Glenn EdwardsGlenn Edwards has had a passion for photography since he borrowed his fathers camera on a trip to Tenerife in his mid 20s.
Since then, he’s been on more than 100 foreign commissions with most of them in Africa.
The photographer and lecturer from Newport feels a special connection to the continent.
Now he is settled in Cardiff capturing the flourishing African communities across Wales.
Glenn was in his mid 20s when he borrowed his fathers Topcon RE Super.
He was a steelworker at the time but felt like he hadn’t found his true passion.
“I found myself going into the markets or unusual places in Tenerife where tourists probably didn’t go,” he said.
“I felt that I’d found what I wanted to do with my life.”
He got his lucky break while attending a photography course in his home city.
A local doctor called Theodore Griffiths was talking about his work in India and Glenn was invited to attend.
Glenn asked him whether photographs helped to promote aid work in developing causes, and Dr Griffiths said images helped to raise awareness.
He was invited over, and described the experience as “life-changing”.
“I feel myself getting emotional because I’d never experienced it before and I haven’t since,” he said.
“Something happened to me over there.”
The 1992 food crisis in Somalia left many suffering with more than 23 million people needing help.
Glenn was out there working and it led to him questioning himself for the first time.
“It was an open truck where people were going, collecting bodies from families and just throwing them on the back. I was photographing people’s grief and I felt guilty,” he said
“I was walking in a refugee camp in a tent and there was a woman holding her husband and he was obviously going to die.
“I could’ve gone in there taking pictures, but I couldn’t because it was so personal. That’s when I realised that I wasn’t sure I was capable of going in too deep on the hard news.”
These days he photographs African communities around Wales, with some of his images recently featuring in an exhibition at Aberystwyth Art Centre.
“There was a guy from Uganda walking around. He was so proud to see himself on the walls of a gallery,” he said.
Such moments are what give the photographer most pride.
Glenn has focused his work on many other groups.
The Successors Of The Mandingue are hosting the first Dathliad Cymru-Africa (Celebrate Wales-Africa) Festival in Bethesda, Gwynedd, next weekend.
Founders Cathryn McShane-Kouyaté and N’famady Kouyaté set it up in 2019 ‘as a celebration of the richness of diversity in Wales.
“There were no West African musicians my husband could join so we started collaborating,” Cathryn said.
Covid was difficult for the creative couple, but they made the most of it.
“We did some online projects and then, once the restrictions ended we hit the ground running really. We’ve been building to this point,” Cathryn added.
Cathryn is optimistic the festival can continue to grow in the future.
“I can see us moving to reach other communities. We’ve had interest from other venues. Celebrating Africa and Wales and those links that we have,” she said.
Tijesunimi Olakojo is a community stage coordinator for the festival. She came to Wales in November 2020 after moving to the UK from Nigeria.
An advisor from the Red Cross told her to pursue what she loved.
As a performer, her and the Successors were a match made in heaven, she believes.
The Cardiff-based group offer an African interactive music experience and a cultural exchange of percussion, music, drumming, singing, storytelling, and dance.
“I love it. I feel like it’s home because I have not seen something like this before in Wales,” she said.
“People here welcome outsiders and for me that a very big deal. I love the sense of community.”
Martha Musonza Holman is the Founder of the Love Zimbabwe charity.
She lives in Abergavenny after being forced to flee her home country in 2001 and has worked tirelessly to create links between her adopted country and her country of birth.
“I’ve been very lucky because Abergavenny is a community-oriented place. So a lot of people have welcomed me. We’ve got so many people from different parts of the world,” she said.
Her role as a teacher gives the her the opportunity to bring a bit of African culture into Welsh schools.
“We work with children, teach them African songs and raise money for the charity. So I’m part of the community and I love it. When I’m in Abergavenny I can go anywhere,” she added.
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Two lines of Charlottesvillians stretched into the parking lot at IX Art Park as over 50 artistsans put the finishing touches on display for the 3rd annual Charlottesville Arts Festival this past weekend on Saturday, May 27 and Sunday, May 28.
Once inside, locals were met with a wide array of artists showing off their creativity in the form of paintings, sculptures, music and dance. Weaving through the sea of tents led guests to The Looking Glass where attendees walked through an immersive art experience from a fantasyland. Demonstrations and workshops were available to take part in, and to cap off the Saturday; the Bad Hat Fire Troop spun and spit fire while Glenn Richardson cut out wood portraits using a chainsaw.
“I think that what makes this art festival so special is that we have demos and workshops that take place. It’s not necessarily just a festival, but you get to see all facets of art. Whether it is watching people perform, listening to the music that’s playing on stage or experiencing the vendors. It’s based around being interactive and engaging,” Maria Vitale, IX Art Park Director of Marketing, said.
Artists and vendors submitted applications to be a part of the Charlottesville Art Festival. And applications were picked out by the IX Art Park staff to include a wide variety of artwork.
IX Art Park is an outdoor space that features murals and sculptures open to the public. Events are held throughout the year that invites the community to celebrate artists and support programs that educate and empower. The IX Art Park Foundation is a non-profit that uses its proceeds to run summer camps, weekly classes, free film screenings, community nights and farmers markets.
“Everything that helps the community gets put back into the community. All of our sales today whether it be the ticket prices or the bar, we use that money to generate scholarships and programs. We are for the community by the community,” Vitale said.
Upcoming 2023 events include: FAE Festival on June 10-11, Soul of Cville on August 11-13, Fantasy Festival on October 28 and the Tattoo and Vinyl Festival on November 18-19. For more information about IX Art Park, visit www.ixartpark.org
There are only a select few truly universal things that every photographer must have. While you may think of the obvious, such as cameras, lenses, bags, and other kit, we won’t talk about any of these in this particular article. Instead, we will talk more about a service that every photographer must use in order to be a real pro.
What does it mean to be a professional photographer in 2023? Well, many things. Being in touch with the current zeitgeist, fulfilling the demands of modern clients, and so on. One of those things that a photographer needs now is a website. Before going further, I want to say that I am not paid by any particular platform to write this article. I pay for these services myself and had a website long before starting to write for Fstoppers.
In this article, I want to give reasons why you must have a website as a professional photographer in 2023 and why you can’t simply send an Instagram link as a website. Moreover, I will share some tips on how to build a good website that clients have no trouble navigating.
First and foremost, a website is a place to showcase your work. It allows you to curate a selection of images, control how the viewer sees them, and really let your work shine. There is a simplicity that a website creates, which provides your viewer with a clear and comprehensive view of everything that there is to display. The ability to constantly edit the images you present ensures that your portfolio is updated and relevant. Unlike social media, a website provides a cleaner look and gives you control over what you display in what order. What is more, if you are shooting in several genres, you can divide the website to suit this need as well. That is simply impossible on a single Instagram account.
Another reason to have a website is that it elevates your professional image. It is expected that a photographer has a website in 2023 if they are planning to work with clients. Every time I speak to someone in person, they usually ask for my website rather than Instagram. An established web presence is a valuable marketing tool for a photographer.
Instagram is another valuable tool that you must have as a photographer. However, it serves a very different purpose when compared to a website. Instagram is a place to show that you are actively working and posting new content regularly. It is a place that is not so much your portfolio as it is just a blog or a feed of what you’ve been up to. It is less professional and more personal than a website. Sure, Instagram is going to be much more frequently visited than your website, but it is not a valid digital presence on its own. An Instagram is going to attract all sorts of people, whereas your website is going to be more targeted. That audience might very well be potential clients and industry professionals. Having an Instagram allows you to build a following, while having a website will convert into more jobs.
I will be honest: standing out by having a fancy website is probably a bad move. Let your work speak for itself, not the website on which the work is presented. The importance of having an easy-to-navigate website can’t be underestimated. I see far too many photographers make a complicated website that is impossible to use. To add insult to injury, they put in a contact form, which will keep most clients from ever reaching out. Here is my guide to building a good website.
First things first: picking a platform, I tried a few on the market, including Wix, Squarespace, and Weebly. I ended up using Squarespace, as it is the best out of the three. Sure, they are notorious for their marketing and are pretty much everywhere, but honestly, they provide a great service at a reasonable cost, so it only makes sense to use them. My experience with Squarespace has been largely positive. It is very easy to build a website; I made mine in about an hour. The whole interface is super clean, the blocks are easily customized, and you really don’t need any previous experience with web design. All this adds up to a fantastic-looking website and a great backend experience.
Now, how do you make a great website that clients can easily navigate? My website is built to be simple. I follow the KISS method: keep it simple, stupid. Essentially, it contains some galleries that show my work, an about page, and a contact page. The portfolio is the homepage, and all the work is visible at once. You can go on it and immediately see what I do and how I do it. There is no entry page, no galleries to click—literally nothing that the client has to do in order to see my work. This way, I am able to immediately get down to business and avoid the annoyance of having the potential client scroll through menus and find what they need. I’ve known cases where clients will skip a photographer if their website is too complicated to navigate.
The other thing that is important is contacting you. It has to be easy and obvious. This is why having a dedicated “Contact Me” page is so vital to having a good website. I have my contact information on both the about and contact pages. This eliminates the slight chance that a client won’t know where to find the contact information. Don’t hide it; keep it simple and obvious. The other thing that you need to have is an email and a phone number that is clearly visible on your website. Contact forms might seem like a good choice at first, but they are both impersonal and annoying to fill out. It is much easier and faster to have a “mailto: youremail@email.com” link. Whenever I fill out a contact form, I usually don’t even expect the person to get back to me, as it feels like a shot in the dark.
The about page should also be short and to the point. Don’t open with an “I loved photography since childhood.” While it might be true, nobody wants to read your life story. I suggest keeping your about section to information on what describes your work, some clients you worked for, and maybe a quick question and answer about you. I am currently adding one that shares some private info such as my guilty pleasure, etc. Such information can help you quickly build a personal connection. For example, I love Family Guy. If my client also likes Family Guy, there’s a topic to talk about right from a sentence on your website.
So, there you have it. Here is why you need a website and how to build an easy-to-use website that your clients will love. Every working photographer must have a website in 2023. There is no excuse for you to not have one.
If you want me to review your website and provide feedback, feel free to get in touch via email at illya@illyaovchar.com!
The work to create a new Buffalo AKG Art Museum is seen in the soon-to-open Jeffrey E. Gundlach Building, the return of the grand stairs outside the 1905 building and the kaleidoscopic canopy that adorns the newly named Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Town Square.
Less evident has been the planning to let people near and far know about this major cultural achievement that opens June 12 in Buffalo.
“The marketing campaign for the opening of the Buffalo AKG is the largest and most far-reaching advertising campaign in the museum’s history,” said Callie Johnson, Buffalo AKG’s director of communications and community engagement.
An aerial view of the new Buffalo AKG Art Museum which is nearing completion, Thursday, May 25, 2023.
It also helps to have Richard Armstrong, director of the Solomon R. Guggenheim Museum and Foundation, already singing your praises.
Armstrong had a chance to tour the museum on Thursday with Janne Siren, the Buffalo AKG director.
Buffalo AKG Art Museum advertisement used in the New York Times and other advertising.
“It’s commonly known that the museum has one of the great collections in America,” Armstrong said. “With this renovation and expansion, it seems likely to me that it will become an obligatory place for art lovers to visit. That’s complimented by the astonishing array of architecture in the city. It’s really a complete package.”
Regionally, advertising has been seen, or will soon appear, on TV, radio stations and billboards, and in The Buffalo News, Buffalo Spree and an array of smaller publications.
Beyond Western New York, several ads have appeared or will appear in conjunction with Visit Buffalo Niagara in the print and digital versions of the New York Times, the closest thing to a national paper of record. A full-page announcement appeared in a special museum section earlier this month.
Digital ads also are planned.
Print ads will go into the visual arts publications ArtForum, Art in America, Brooklyn Rail and, in Toronto, the Walrus.
Visit Buffalo Niagara is complementing Buffalo AKG’s ad campaign with a marketing effort that boosts the museum and other Buffalo’s cultural attractions. A more Buffalo AKG-focused ad effort will occur later in the year.
Visit Buffalo Niagara’s ad seeks to boost the Buffalo AKG Art Museum and other cultural attractions.
The current colorful ad features five people with silhouettes over them of the Guaranty Building, the Richardson Olmsted Campus towers and Buffalo & Erie County Botanical Gardens. Words that surround the image, under “Weekend (Buffalo Remix),” make references that begin with Fitz Books & Waffles, the Olmsted parks and Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House and end with the Buffalo AKG.
“We really view this as a once-in-a-generation opportunity to reintroduce Buffalo to the traveling public and to the traveling media,” said Ed Healy, Visit Buffalo Niagara’s vice president of marketing. “It doesn’t really get any bigger than this.”
Great expectations
The expansion, restoration and renovation project at the former Albright-Knox Art Gallery is the biggest change to the campus since the opening in 1962 of the Gordon Bunshaft-designed building, now known as the Seymour H. Knox Building, which occurred 100 years after the formation of the Buffalo Fine Arts Academy, which oversees the museum.
The completion of the Darwin Martin Complex was expected to draw considerable fanfare from the travel press and others, only to be severely hampered by the pandemic. Healy foresees a far different outcome with Buffalo AKG and is excited about the impact it will provide to other tourist destinations in Western New York.
“We’ve been talking about this for a couple years now,” Healy said. “We really are pulling out all the stops and using every tool we have at our disposal.”
A view of the southern wing of the Wilmers Building, the new glass-covered Town Square and the Seymour H. Knox Building, formerly known as the Bunshaft Building, which was completed in 1962, at the new Buffalo AKG Art Museum which is nearing completion.
Buffalo AKG and Visit Buffalo Niagara will co-host a press trip with cultural journalists from around the country on June 8 and 9. The first day will be devoted to AKG, with a chance for journalists to interview Siren, as well as architect Shohei Shigematsu and artists who created new works, including the co-creators of the “Common Sky” sculpture. The journalists will be provided overnight accommodations at the Richardson Hotel and whisked the next day in a motor coach for a tour of arts and cultural attractions.
“We want to let people know that we have this world-class museum of modern and contemporary art, but we also have an extremely vibrant cultural community beyond the walls of the AKG,” Healy said. “We feel it’s our job to connect the dots.”
The reopening of the Buffalo AKG, which for the first time will offer free admission in the Knox Building, “is really a story of a city reinventing itself over the course of the past 10 to 20 years,” Healy said. “It is the culmination of all this investment in new tourism attractions, assets, amenities and infrastructure.”
The tourism bureau’s ads target people interested in arts and culture in key feeder markets. Those are the tri-states of New York, New Jersey and Connecticut, along with Pittsburgh and Cleveland, southern Ontario, and central and eastern New York.
“These are tens of millions of people with a higher likelihood of traveling to Buffalo from those markets,” Healy said.
The ads have been placed in the New Yorker, Architectural Digest, Conde Nast Traveler and the New York Times.
Visit Buffalo Niagara has revamped its website to better reach its 200,000 subscribers found across different platforms on social media, and is launching targeted ads on Instagram and Facebook.
The organization also sent representatives to an international writers conference in San Antonio earlier this month to rev up excitement over the Buffalo AKG, and are working with tour operators to put together packages with the AKG at the center of itineraries.
Regional boost
A 2021 study by the University at Buffalo Regional Institute offers projections after the reopening that the museum and others hope will materialize.
The study projected 185,000 to 205,000 museum-goers, an increase of more than 123,332 visitors. The most optimistic estimate forecasts 45% of visitors will come from out of town, compared to 31% before the museum closed for renovations in November 2019. Between 24,652 and 33,210 visitors, depending on two estimates, were expected to have a three- to four-night hotel stay.
“Laura” the large sculpture by artist Jaume Plensa is reflected in the glass walkway connecting the original Wilmers Building to the Gundlach Building at the new Buffalo AKG Art Museum.
The museum also is expected to generate visitor spending of $17.9 million to $23 million annually, and $3 million to $4 million in state and local tax revenues.
Jillian Jones, Buffalo AKG deputy director, said new visitor amenities are intended to make the museum more visitor-friendly than ever.
The changes include family and nursing rooms, more restrooms and the changes to the Knox Building, with the Ralph C. Wilson Jr. Town Square, the LEGO Foundation-sponsored Creative Commons, an art gallery and updated auditorium among them.
There will also be two food outlets – the Cornelia cafe, just outside the Town Square, and Sculpture Bar, which will offer coffee, wine, muffins and other small bites on the Gundlach Building’s second floor.
Bridget Niland, dean of Niagara University’s College of Hospitality, Sport and Tourism Management, said she’s been encouraged by the attention the museum and Buffalo have been receiving in the national and specialty press, including a prominent shout-out the city had in Architectural Digest earlier this year.
Janne Siren, the Peggy Pierce Elfvin director of the Buffalo AKG Art Museum, talks about the June 2023 opening of the newly expanded museum.
“That Regional Institute report was so rich with data and projections, and the dominos are falling into place because of what’s happened since,” she said.
Niland thinks the changes coming to the Buffalo AKG can be a major catalyst for linking tourism between Buffalo and Niagara Falls, a proposition that has bewitched tourism and government officials in the past.
“The tourism industry always talks about, ‘How do we get that one thing to get people to stay one more day?’ I think this is it,” Niland said. “You have people who are naturally going to the Falls, and now there’s something new for them to see from the architectural side.”
Jonathan Dandes, a former president of Visit Buffalo Niagara and corporate vice president of Rich Products, is also excited by the potential.
“This is a magnificent, transgenerational opportunity for the various Western New York communities to institutionally come together and market the region,” Dandes said. “Given the numbers that we would expect to visit the gallery, I hope all of the culturals and marketing organizations will figure out how to come together and benefit everybody.”
Mark Sommer covers preservation, development, the waterfront, culture and more. He’s also a former arts editor at The News.
Mexico City-based Luisa Salas, better known by her Instagram handle @holalou, is a graphic artist and muralist whose bold minimalism exemplifies the abundant energy of Mexico City’s art scene—a place saturated with colorful design, vibrant fashion, renowned galleries, and storied architecture. A native of Durango, Salas had been living in the Yucatan peninsula before she moved to Mexico City two years ago to be closer to the robust art community. In the midst of her recent career wins—including an artist residency with Nike and a collaboration with Spotify— transitioning to an even busier life has been, in her words, “pretty wild.”
To set aside days for herself in this frenzy takes some savvy, but Salas still finds time to explore and experience CDMX. Here’s what she likes to do on her ideal weekend in this buzzing metropolis—from the must-try food vendors to her favorite hotel spa appointment.
On a Saturday morning, Salas, a vegetarian, looks to street food for breakfast. Savory, toasted quesadillas are a favorite and found on most street corners across the city.
“That’s something you can’t miss,” she says. “They are a great way to try some veggies that maybe you’ve never heard of.”
A few ideas? A jet-black corn fungus called huitlacoche, or perhaps squash flowers with stringy Oaxacan cheese. Jenny’s Quesadillas, a well-known stand in Roma Norte, is a great spot to find this snack.
After breakfast, Salas recommends heading to MOONI Gallery, also in Roma Norte, to scope out emerging Latin American artists, whose work is priced for a range of budgets. “Instead of being a gallery with really white walls and four spare paintings, they have, like, 2,000 paintings” says Salas. The space is laid-back and packed wall-to-wall with local art.
Increasingly inspiring work from the exhibitors at ICFF and WantedDesign 2023, with a strong return to skilled artisanship, organic motifs, and blush tones. Check out our favorites from this year’s show at the Javits Center!
Beautiful work at the Auda Sinda booth for their first show. These handwoven rugs combine reclaimed cording from the leather industry with traditional loom techniques for a warm, textural finish. The weave quality is superb, and most rugs are completely reversible.
Mozea
Romanian-based Mozea was turning heads at the show, with highly organic and expressive forms. A signature look, their Testa Chair is paired with the Mantis Table on the left, while the Locus Chair sits next to their Flow Dining Table on the right.
GRAFF
GRAFF’s Harley collection recalls iconic shapes and textures we all know and love, in the luxury of over 20 beautiful finishes. The feel of these handles are so tactile and satisfying in an increasingly touchless world. Graff’s vertically integrated approach ensures a level of quality that has been trusted in the industry for over 60 years, and in American motorcycles across the country.
Tantuvi
Tantuvi brings a wonderful sense of color and shape to their booth, with bright colors and geometric details inspired by Indian architecture. Working closely with seventh-generation weavers using panja hand looms, each piece takes two weeks to two months to complete. Founder Arati Rao is passionate about amplifying the connections we have across products, and how an heirloom can cross generations.
Bernhardt Design
Border by Yiting Hou brings a balance and sophistication we know and love from Bernhardt Design. The transition from top to leg is elegant from any angle, similar to the capsule shaped base – refined yet approachable in its footprint.
SIN Ceramics
This handmade ceramic furniture from SIN plays on familiar shapes we already know: the cinder block, the cube, the column. Along with a playful lighting collection, these forms feel like we know them already, like home.
Dooq
Big, firm shapes take center stage at the Dooq booth, featuring the Marlon collection by Pietro Franceschini along with cheeky copper details and bold buttons. Scarlet and sage make a delightful pair in luxurious velvet upholstery.
Namuh
Namuh is a Mexican brand that specializes in blending stone, metal, and wood into contemporary furniture. Their bases can be mixed and matched, and they work with their sourcing partners closely to offer only the highest quality materials.
Studio Plastique
A truly inventive and exciting booth, Common Sands provides a beautiful solution to our growing electronic waste problem. Silica-based materials, such as glass, are reclaimed from refrigerators, microwaves, and other appliances that would otherwise stagnate in waste streams worldwide. These materials then form glass homewares, with their origins stamped inside. This project aims to question the responsibility designers and consumers have in the life cycle of a product.
Moooi
These Knitty Lounge Chairs by Nika Zupanc were just as much a joy to look at as to sit in. Gorgeous booth from Moooi this year, with plush woven seating and immersive wallpaper (with lanterns to match).
Fernweh Woodworking
Featuring expert craftsmanship paired with innovative details, Fernweh Woodworking’s new Fjoon collection is an elegant solution to an age-old problem. Furniture wears out, parts need replacing. This system hides screws and joinery with custom, patent-pending plugs, perfectly flush to the new piece. Each comes with a super light aluminum key, which fits in a small pocket underneath the seat.
bnf studio
bnf studio’s chairs featuring round, simplistic shapes in comforting hues this year. The transition from velvet to wood is all expertly crafted in house, with well-balanced, sturdy cushioning for a very solid and enjoyable seat.
9 & 19
Hand-hewn cabinet tops and portraits of the designer as a frog dot the 9 & 19 booth, which feels more like stepping into your favorite living room than rounding a bend at Javits. Anyone for Connect 4?
Shore
Shore is a London-based brand that offers beautiful, functional, indoor/outdoor furniture solutions made completely of silicone tubing. The whole line is heatproof, waterproof, hypoallergenic, vegan, and very easy to clean.
MIT Media Lab
This cutting-edge booth from the MIT Media Lab features 3D-printed glass bookends and other home objects, creating a warp of light and color. MIT is talking to designers and businesses across multiple industries to explore what applications this technology could possibly be used.
MINNA Goods
In this special collaboration with Like Minded Objects, MINNA Goods is proud to present The CRCL Chair along with a beautiful new line of handmade textiles. The fabric choices bring the playful, oversized forms to life with bold patterns and a comfort level to match.
Joey Zeledón
Finally – The Coat Check Chair from Joey Zeledón lands at ICFF. Inspired by our natural inclination to drape a jacket over the back of a chair, a hot pink visual cue stares back instead: just hang it up. While acting as a functional chair, this piece reminds us to tidy up in an encouraging way.
Bowen Liu Studio
Bowen Liu returns with another impressive show, celebrating traditional jointwork and delving into layered glass with expert skill. The Cast Glass Collection is solid, refined, and just right for right now.
Fefostudio
Fefostudio marries the tactile and industrial qualities of felt with soft seating and play mats. Made in Mexico using organic wool, the versatility of the material provides comfort while also offering lasting support. Inspired by traditional glaze techniques, the color palette is rich and inviting. The pear details on the seating are a pretty sweet bonus.
Tomma Bloom
This playful print collection from Tomma Bloom can be translated into carpet, acoustic wall tiling, wall ornaments, and numerous other surfaces for a complete family of matching products. This allows for a total outfit of a space, promoting continuity and a spark of brightness.
Karen Gayle Tinney
This delicate work from Karen Gayle Tinney beautifully explores the relationship between textile and ceramic. Ranging from large scale pieces to smaller vases, all are unique art for the home. Each piece is handcrafted by the artist in her Okemo Valley studio.
Bzippy
All lovingly handcrafted using slab-based forms, Bzippy offers all their ceramic wares in over 40 custom finishes. From planters to furniture to house goods, you can achieve exactly the look you want in any style that suits you. Inspired by architectural elements from California and around the world, LA-based founder Bari Ziperstein strives to push the boundaries of what the definition of a working artist looks like.
Tecnológico de Monterrey Escuela de Arquitectura, Arte y Diseño
As moving rates continue to rise, furniture that one can pack into a suitcase and bring along somehow seems a bit more appealing. The Straps booth explores the form of what this could look like, while also inviting the user to consider how the objects can be used outside of their original function. To the left is Persona by Andrea González, and to the right is Galileo by Enky J. Padilla and Ricardo Ballesteros.
Madeline Isakson
Loving the subversive nature of this concrete turned styrofoam from Madeline Isakson. What looks brutal and unwieldy from afar softens immensely when up close as you come to find fabric and foam.
NJ Roseti
Another interesting show this year from NJ Roseti, utilizing deep cobalt leather and solid walnut with painted detailing for a regal, dynamic look. Veneer acts as a diffuser for the lighting, giving the whole scene a golden glow.
Aria Lee is a NYC-based designer drawn to furniture, textiles, and yarn of all shapes and sizes. She creates custom crochet work at aacrochet.com, and has a deep passion for bread.
You can view her portfolio here, and follow her on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest.
“Women in Music,” the new exhibit currently running in the Femme X Columbia gallery on Richland Street through July, is a classic example of how evocative photography can come to define a music scene.
The collection, the work of photographer and concept artist Kati Baldwin, showcases its own artistic vision even as it highlights the work of others, playfully interacting with the natural shadows and darkness while also making liberal use of saturation and other effects to create its own visual language across the various subjects, all of whom are, of course, women.
“I love showcasing other people’s art — it’s a lot easier to do that than for other people than to do it for myself,” Baldwin said. “I like connecting with people and learning about their personality and then creating a visual off of it.”
Baldwin, who first got into photography when she was working as a retail manager at the alternative clothing store Sid & Nancy in Five Points, said she first began documenting the local music scene with a few bands she knew, but quickly started getting encouraged to do more, starting with David Stringer’s SceneSC website in 2017.
“He asked me to shoot two shows in one weekend, and that’s how I shot my first two shows,” she said, one of which was for the acclaimed indie rock band Spoon.
“I’d never heard of Spoon at the time, so that was a really cool experience to see them and hear them listen for the first time while shooting. That’s when I realized I want to do music photography, that it sounded fun.”
As far as developing her style, Baldwin said it’s a combination of technical choices as well as aesthetic ones.
“If I’m not using flash, I really like to bump up the contrast a lot in post edit. I’ll make the blacks really, really black and actually usually toned down the whites a lot,” she explained. “But if I am using flash I can get more creative, like doing really long exposures. That’s how I can do things like my light trails.”
She also quickly developed different presets for particular color themes that she wanted to explore, going so far as to name them after venues (like the rock club New Brookland Tavern) or specific artists that’s she’s worked with.
“I just love being a part of a community and letting people that you know, what they’re doing is being seen,” she said of her continued passion for music photography, particularly local women musicians. “I love boosting egos and just making people feel good about their talents.”
The new exhibit was a big moment for Baldwin in more ways than one — as a struggling artist relatively new to photography, this is only her second exhibition and the first in four years. And she also got to add her passion for event planning into the mix for the opening reception back in May, booking Greenville singer/songwriter Darby Wilcox, Spartanburg’s Slow Funeral and local singer/songwriter Kat Gandy to perform.
“I’ve never really had the means to do (something like this) until recently,” she said, noting more regular freelancing gigs combined with assisting commercial studio photographers such as George Fulton and Sandy Andrews has put her in a position to spend the time and energy to put something like this show together.
“It’s kind of scary to invest a lot of money when you don’t know if anyone’s gonna buy your work. But I think it’s worth it.”
