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Covington Impact Report shows dynamic momentum built on ‘solid foundation’ of jobs, investments

By in Art World News

Covington Impact Report shows dynamic momentum built on ‘solid foundation’ of jobs, investments

Borrowing from the manifesto that drives its mission, the newly released 2022 Impact Report of Covington’s Economic Development Department lays out how doing things “of The Cov … by The Cov … for The Cov” culminated in a year that saw the city’s trajectory stay the course of an already dynamic momentum.

(Click for full report)

“Since the start of 2020, we have announced the creation of nearly 5,000 new great jobs and over $270 million in capital investment in The Cov,” Economic Development Director Tom West said. “This momentum provides the solid foundation we will use to attract jobs and investment to the Covington Central Riverfront redevelopment.”

The 2022 Impact Report reflects on a year defined by robust numbers for job creation and retention and capital investment … an array of small business incentives … groundbreaking workforce initiatives like the Enzweiler Building Institute’s construction trades school and the new Covington Academy of Heritage Trades … and big steps forward in the transformation of 23 acres in the new Central Riverfront Neighborhood (aka former IRS site), which will see Covington-based developers get a shot at creating the neighborhood’s projects.

Highlights from the 2022 report include:

• Almost $44.3 million in private capital investment.
• Over $1 million in City Incentives leveraged $19 million in private investment; 19:01 ROI
• Over $126,000 in incentives for small businesses.
• 13 City-organized ribbon cuttings.
• 23 acres nearly ready for development.

The “Of/by/for The Cov” language references the City’s utilizing of local talent for projects and to create opportunities for Covington businesses and residents. For example, Covington businesses and creative talent played integral roles in developing the 2022 impact report and related marketing, creating new branding, a new website, and marketing tools that will enhance efforts to attract new businesses:

• Durham Brands created the department’s new branding and marketing tools, such as a Business Guide that simplifies the process of opening a business in Covington in 10 easy steps.

For the last few years, West’s team marketed the City to prospective businesses, investors, and talent with varied branding messages that touted Covington’s historic spaces and edgy charm. Last May, the department unveiled its formal brand narrative: “Unapologetically Covington” boasts the City’s unabashed embrace of its quirkiness, diversity, and willingness to think big and push the envelope.

• Systems Insight designed the department’s new standalone website, thecovky.gov, to provide businesses, investors, and developers the information they need without a lot of digging through superfluous clutter.

“The new website is a tremendous resource and I encourage everyone to check it out,” said Covington Business Recruitment Manager Susan Smith. “It’s designed for businesses, developers, investors and brokers to easily find what they need when making a decision on where to invest, For example, a business owner can search for available commercial properties to see what may be a good fit, or if a developer would like to know updates on the Covington Central Riverfront Neighborhood. It’s all there, including the video fly-through.”

• AGNT, a strategic design studio, designed the department’s impact report and accompanying video (below).

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• Sam Greenhill, a city-based photographer, brings a uniquely Covington lens to capturing the faces and places in The Cov that are featured throughout the report, on the website, and in marketing efforts. Expect to see Greenhill’s photography throughout the city. Many of his images will play out on a series of panels along a portion of fencing around the Covington Central Riverfront neighborhood along 4th Street.

At the marrow of the impact report are the businesses and people that “keep it real” in The Cov, and the report highlights some of last year’s best by way of the 2022 Authenti-CITY Awards.

Last year’s awards played out at Covington Yard last May and featured the roll-out of Economic Development’s new brand.

After fierce debates among City staff who nominated the businesses, places, events, people and organizations that “keep it real” in The Cov, the five winners emerged: Lost Art Press, Riverside Korean, Hierophany & Hedge, Anchor Grill, and Amy Kummler.

The 2023 Authenti-CITY Awards will take place May 11, from 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. at West Clinton St. alley — between Kung Food Amerasia and Train with Rocco. Nominations and the debate commence soon.

City of Covington

Studio Harcourt : Francoise Huguier : Séries de Mode – The Eye of Photography Magazine

By in Photography

Studio Harcourt : Francoise Huguier : Séries de Mode – The Eye of Photography Magazine

Until June 28, Studio Harcourt presents Séries de Mode by Francoise Huguier. She present it this way:

I started the fashion series with Marie Claire Bis. The artistic director at the time had seen my fashion show photos in Liberation. He asked me if I was interested in doing fashion series. I told him that I didn’t know anything about it. He told me that he would put me in collaboration with a talented stylist, who would choose the dresses with me. She also taught me how to select hairdresser, make-up artists and models and I had the idea of ​​the theme.

One of the first trips we took together was to Martinique, hence the photo of the return from the burial. The model is wearing a Cacharel dress and sweater. The scene took place in a pineapple field after the rain, where three Martinicans are present in black hats and black suits, whom I had spotted during the funerals. When I show this photo now, everyone thinks it’s news. Which is normal because I come from reportage.

The collaboration with Marie Claire Bis lasted 10 years. Then the newspaper closed and I worked for Marie Claire, always with the same perspective of reporting and film framing. My best memories are the scouting and the collaboration with the stylist, the hairdressers and the make-up artists and the discovery of certain countries.

Francoise Huguier

Francoise Huguier : Séries de mode
Until June 28, 2023
Studio Harcourt
6 rue de Lota
75016 Paris
www.studio-harcourt.com

Student Sculpture Pop-Up stirs hearts and stimulates thoughts

By in Sculpture

Student Sculpture Pop-Up stirs hearts and stimulates thoughts
A handful of artists and intern curators made an impact on the community of people that came to observe the City College Student Sculpture Pop-Up on April 6 at the Atkinson Gallery.  The exhibition featured various themes with a multitude of expertise, ranging from City College students to artists outside of the college wanting to…

Hawaiian Artistry Takes Center Stage in Compelling New Exhibit

By in Native

Hawaiian Artistry Takes Center Stage in Compelling New Exhibit
surfboards created by Hawaiian artist

Photo: Robbie Dingeman

A new Bishop Museum exhibit celebrates Hawai‘i’s rich arts and culture through acclaimed Native Hawaiian artists while exploring how they share their knowledge across generations.

That crucial work—teacher and student working side by side—really is the heart of the exhibit, says curator Marques Hanalei Marzan. That relationship ensures “the community is aware that this kind of knowledge is being passed down and still is available to anyone who wishes to learn.”

“Ola Ka Noʻeau: Excellence in Hawaiian Artistry” is presented through a partnership with the PAʻI Foundation’s Maoli Arts Movement initiative. It features diverse artworks from 13 notable Hawaiian artists that include featherwork, bark cloth, tools, decorated gourds, plaiting and visual design.

SEE ALSO: Must See: “ʻAi Pōhaku, Stone Eaters” Native Hawaiian Art Exhibit

See Hawaiian Artists Bishop Museum

Photo: Bishop Museum

“This exhibit really reinforces my hope and desire to reconnect with community partners, particularly in the arts,” Marzan says. Highlighting that bond between student and teacher reinforces the generational link as a fundamental value in Hawaiian culture.

Video clips of the artisans and their students show them working, explaining in their homes and backyards. That gives a deeper understanding of the process and the people behind these creations. The works of the more experienced teachers hang side by side with those of their talented students, which allows them to shine together and separately, tracing the genealogy of the artistry.

Here’s a sample: There’s master Umi Kai explaining the craft work behind vital tools alongside student Kunane Wooton, who is honoring the historic traditions while also designing a surfboard with his modern vibe. See teacher Imaikalani Kanahele’s visual design work, student Cory Kamehanaokalā Taum’s pieces, then the work they did together.

mural visual arts by native Hawaiian artists

Murals by teacher and student Photo: Robbie Dingeman

SEE ALSO: Two Native Hawaiian Artists Use National Awards to Fuel Their Passion to Teach

We learn about the late Marie McDonald, known for both her seminal books on leimaking as well as kapa making. In 1990, the National Endowment for the Arts named her a National Heritage Fellow. She worked closely with her daughter, Roen Hufford, who also immersed in the work of reclaiming and expanding the Hawaiian art of kapa. This year, the NEA named Hufford a National Heritage Fellow, another symbol of how their work stretches across the generations.

For the PAʻI Foundation, the exhibit provided a way to work with the museum to showcase and feature Native Hawaiian artists and cultural practitioners who have “dedicated their lives to perpetuate their arts and traditional cultural practices for future generations,” says Vicky Holt Takamine, PAʻI Foundation executive director.

Hawaiian Artists Lum Nelmida Robbie Dingeman

Featherwork and artist Kawika Lum-Nelmida Photo: Robbie Dingeman

Marzan, an artist himself, serves as curator for cultural resilience for the museum as well as exhibition curator and emphasizes that many of the artists are longtime educators.

SEE ALSO: Bishop Museum‘s Cultural Adviser Weaves History with Modern Flair

Exhibit designer Michael Wilson brings light sources that glow from beneath to represent the wisdom of the past with additional light  from above as a nod to the future. The artists’ passion for their arts and teaching shine through, giving a peek-behind-the-scenes feel to the exhibit.

“All of them pretty much have that same kind of mindset and understanding that the knowledge that they steward and care for isn’t their own,” Marzan says. “It’s something that they hold for the community, and they want to make sure that those things never go to sleep again and [that they] find a home in the next generation.”

“Ola Ka Noʻeau: Excellence in Hawaiian Artistry,” is in the museum’s J. M. Long Gallery now through Oct. 29, 2023.

1525 Bernice St., (808) 847-3511, 9 a.m.–5 p.m. daily, bishopmuseum.org

Photography Awards Judges Need To Do Better

By in Photography

Photography Awards Judges Need To Do Better

The Sony World Photography Awards is one of the more prestigious annual photography contests we’re familiar with. With widespread worldwide coverage for its winners, it’s an award that many professional and amateur photographers enter. Winning one or more of its category awards can be a shot in the arm for a photographer’s career. But one particular result in the recently announced Open Category Awards of the 2023 contest shocked me. It’s made me question the judging process and the future of photography contests in general. You might not seem alarmed by it now. Without a doubt, it could escalate out of control in the years to come.

The Contest

The 2023 Sony World Photography Awards Open competition was free to enter. There were 10 categories that entrants could choose from. One of the main criteria for entry into this category was that the images needed to be taken in 2022. From the possibly hundreds, if not thousands, of entries, fourteen images made it to the final shortlist of the Creative category of the Open competition.

The Rules

A breakdown of the rules is available on the Open Category page. Let me run through a couple of them here that are pertinent to the topic of this piece:

  • You confirm that each person depicted in the Entry has granted permission to be portrayed as shown
  • You are the sole owner and author of each Entry

The Shortlist

I think the name of the contest itself clearly puts it out there that this is a photography contest at its core. Looking at most of the entries in the Creative category, one might be tempted to argue that they aren’t photography in the most traditional sense of the word. Undoubtedly there are elements of layering and possibly digital manipulation of photos. But all elements involved in the shortlist here appear to be composed of one or more photos. There seems to have been considerable effort to photograph each element and create the final output submitted.

The Winner

German photo-media artist Boris Eldagsen was adjudged the Creative category winner in a press release that TPB received on March 14. He won it for his image “PSEUDOMNESIA | The Electrician, “a haunting black-and-white portrait of two women from different generations, reminiscent of the visual language of 1940s family portraits.” Undeniably, the winning image does evoke memories of photographs that I’ve seen of my grandparents in their heyday, as well as of my parents from a handful of decades ago.

Photographer Name: Boris Eldagsen
Image Name: Pseudomnesia | The Electrician
Year: 2023
Image Description: From the series Pseudomnesia.
Copyright: © Boris Eldagsen, Germany, Winner, Open Competition, Creative, 2023 Sony World Photography Awards

The Problem

Take a closer look at Boris’s winning image. Especially the skin texture (or lack of it) and the details in the fingers. This isn’t because this was taken on a very old camera or using a vintage lens. Boris Eldagsen himself has come out and stated after the winning result was announced that this isn’t a photograph at all. It’s an image generated by inputs he provided to the Open AI photo tools. I am shocked and surprised that the Sony World Photography Awards didn’t spot this. In an interview with the publication Talking Pictures, Boris states that he emailed the awards committee openly saying that his image wasn’t a photograph but an AI creation. When writing this article, he’s still listed as a winner on their page, almost 3 weeks after the announcement.

Boris released a statement on April 1 about his image, The Electrician winning the Creative section in the Open category at the Sony World Photography Awards. For anyone wondering if it was an April Fool’s joke, he came clean about the AI part of this image on March 14 in an Instagram post.

The work SWPA has chosen is the result of a complex interplay of prompt engineering, inpainting and outpainting that draws on my wealth of photographic knowledge. For me, working with AI image generators is a co-creation, in which I am the director. It is not about pressing a button – and done it is. It is about exploring the complexity of this process, starting with refining text prompts, then developing a complex workflow, and mixing various platforms and techniques. The more you create such a workflow and define parameters, the higher your creative part becomes.

You can read his entire statement here.

I Don’t Blame Boris

In all fairness to Boris, he’s clearly shown that there is a problem here in the photography industry. For starters, most people have a tough time distinguishing AI-generated images from photographs (at least at first glance). In a few months, it will probably become even harder to determine critical differences unless scrutinized. With this intention, Boris has stated that he wants photography contest organizers to have separate categories for AI images. I appreciate him for wanting this distinction in photo contests. Yes, he entered an AI image into the competition, but it doesn’t seem he was out to defraud anyone. He wanted to highlight an issue that certainly needs a lot more attention from everyone.

Of course, the truth was bound to come out soon after the announcements. How was Boris’s image allowed to get this far in the contest? If anything, he’s clearly shown that even experienced photographers and art experts can be fooled. It’s essential to realize the key issue here.

Where’s The Diligence?

Any photography awards contest with some credibility needs to have a specific set of steps to determine an image’s authenticity. For a worldwide competition of this scale, judges certainly can’t inspect each entry inch by inch at 100% magnification. Yet you’d think, being a contest of such repute, that the judging committee would have asked for the raw files from shortlisted photographers. This should be the minimum that should have been done before the winners were announced. Haven’t previous fiascos taught us that this is absolutely necessary by now? Had this been done, Boris’s entry would have been disqualified well in advance. This would then open up another spot for a worthy shortlist and winner.

I wish we had more clarity on the judging process for this year’s results. This has now shone an unwanted spotlight on the whole process, and rightly so, in my opinion. Because the question has clearly arisen over what steps were taken to ensure that entrants had the copyrights to their entries. Merely having them sign off a form isn’t enough. At least when it came to the final shortlisted entries, more should have been done.

I call my images “images”. They are synthetically produced, using “the photographic” as a visual language. They are not “photographs”.

Boris Eldagsen

How Many More SWPA Entries Are Dubious?

I haven’t gone through the winners in the other categories so far, but this question is at the back of my mind. How many other entries aren’t photos in the 2023 Sony World Photography Awards? The onus is on the SWPA to clear this out and not rush to announce the overall winners. There’s already been a spate of AI-generated images winning photo contests this year, albeit in smaller contests. To allow an AI image to win the World Photography Awards is not something serious photographers would take lightly. Another key point is that this opens up the playing field for anyone to type a few words into an AI program and generate a potential winner.

Where’s the fairness in allowing such images to be entered into photography contests? That’s as bad as letting someone run a “paintbrush” action on a photo in Photoshop and printing that out on canvas as an entry to an art contest. Judging a prestigious contest is a privilege and not something that needs to be taken lightly. I’m very keen to see the official statement from the Sony World Photography Awards committee. In the event that more such AI entries made their way to the contest, it’ll be very interesting to see what they say.

The lead image is by Boris Eldagsen and is used with permission from the SWPA communications team.

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