. Had it been scientifically excavated rather than plundered, the site—perhaps a shrine honouring the imperial family—would have been one of the most important archaeological discoveries of the 20th century.
Information listed on the Cleveland Museum of Art website until recently (left) and currently (right) regarding the seized bronze Screenshots by the author
Unusual numbers of high-quality Roman imperial statues and portrait heads began appearing on the international art market in the mid-1960s. Dealers whispered the story of these extremely rare bronzes’ discovery in southwest Turkey. Between the 1970s and 90s, Turkish and American scholars attempted to reconstruct the dispersed Bubon group. Recently, the Antiquities Trafficking Unit of the Manhattan District Attorney’s office, in partnership with Turkish authorities, renewed the investigation, building on that earlier work. Since November 2022, four other Bubon bronzes have been seized from public and private American collections, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Fordham Museum of Greek, Etruscan and Roman Art. These are being returned to Turkey.
Last spring, Cleveland’s statue of Marcus Aurelius was taken off view. The museum purchased this work in 1986 from the same dealer, Charles Lipson, who sold three of the four pieces that were recently seized. It, too, has always been associated with Bubon. Indeed, for the statue’s 1987 debut, the museum displayed photographs of other Bubon statues and an additional Bubon portrait, borrowed from another museum. The gallery labels and press release discussed the group as a whole and its likely origins at a provincial shrine in Turkey honouring the Roman imperial family. The museum’s curator even travelled to Bubon and published a scholarly article examining this context.
Descriptions of the seized bronze on the Cleveland Museum of Art website until recently (left) and currently (right) Screenshots by the author
The most recent developments, however, negate that context. Not only did the museum remove the statue from view and the Manhattan District Attorney issue a warrant for its seizure; the statue’s online listing has been rewritten. The references to Bubon, to Turkey and even to Marcus Aurelius have been deleted. It is now simply called a “Draped Male Figure”. There is no information about where it came from. Its hypothesised date is no longer the period after Marcus’s death. Instead, the museum throws up its hands, claiming it could have been made at any point over a 350-year span, between “150 BCE and 200 CE”. It could be “Roman or possibly Greek Hellenistic”. Although the museum has not removed an embedded video titled “Imperial Portrait?” that discusses Marcus Aurelius, this more specific information is directly contradicted by the new written description of the statue, which states that, “Without a head, inscription or other attributes, the identity of the figure represented remains unknown.” In fact, an inscription to Marcus Aurelius at Bubon has been known since 1993.
It is clear that these erasures are a defensive response by the museum to moves by the Manhattan District Attorney. The museum’s chosen strategy is to pretend to have no idea what this statue is, despite decades of scholarship and public education to the contrary. In doing so, it is tacitly admitting that it would rather erase knowledge about a major work of ancient art than have to return it to the country from which it was stolen. This stance represents a serious compromise of the museum’s ethics and integrity, and is certain to erode public trust. This is a devil’s bargain indeed.
“The Cleveland Museum of Art takes provenance issues very seriously and reviews claims to objects in the collection carefully and responsibly. As a matter of policy, the CMA does not discuss publicly whether a claim has been made. The CMA believes that public discussion before a resolution is reached detracts from the free and open dialogue between the relevant parties that leads to the best result for all concerned.”
When amateur photographer Natacha Issler visited a historic tourist village with her parents, something unusual caught her mother’s eye.
“We were walking around the ruins of the former mill,” she said.
“My mum then pointed out … these little mushrooms that were popping through the actual concrete.
“It was a bit surprising.”
She got right down on the floor with her camera and started to take pictures.
“While I was looking at it, it actually morphed into this eye, that was looking at me,” she said.
The picture came from a chance encounter.
But Ms Issler had recently shifted her focus as a photographer to capturing the slimy organisms on film — and she was not alone.
Her camera club in Bridgetown, in south-west Western Australia, was also on the hunt for the perfect fungi image.
“You kind of instinctively look for them now,” she said.
“It’s a pursuit that many people follow.”
And to celebrate the fantastic fungi discovered, the club is holding a photography exhibition at Manjimup Art Gallery.
Janet Farr, secretary of the Manjimup Photo Club, said while the group had always had an interest in the local environment, after COVID lockdowns, their annual exhibition turned its sole focus to mushrooms.
“There’s a lot of people down in this area that are really interested in fungi,” she said.
Dr Farr, a retired entomologist, has a deep appreciation of the role the organism plays in the south west, which is known as a biodiversity hotspot.
“They’re actually really fascinating,” Dr Farr said.
The club’s photography exhibition aimed to raise the profile of fungi, which Dr Farr said were critical elements in a functioning ecosystem.
“Fundamentally, they’re helping make sure that the soil is a living breathing organism, and releasing its nutrients and particularly nitrogen, which enables the flowers to grow,” she said.
Ms Issler’s picture of the concrete-breaking mushroom — titled The Dragon’s Eye — was crowned the winner of this year’s Fantastic Fungi competition.
Dr Farr curated the exhibition — featuring 35 of the best shots entered — and said while most people noticed mushrooms with large caps, or “flowers”, it was the smaller specimens that were the most intriguing.
“They’re actually the most difficult to photograph as well, to get the light right,” she said.
“And then a blade of grass will obstruct it and you have to sort of do a little bit of gardening around the fungus before you take a photograph.”
Discover the artistic treasures hidden along the picturesque roadways of the Northern Rio Grande National Heritage Area (NRGNHA), weaving through the enchanting counties of Santa Fe, Rio Arriba and Taos in Northern New Mexico. These regions boast a rich history and cultural heritage, encapsulated in the art that beckons visitors from all corners of the world.
Leopoldo Romero, a fifth-generation native hailing from the Village of Agua Fria in Santa Fe County, found solace in art as a refuge from the bullying he endured during his school days due to learning disabilities. His journey led him to pursue a formal art education at East Los Angeles College, where he focused solely on his craft. Many of his commissions feature historical themes, compelling statements and murals that narrate the stories of the past.
A new “Light Photography” colorway of Nike Air Max Plus sneakers looks like it is heavily inspired by light painting photography.
The sneakers sport a fiery red and orange with bright white laces, and white lines branch out spreading from top to bottom, making the shoes look like a wearable canvas of light photography. The design can even be seen peeking out from inside as the pattern is also emblazoned on the footbeds.
Obviously, light plays a crucial role in all photography, but the shoes evoke images that use light painting. The style uses long exposure to manipulate how a moving light source (or a still light source and a moving camera) appears in the final picture. It’s been around since the late 1880s, so a bit longer than the Nike Air Max.
Nike’s Air Max line debuted in 1987 and has been a massive success for the company since.
“1987 saw the birth of the Air Max lineage, showcasing visible Air for the first time,” Nike’s website reads. “What began as an experiment in cushioning soon evolved into an icon on the track and the streets. Over the years, it’s been reimagined and retooled, but the heritage always remains.”
The light painting-inspired design is an interesting take on the line’s look. The “light” lines on the fabric are typically made from plastic accents that ripple down from the laces to the soles.
PetaPixel reached out to Nike for information on the design and whether it uses an actual photograph that uses light painting. However, Nike did not return the request for comment. Still, the look and name evoke the popular photography method as the white lines cut across the bold orange and red hues.
“Let your attitude have the edge with a flame-like design that adds heat to the streets while airy mesh keeps you cool. The Air Max Plus gives you a tuned Nike Air experience that offers premium stability and unbelievable cushioning,” the description for the upcoming Air Max Plus design reads.
The Light Photography shoes release on Thursday, September 7. However, it seems like they’ll only be available in certain markets at launch. The Light Photography line appears on Nike sites for locations in Europe, Canada, and South Africa. For those with access, the Air Max Plus sneaker will cost €190, or a little over $200 USD. Nike has not shared information on a release of its Light Photography sneakers in the Americas (with the exception of Canada), Asia, or Australia.
Image Credits: Nike
… I spent a little time going through the photos I took of the redtail hawk family this spring and it was fun remembering the antics of the young red tails as they explored their newfound freedom of flight and some of the photos like the one above brought back memories of the days when I first learned how to ride a bike and taught my girls how to do the same. Although I have never leaped off a cliff in a hang glider, I imagine the feelings going through my mind would have mimicked the young red tail as he contemplated going over the edge of the cliff and flying … I took this shot the day he first fledged (left the nest) and it was awesome watching him teeter around … finally he elected to stay on the cliff for a bit longer.
Another day when I was in my own perch in Glendon’s tram about 150 above the surface, a hooded oriole joined another of the young red tails hawks in a tree on the side of the cliff about 50 feet to my right. There were many other birds, particularly cliff swallows who flew by or entered nests on the cliff wall. It is amazing how abundant the life found on the cliff face is.
Another terrific day of life is now in the books, visits with friends and work on both gemstones and photographs. Yesterday my friend Jim did a series of photos of me faceting a piece of morganite, a member of the beryl family of gemstones … morganite is pink, light green is green beryl, blue is aquamarine, yellow is heliodor and the intense green is emerald … beryl is a beryllium aluminum silicate … see image of me below 🙂
Tomorrow the photos come off the walls and will be hung in the Sedona Renegades Gallery at Hozho for the duration. Friday is … Meet the Artist First Friday of the month … I’ll be there beginning at 5PM on Friday and hope to see you there.
Have a beautiful day … we are here, and life is great … enjoy it each day whilst you have it.
Smiles,
Ted
Though I know I shall sometime no more open
my eyes to the night or day,
I am one who looks at the stars when unchained from
the work-bench at nightfall.
They are a sign that I am not ephemeral, not you, nor
you, whoever you are.
The dawn comes and the dark and the sign sparkling
in the brooding night forever and forever.
At Nightfall by Max Ehrmann
###
The easiest way to reach Mr. Grussing is by email: ted@tedgrussing.com
In addition to sales of photographs already taken Ted does special shoots for patrons on request and also does air-to-air photography for those who want photographs of their airplanes in flight. All special photographic sessions are billed on an hourly basis.
Ted also does one-on-one workshops for those interested in learning the techniques he uses. By special arrangement Ted will do one-on-one aerial photography workshops which will include actual photo sessions in the air.
More about Ted Grussing …
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Rowan University this academic year celebrates its centennial – 100 years of academic achievement and community engagement – with a series of special programming and events.
Included among those events, Rowan University Art Gallery, 301 W. High Street, will host four exhibitions by acclaimed artists, the first with a direct, though subtle, connection to Rowan’s centennial.
On view from Sept. 5 through Oct. 28, “The Lightness of Bearing,” an exhibition by Virginia Maksymowicz, honors Rowan’s history by incorporating a reproduction of ornate crown molding from Hollybush Mansion. The University’s former presidential home, Hollybush hosted the 1967 Glassboro Summit between President Lyndon B. Johnson and Russian Premier Alexei Kosygin.
Maksymowicz, a retired professor of Art at Franklin & Marshall College in Lancaster, Pa., said she included the reproduced molding as an homage to Josephine Allen Whitney, matriarch to the family that built and lived in the home, as part of a larger exhibit celebrating the role of women within the context of architecture.
Working in various media, including drawings, photography and sculpture, Maksymowicz celebrates women in various forms, from ancient caryatids – stone carvings used as pillars in Greek and Greek-style buildings – to multi-layered silks, sculptures and prints.
Ahead of the current show, Maksymowicz researched Whitney after a visit to Hollybush, only to find that she virtually vanished in the shadow of her husband, well-known glassmaker Thomas Whitney.
Still, she said, “I realized there’s a connection between the restoration of Hollybush and my trying to sort through her life.”
In addition to her homage to Josephine Whitney, Maksymowicz included in the exhibition a silk overlay of a Lenni Lenape woman, a tribute to the native people who occupied the region that now contains Rowan.
Gallery Director Mary Salvante said she curates exhibitions with a theme in mind.
“When I approach a new season, I think about what’s relevant in current events,” she said. “This year I was thinking of the centennial.”
Maksymowicz’s “The Lightness of Bearing” opens Sept. 5 and runs through Oct. 28. There will be a public reception and artist’s talk Sept. 14 from 5-7.
Other exhibitions for the academic year include:
For more information, please visit the Rowan University Art Gallery.
Raja Deen Dayal’s portraits of Indian royalty and the British colonial elite are stunning documents of the beginnings of photography.
In 1887, a photographer named Lala Deen Dayal took a picture of Frederick Temple-Blackwood, First Marquess of Dufferin and Ava. The men were in Shimla, in the foothills of the Himalayas, because the British colonial government in India moved there every summer to escape the heat of Kolkata. Dufferin was the British viceroy, and Dayal, who had worked as a surveyor for the colonial government before leaving to pursue his passion as a freelancer, was his official photographer.
Dayal posed Dufferin, a short, balding, goateed, intelligent-looking man, at the center of the photo, behind a round table covered in a patterned cloth. To either side of him sit three other men, all seven constituting the Supreme Council of Government of India. Beneath them is an enormous, intricately patterned carpet; behind them, a nondescript curtain and rough wooden walls. They look like what they were: fresh conquerors who hadn’t yet built themselves palaces.
They also look pretty discomfited by the camera in what were still its early days. Two look at the viceroy, who leans aside to deliver some incidental remark; one gazes at the floor; two stare stiffly into nowhere; and only one councilor, like a faint glimmer of self-awareness within the raj, peers suspiciously into the lens.
The photograph became one of a deep file of stock images available in Dayal’s shop. One souvenir album, assembled by an unidentified purchaser and later broken apart, was partially acquired by the Cleveland Museum of Art in 2016. In “Raja Deen Dayal: King of Indian Photographers,” the museum combines this cache of 37 photographs with roughly contemporary miniature paintings and objets to create a small but incisive look at cross-cultural projections of power — Dayal was official photographer to the British military commander in chief, too, as well as to the Nizam of Hyderabad, who gave him the title Raja.
An acute wall label next to “His Eminence Commander in Chief and Party, Simla” draws attention to the tiger skin on the floor, flung carelessly under British feet; beside the photo, on the gallery wall, to illustrate the Indian association of this animal with royalty, hangs a 19th-century painting from Rajasthan showing a “Tiger Hunt of Ram Singh II.”
It’s just one of the show’s many examples of the casual degradations of imperial rule, which also include an English-style silver teapot with a goddess for a handle, and a painting of an Indian servant walking British dogs — a mordant wall label notes that Indian art traditionally pictured “dogs and jackals” only in cremation grounds. But it’s the rows of Indian servants lined up like stiff accessories behind rickshaws, buggies and English garden parties that really stand out. They’re shocking, but the fact that they were photographed that way by an Indian photographer complicates any easy read of what they mean.
Also in 1887, give or take a year or two, Raja Deen Dayal made a portrait of “His Highness the Maharaja of Rewa,” one of the semi-independent “princely states” of central India. Draped in gold and jewels, with a stylized footprint of Vishnu painted on his forehead, slumping comfortably sideways in an ornate chair with his stocking feet curled underneath, the boy king is pretty much the opposite of the severely styled Lord Dufferin. But Dayal posed and composed Indian royalty exactly as he did his photographs of British leadership, with the most important person in the center, often surrounded by advisers and subordinates. Head-on to the camera, stately but not overly formal, viceroys and rajahs alike became accessibly human but at imposing removes. In retrospect, Dayal’s pictures aren’t just portraits of royal and imperial power — they’re portraits of the nascent power of photography.
Raja Deen Dayal: King of Indian Photographers
Through Feb. 4, 2024 at Cleveland Museum of Art, 11150 East Boulevard, Cleveland; 216-421-7350, clevelandart.org.
