Photographer Alexis Armstrong Begins GROW Artist Residency April 15

Apr 10, 2024 By Admin in Photography

GREENSBORO, NC (April 10, 2024) – Photographer Alexis Armstrong, owner and operator of 43North77West Creative Studio, will be artist in residence from April 15 until June 10 as part of the Greensboro Residency for Original Works (GROW) program.

During her eight-week residency, Armstrong will offer a variety of free photography workshops and fee-based professional photo sessions. Her free workshops include TheyShotIt, a six-part series to teach youth age 11-17 the basics of photography; Mommy and Me, interactive photography workshops for moms and their children; The Importance of Branding, where each participant can get a free professional headshot photo; and the Power of Positive Talk, a workshop on using social media to amplify self-love and empowerment.

The residency kicks off with Oh the Places You’ll GROW opening reception and photo scavenger hunt on Monday, April 15 from 6 to 8 pm. Armstrong will invite attendees to find and take photos of objects in the GROW residency space to post on social media. During downtown Greensboro’s First Friday on June 7 from 6 to 9 pm, Armstrong will host a closing residency exhibition and reception.

Workshops, Events and Photo Sessions Schedule

Monday, April 15 | 6-8 pm

Oh the Places You’ll GROW: Residency opening reception and photo scavenger hunt in the GROW space at the Greensboro Cultural Center

Mondays: April 22, 29, May 6, 13 | 12:30-1:45 pm

Mommy and Me: Free photography workshops for moms and their children. Workshop is designed to spark creativity and connection to enhance photo skills for capturing special moments. Register online.

Tuesdays: April 23, 30, May 7, 14, 21, 28 | 5:30-7 pm

TheyShotIt: Free photography workshop series for teens. Youth ages 11 -17 are invited to a six-part workshop series to learn basic photography skills, composition, editing techniques, and the history of photography. Register online.

Wednesdays: April 17, 24, May 1, 8, 15, 22, 29 | 12-4 pm

Walk-in Wednesdays: 20-minute professional photo sessions Armstrong. Cost: $75. Pre-book online to receive a $10 discount.

Thursdays, April 18 and May 9 | 11 am to 2 pm – Workshop Focus: Headshots

Thursdays, April 25 and May 16 |4:30-7:30 pm– Workshop Focus: Seniors (age 55+)

Thursday, May 2 | 1-4 pm Workshop Focus: Artists

Thursday, May 23 |4:30-7:30 pm– Workshop Focus: Artists

The Importance of Branding: Free workshops on Thursdays to learn about the power of effective branding to elevate your professional career. Each workshop has a specific focus.

First Friday, May 3 | 5-8 pm

GROW Artist in Residence Alexis Armstrong will host selfie stations in the GROW space.

Fridays: May 10, 17, 24, 31 | 5:30-7 pm

The Power of Positive Talk: Free workshops on harnessing the influence of social media to amplify self-love and empowerment.

Saturdays: April 20, May 4, 10 | 1-3 pm and June 1 | 11 am to 1 pm

Mini-Session Saturday: Book a 20-minute photo session for an individual or group photos of up to five people. You will receive three edited images. Cost: $75. Book online.

Saturday, May 25 | 2-4 pm

True Life: A free workshop for teens ages 11-17 to learn how to create and share their stories through photographic storytelling.

Saturdays, May 11 | 1-4 p.m. and June 1 | 3-5 pm

Selfie Saturdays: A workshop about body image, including a selfie station where you can practice self-love and celebrate your unique body.

Sundays: April 21, May 5, 12, 19 | 3-6 pm

Family Sundays: 20-minute photo session specifically for families of three or more. Each family will have three poses and receive a photo collage. Cost: $75 Book online.

First Friday, June 7 | 6-9 pm

GROW Artist in Residence Alexis Armstrong’s residency closing reception and exhibition.

The GROW residency space is located next to the Davie Street entrance of the Greensboro Cultural Center, 200 N. Davie St. To learn more about the residency, visit CreativeGreensboro.com.

About the Artist

Armstrong is a professional photographer based in Greensboro and owner of 43North77West Creative Studios. Originally from Rochester, NY, Alexis has done photographic work for PictureStudio, WHOLElistic Women, INC, North Carolina A&T State University, Inside Monthly and Winston-Salem Fashion Week. She received a grant from Arts Greensboro in 2023 to pilot SheShotIt, a program to teach young girls digital photography skills.

About GROW

GROW is a flexible creative space, managed by Creative Greensboro, the City’s office for arts and culture. Compensated residencies of up to eight weeks are awarded to Guilford County-based creative individuals and organizations to produce new and original works that encourage visitation and engagement by the public. Each residency includes at least six hours of weekly programming that is offered to the public free of charge. This project is supported by the North Carolina Arts Council, a division of the Department of Natural and Cultural Resources, with funding from the National Endowment for the Arts. For more information, visit www.greensboro-nc.gov/GROW.

Sheave Tower sculpture could adorn Cambridge Soccer Complex

Apr 10, 2024 By Admin in Sculpture

Council will decide whether to go ahead with $260,000 50th anniversary public art project next week

A photographer captured a proposal right as the eclipse reached totality

Apr 10, 2024 By Admin in Photography

Entertainment

A photographer captured a proposal right as the eclipse reached totality

Samantha Grindell

2024-04-10T16:14:52Z

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A side-by-side of a couple getting engaged during an eclipse and the same couple kissing. — Macy Alex photographed an eclipse proposal.

Macy Alex Photography

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Photographer Macy Alex captured a proposal during the total solar eclipse on Monday.
She helped Alex Hoffpauir meticulously plan the surprise shoot in Lewisville, Texas.
Alex snapped the perfect photo, and a TikTok she made about the experience went viral.

When Alex Hoffpauir’s inquiry hit Macy Alex’s inbox, she thought, “What did I get myself into?”

Alex, 32, is a photographer based in Lewisville, Texas. After developing a love of the art as a teenager, she started a photography business as a side hustle for her career in marketing in 2020. The business was so successful by May 2023 that she made it her full-time job, shooting everything from weddings to family portraits.

She also does engagement shoots, and in March, Hoffpauir, a designer, reached out to her about photographing his proposal to his girlfriend Austynn Harbison, a small-business owner who sells high-end pet treats.

Hoffpauir hoped to make his proposal a surprise, complete with a hidden photographer. But the timing made Hoffpauir’s proposal one-of-a-kind — he wanted to pop the question during the solar eclipse on Monday, as Lewisville was in the path of totality.

A couple embraces in front of a body of water.

Although she was a little nervous she wouldn’t be able to capture the moment, Alex agreed to do the shoot, helping Hoffpauir plan his epic proposal.

Getting the perfect shot

When Hoffpauir reached out to Alex, he didn’t have a concrete plan for where the proposal should take place, though he knew he didn’t want to do it in a crowded place.

Alex suggested he propose at Murrell Park.

“It’s one of my favorite places to shoot because it’s super simple, and they have these huge cliffs,” Alex said of the park, which overlooks a lake. She also thought it would be ideal for the proposal because she could position the couple on a cliff and set up her camera on the plateau below them, allowing her to line up the shot perfectly.

Hoffpauir loved the plan, so on the day of the proposal, Alex set up the shoot in advance of their arrival, marking the spot on the cliff she wanted the couple to stand on with an “X” in the dirt.

Alex positioned herself below them with an array of gear to ensure she got the perfect shot, including two cameras and tripods, her phone to record a video, and an ND filter to protect her camera’s lens. She also knew she would need to use a flash setting on her camera to capture the photo since the sky would become dark.

“I brought everything I could think of because I really didn’t know what to expect,” she told BI. “I’ve never photographed in totality before.”

She also had to wear eclipse glasses as she set everything up once it started and could only remove them when the eclipse reached totality.

Alex got the perfect photo

When Hoffpauir and Harbison arrived, Alex looked like a space enthusiast prepared to capture the eclipse as she sat in a lawn chair.

Hoffpauir spotted Alex’s “X” and quickly covered it with a blanket, positioning himself and Harbison exactly where they needed to be despite Harbison’s protests that they were in Alex’s way.

Finally, the eclipse reached totality at 1:42 p.m., and Hoffpauir and Alex sprung into action. Alex said she knew immediately she got the shot she needed because of Hoffpauir’s timing.

A man proposes to a woman as a total solar eclipse takes place.

“He nailed it,” Alex said. “He got down on one knee right there, right in the middle of the flash, and got that beautiful diamond effect with the totality.”

“She got an engagement ring when there’s one in the sky,” Alex said. “It was almost like this cosmic moment. It was just phenomenal.”

Hoffpauir proposed with a raw sapphire ring from Staghead Designs.

A couple kisses after he proposes in front of a solar eclipse.

Harbison was completely surprised, as she didn’t suspect the proposal or that Alex was anyone other than an eclipse viewer.

“She was just beside herself, and he was so stoked, and I was excited,” Alex said.

After the proposal, Alex uploaded a behind-the-scenes TikTok about the shoot with Bonnie Tyler’s “Total Eclipse of the Heart” playing in the background, not thinking much of it as she headed to a happy hour with friends.

But hours later, she discovered the video had gone viral. It amassed over 4 million views as of Wednesday.

@macyalexphoto

Come with me for the most stressful. Ut rewarding shoot of my career ❤️💍🌑

♬ Total Eclipse of the Heart (Radio Version) – Bonnie Tyler

“I almost threw my phone across the restaurant,” Alex said of her reaction to the video’s popularity. “It just really wasn’t something I was expecting to happen.”

“I’m just so eternally grateful people are as excited about their love as I am,” she said. “What a joy to get to share that moment with everybody.”

Photographer brings work and passion to his Allen Street gallery

Apr 10, 2024 By Admin in Photography

Monday – Friday, 6 a.m. – 10 a.m.

Jay joined Buffalo Toronto Public Media in 2008 and has been local host for NPR’s “Morning Edition” ever since. In June, 2022, he was named one of the co-hosts of WBFO’s “Buffalo, What’s Next.”

A graduate of St. Mary’s of the Lake School, St. Francis High School and Buffalo State College, Jay has worked most of his professional career in Buffalo. Outside of public media, he continues in longstanding roles as the public address announcer for the Buffalo Sabres of the National Hockey League and as play-by-play voice of Canisius College basketball.

‘Civil War’ Examines the Frightening World of War Photography

Apr 10, 2024 By Admin in Photography

‘Civil War’ Examines the Frightening World of War Photography

Why this local artist, photographer enjoys doing his work in Macon

Apr 10, 2024 By Admin in Photography

When looking closely at the large-scaled artwork displayed at Macon businesses like the Thirsty Turtle or the Macon-Bibb County Industrial Authority, one could spot a common denominator.

Digital artist and photographer Doug Nurnberger’s signature can be found at the bottom of his panoramic cityscapes which capture the intimate details of Macon culture and skylines.

His areas of expertise include 360-degree panoramas, environmental portraits, high dynamic range and drone photography that leave lasting impressions on viewers.

Downtown Thirsty Turtle’s front facade shows a massive 360-degree mural of Macon’s nightlife created by local photographer and digital artist Doug Nurnberger.

The Macon native said the city’s serene sunsets motivated him to become an aspiring professional photographer nearly 10 years ago. While his camera lenses still capture the stunning performances of Mother Nature, Nurnberger has expanded into focusing on Macon’s architecture, events and people.

Artistic inspiration isn’t hard to find when walking the streets of Macon, Nurnberger said.

“In Macon, everything is cool. You’ve just got so much to look at,” he said. “There’s trees and buildings. There’s people walking around. It’s just that busy city-life. There’s always someone playing music somewhere, whether it’s a street corner or cafe.”

In just seconds, something could catch his eye and prompt him to set up camera equipment and wait for the action to happen, he said.

Nurnberger said that he tries to be technical and correct with his photography, especially since cameras have the power to distort reality.

“The angle of a camera can change the whole shape of a building if you’re not careful,” he said. “I try to stay perfect. When you try to take a picture of something and show people, you don’t want it lopsided and out of shape.”

Digital artist and photographer Doug Nurnberger’s panoramic cityscapes capture the intimate details of Macon culture and skylines.

Certain camera set-ups are not proportionally correct and do not enable historical photographs of buildings to be taken, he added.

His patience and technicality has earned his candid shots recognition in several local media outlets, including 13WMAZ, 11th Hour and Macon Magazine. Some of his work has also been featured in Forbes and National Geographic magazines.

Nurnberger said his favorite pieces of work are his lightning shots, “because they’re hard to take first off, and you don’t know where the lightning’s going to be. After that, it’s just Mother Nature at work. Then, you have the cityscape underneath it all,” he said.

Occasionally, Nurnberger captures a specific landmark or structure that is significant to Macon history. The iconic coaling towers on 7th Street, which he described as a big, beautiful monster, are always fun to shoot, he said.

And of course, he can’t ignore the locals who contribute so much to the unique character of Macon, he said. Throughout his photography career, Nurnberger has also been the designated photographer for the Georgia Sports Hall of Fame and annual beauty pageants across Middle Georgia.

When covering local events or searching for subjects while taking long walks around the city, Nurnberger said he tries not to be overly voyeuristic—a term used to describe the practice of shooting images of people without their knowledge.

Nurnberger said through his digital documentation of Macon life, there’s only one way to describe the beloved city.

“Macon has its ups and downs. It’s imperfect, but within imperfection there’s beauty,” he said.

The next time you see a panorama of Macon hanging up, look for Nurnberger’s signature at the bottom.

World’s Largest Crab Sculpture, world record in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina

Apr 10, 2024 By Admin in Sculpture

Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, United States–The award-winning Giant Crab Seafood Restaurant in Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, has a big, fat giant crab perched just above the entrance; affectionately referred to as “Tommy”, he leads the way to the overwhelming feast that waits inside and sets the world record for the World’s Largest Crab Sculpture, according to the WORLD RECORD ACADEMY.

Ibrahim Mahama Collaborates with Hundreds of Ghanaian Seamstresses to Envelop the Barbican in Purple Fabric

Apr 10, 2024 By Admin in Art World News

“Purple Hibiscus” (2023-24). All images courtesy of Ibrahim Mahama, Red Clay Tamale, Barbican Centre, London, and White Cube Gallery, shared with permission

Before the Blitz in 1940, the area of London that the Barbican now occupies was home to fabric retailers, tailors, furriers, and dressmakers. Following the war, architects devised a plan to create a monumental Brutalist building that would support their utilitarian, socialist vision for the future and designed the hulking concrete structure we know today.

A new commission draws on this political and cultural history as it wraps the stark, angular facade of the Barbican’s Lakeside Terrace in a 2,000-meter blanket of colorful textiles. Named after Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie’s 2003 novel, “Purple Hibiscus” is the project of Ghanaian artist Ibrahim Mahama, who collaborated with hundreds of weavers and sewing collectives to embroider large panels of cloth that embrace the building.

dozens of people gather to in a stadium to sew textiles

Making of “Purple Hibiscus” (2023-24)

Interested in collective labor and utilizing art to support local economies, Mahama bartered for about 100 batakaris, or robes common in Northern Ghana, for the project. The garments are highly valuable and often passed down through generations as a way to share family histories. By including them on the handwoven purple and pink panels, the artist is invoking the enduring lifecycle of clothing and how it communicates information about our identities and stories.

Much of the production took place in Tamale, Ghana, before the brightly colored fabric was transported to London and fitted onto the facade. Dotted with the patterned batakaris, the site-specific installation is a bold contrast to the largely gray building. Mahama adds:

Collecting the individual smocks from communities can be quite challenging but also opens up a portal of new formal aesthetics. Using the Alui Mahama sports stadium in Tamale as the primary studio space for the production of “Purple Hibiscus” allowed for us to organise the different layers of the work in ways we couldn’t have possibly imagined. The scale of the material forms needed some level of freedom, which the space gifted.

“Purple Hibiscus” is on view through August 18 and is part of Unravel: The Power and Politics of Textiles in Art. Watch the installation take shape on Instagram.

a patchwork of small spool illustrations layer on top of pink fabric

Detail of “Purple Hibiscus” (2023-24)

an aerial image of people working in a brick studio with clay pots. they're holding purple textiles

Making of “Purple Hibiscus” (2023-24)

pink textiles wrap around the barbican in london

“Purple Hibiscus” (2023-24)

people sew together textiles in a brick space

Making of “Purple Hibiscus” (2023-24)

an aerial view of pink fabric sheets on a football field

Making of “Purple Hibiscus” (2023-24)

Do stories and artists like this matter to you? Become a Colossal Member today and support independent arts publishing for as little as $5 per month. The article Ibrahim Mahama Collaborates with Hundreds of Ghanaian Seamstresses to Envelop the Barbican in Purple Fabric appeared first on Colossal.

Great Guns Signs Director and Photographer Laura Martinova

Apr 10, 2024 By Admin in Photography

Great Guns is pleased to announce the signing of director and photographer Laura Martinova to its UK and US roster.

Having made homes in Barcelona, Prague, London, Paris, and Berlin, Laura’s versatile short films, documentaries, music videos, and commercials are a true melting pot of her experiences in these bustling cultural hubs. Edgy yet ethereal with a touch of dark humour, her portfolio is characterised by her passion for cinema as well as all alternative and experimental content, citing Agnes Varda, Claire Denis, Michael Haneke, David Lynch and Claude Chabrol as particular sources of inspiration.

In addition to collaborations with Stella McCartney, Loewe, Ferragamo, adidas, Zalando, Benetton, and Metal Magazine, Laura’s standout pieces include a colourful forbidden romance for Mexican musician duo Clubz’s ‘Popscuro’, a decadent commercial where classic meets contemporary for Majorica, and an angelic emergence from underwater for singer Novaa’s ‘Supernovaa’. Her short ‘Lena y Elena’ about a fractured lesbian relationship and Nowness documentary ‘Monstruo de Agua’, exploring artist Lisette Ros’ creative process through the symbol of the axolotl, also hold deep narrative significance.

Viewers can see Laura’s most recent work with Berlin’s Soup Film in a recently released campaign for Deichmann x Puma, ‘Made for Joy’, which dives into a dynamic world of dance within a shoebox, while upcoming projects include a music video and debut feature film.

Laura Martinova comments, “I’m so happy to join the Great Guns family. I was attracted to its roster and work, but mainly the connection we had on the first video call. For me, it’s very important to work with humans with similar values to me, such as loyalty, empathy and a sense of humour. I think we connected from the beginning! And I’m hoping to achieve more exciting international projects in the US, UK, Asia and Middle East.”

Laura Gregory, founder and CEO of Great Guns, adds, “Laura reached out a few months ago and we all loved her work. The energy she creates, her camera skills, her photography, and eye for movement make her a strong contender in a crowded field. She seamlessly crosses film and photography with fashion, performance, dance, and luxury brands bringing her quirky sense of style to everything she delivers.”

Michel Waxman, managing executive producer and talent management of Great Guns USA, adds, “I’m thrilled to introduce the US branded community to Laura’s dynamic and fresh fusion of dance and fluidity of human motion infused with incredible emotion and style.”