Indiana Small Towns Project

On my website I have posted the Indiana Small Towns exhibition from this past January at The Harrison Center for the Arts!

Stutz Exhibit Pt. II

So Satch says that I am not allowed to post anything else showing the piece, which now has a title - "Life in the Present Connected to the Past."

She would like everybody to see the piece during the exhibit's opening at the Stutz this coming First Friday.  (Scroll down to see updated description of the piece.)

New Work - Truth from Perceptions

Social Currency, The Shared Photograph

Stutz Art Space - Opens First Friday March 4, 5 to 9 p.m.

Satch and I are collaborating on a piece for the Stutz Art Space exhibit, Social Currency, The Shared Photograph, curated by Andy Chen.

Intertwining historic carte de visites and cabinet cards with contemporary portraits from Facebook, together with other contemporary and historical elements, the piece compares and contrasts the historical and contemporary use of portraits as a means to develop social currency.

A recent self-portrait of Ron made with a Polaroid SX-70 was scanned and then printed, combining the two historical modes of photography, analogue and digital.  This photograph is displayed next to a red velvet Victorian photograph album cover featuring a mirror.  By looking into the mirror the viewer may create their own transitory self-portrait enabling them to become a part of the piece.  Encased by a computer screen frame these two elements of the piece are mounted onto an easel.  The easel  would have presented an album of carte de visites and cabinet cards in a prominent place in the Victorian home.

The intertwined photographs are shown in an accordion-like manner so that when viewers are looking at the various photographs they will be somewhat facing each other, rather than simply standing next to each other.  The hope is that this will engender viewer interaction that will create social currency. 

I will be updating the blog with more information as we get closer to the exhibit.  Below is the conceptual sketch for the piece.

Conceptual Sketch

Satch constructing the piece

First Photograph from the New Project

Working title of the project - Truth from Perceptions

Two New Projects And Their Inspiration

Currently I have seven projects that are all good ideas and need to be pursued.  Over this last week a couple of events crystallized the direction that I have chosen - I am going to concentrate on two projects.

The first one is a continuation of a new direction that I am very excited about.  The second project is an expansion of a past inspiration and direction - I will be pulling out an old camera and putting it back in service.

The inspiration for these two projects come from different paths.  The first project is inspired by the discovery of an interior element within an existing photograph and my ongoing study of light and how it reacts within simple forms.

The second project is inspired by my nephew's extraordinary poetry and Matt LaFary's and Angi Skaggs' exploration of various vintage film cameras.  The result of this project will be a collection of small intimate prints.

The Harrison Center for the Arts! exhibit from my archive, Indiana Small Towns Project, will be coming down this next Monday.  It was a privilege to exhibit at the Harrison Center and everybody there was and big help and more than a pleasure to work with.  Big and Huge thanks to Kyle Ragsdale for showing this work.  The Harrison Center show has spurred me on to dig through my archive to find all of the project's photographs.  Work is ongoing for an exhibit of the expanded collection.

Peace.

First Friday at The Harrison Center for the Arts!

What a great crowd last evening at The Harrison Center for the Arts! Seeing old friends, meeting new friends and having such an excellent opportunity to share my work made for a wonderful and memorable evening.

Congratulations to Tim J. Harmon, all of the participating artists and the patrons for a successful Sign Show which raised money for the Horizon House.

Big and Huge thanks to everybody at The Harrison Center, Kyle Ragsdale, Joanna Beatty Taft and Pam Allee - it is a privilege to exhibit at The Harrison Center for the Arts!

Crowd at The Sign Show Opening

Here's a short video made by Satch

Project Statement for Indiana Small Towns Project at The Harrison Center for the Arts

(click to enlarge)

Indiana Small Towns Project Exhibit

Opening Janury 7, 2011 at the The Harrison Center for the Arts I will be exhibiting a selection of 13 images from my Indiana Small Towns Project.

From my archive, these images were made between 1992 and 1995. This will be the first time that these photographs have been exhibited.

Writer and poet Karen Stroup has written about the photographs and what they represent.  Her writings will be available at the exhibit.

This exhibit is in tandem with the Sign Show.  The Facebook event page has all of the particulars regarding The Harrison's Center's January First Friday events.

IMA Andy Warhol Exhibit Opening Party, October 9, 2010

So, I'm a little late in posting some snapshots from the Warhol Opening...

Daniel Axler and Maxwell Anderson

The party was great!  It sure appeared that everybody was having an excellent time.  There were people of all ages, which was really cool.  The DJ played music from various artists that had Warhol connections,  which was cool as well.  Not everybody found the music to be all that fab.  On our way out Satch and I had a nice conversation with an older couple that had a different opinion.  I asked them what they thought of the music and the gentleman said, "I don't call that music, I call that noise!"  So, the anti-rock and roll establishment lives on in Indianapolis. Somehow that is comforting especially now that I can hear David Bowie et al when shopping in the local Kroger grocery store.

Maxwell Anderson's Shoes

The exhibit is pretty special.  It has a nice cross section of pieces through the length of Warhol's career.  My favorite room is the last one with his screen print self portraits.  Yet again, IMA is to be commended for another top-notch special exhibition.  I strongly recommend that you get to it if you have not.  It is open until January 2, 2011.

Barkeep

The Party Floor

Party from the VIP Lounge

Empty Coke Bottle and Ealf-Eaten Cup Cake

Andy would be pleased with all of the stuff for sale

It's been a while..

Click to enlarge

...since I have posted anything. I've been working on some new directions so I haven't been producing any finished work. Here's a photograph that I made late this fall with a plastic trash camera. It does not have a title yet.

Day of the Dead 2010 Snaphots and Short Video

I've posted a gallery of snapshots from The Indianapolis Art Center's Day of the Dead Celebration.  Again, The Art Center outdid themselves and hosted an incredible community day for the City of Indianapolis.

High quality entertainment, arts and crafts, shrines (inside and out), special exhibits and a great crowd made  for a special afternoon and evening.  Click on the link above to go to the photographs.

Here's a very short video of the Processional in the Art Park through the outdoor Shrines:

Day of the Dead Celebration

Photograph from last year's Shrine Exhibition

If you are in Indianapolis this Saturday do not miss the Day of the Dead celebration at the Indianapolis Art Center from 3 to 8 p.m.  This is one of Indianapolis' greatest community events.

Apologies

My apologies for not updating the blog for a while. I have plenty to post but have been busy with new work.

Head over to my website to see some of the new work and I'll try to get busy here on the blog after I catch up on a couple of things.

Peace.

Ron

Biennial Iron Pour, Indianapolis Art Center

Click to Enlarge

Exhibiting at Cobblestone Grill, Zionsville, IN

Click to Enlarge

Carmel International(?) Art Fair

Carmel International Art Fair

Satch and I went to the Carmel International (whatever) Art Fair last Saturday.  It was a beautiful morning and their was a pretty good crowd.  As with any event in Carmel, the stroller brigade was out in full force.  The art being offered was pretty typical for the average art fair.  We always are impressed with all of the effort that is required of the artists and craftsmen to transport, set up and tear down their tents and other apparatus that is required to display the art.

Head

We had the pleasure of meeting Mary Lou Hess, an artist from New Albany, Indiana.  She is a fine printer and her work was enjoyable and inspirational.  We did purchase a print (shown above) that immediately spoke to both of us.

Mike and Karen Stroup

Mike Stroup with "The Crossing"

Wednesday evening Satch and I were invited by Mike and Karen Stroup to attend, at the University of Indianapolis' Christel DeHaan Fine Arts Center Art Gallery, the 2010 Invision photography exhibit.

The evening began at Santorini's, a fine Greek restaurant in the Fountain Square area. Karen treated us to a feast of Greek foods fresh from Santorini's kitchen - hummus, Tzaziki, feta, olives, delicious pita bread, etc., etc. We were warmed by the towering flames while the server prepared Saganiki (flaming goat cheese). Karen, Mike and Satch enjoyed a bowl of mushroom soup while I attacked a Greek salad. The meal was finished off with Galaktabouriko, a sweet Greek custard garnished with powdered sugar and cinnamon. This is so good that is almost wrong.

Karen had set up the evening to celebrate Mike's work in the exhibit. We were so pleased to be asked to be a part of it.

Vowing to return in the near future, we bid αντίο to Santorini's and the four of us headed down to the exhibit. The Gallery in the Fine Arts Center is beautifully accomplished. It is a simple rectangular cube, but an inviting, room with high ceilings and excellent lighting. The design of the room makes the exhibited art the focus.

Mike exhibited four pieces, as did the other Invision artists. He chose to show two pairs of photographs. The first pair is from a fair and the second is from a location somewhere in rural America.

The fair photographs are studies in dimension, light and motion and human connection. The rural photographs are studies in, life's choices and journey and mortality.

Mike's contemporary work is full of various emotions. It is thought provoking but in an emotional way that is vague, leading the viewer to introspection. When I say his work is emotionally vague, I mean this in the best possible way. His work isn't "in your face" but it draws one in, evoking emotions that requires one while studying the work to mentally interact with the photographs.

The Crossing

"The Crossing" (I believe that is the correct title) just knocks me out. The elements and light in the photograph, in tandem with Mike's treatments, produces a photograph that is, in my mind, essentially flawless.

So, big and huge congratulations to Mike and the work he is exhibiting at the 2010 Invision exhibit. He told me that he is continuing to pursue his current direction and will be producing more work in the near future. I will try to patiently wait.

And, big and huge thanks to Karen and Mike for an excellent evening.

I've always been a supporter of Mike and his work and Satch and I deeply value our relationship with Karen and him. In the past I have written about them and how important they have been to me personally and to my work. Here's a link to a past post on my blog. I invite you to please take the time to read it. Thanks.

Dinner At Fitgerald's - A Very Short Film

I am working on a long post about our Labor Day Weekend in Michigan; but here is a taste in a very short film from Labor Day Night dinner with artist Harry Borgman, gallery owner, Craig Smith and Satch.

Self-portrait

Made this little self-portrait is Satch's studio yesterday...  (Click on the photograph to enlarge.)

New Work

Exploring more of a graphic direction...

Click on photo to enlarge.

New Series

Here's a screen shot of some working photographs from a series, Beauty Misleading, made this past week. Click on photo to enlarge.

And, I have posted some additional new work on my website.

IMA's Storage Facility

Satch and I had the unique opportunity to visit the Indiana Museum of Art's art storage area. It was a chance to see that the mission of the museum is much more than simply the exhibition of art work. Preserving the many works is a huge task that is obviously taken more than seriously. Everything is well thought out - organization and cataloging, earthquake protection, fire suppression, visibility without handling the object, etc., etc.


Emily Blyze, Jesse Speight and Satch at IMA

Even though the storage area has expanded over the years, they do need more room. The museum has undertaken a deaccession program that sells items that do not meet the mission of the museum or are duplicates (or very similar) of items already in the collection. The proceeds from that program are used to acquire more art. Jesse Speight, Superintendent of Storage and Packing, commented that the museum’s desire to acquire art is insatiable therefore the future need for additional storage space is continuous.

It was interesting to hear that only a scant 5% of the museum’s collection is on display. I always figured that the museum stored more than it exhibited but that number really surprised me.

Big and Huge thanks to IMA’s Jesse Speight and Emily Blyze, Member and Donor Relations Coordinator, for giving us the opportunity to experience the museum’s storage areas. During the tour Jesse shared some interesting stories about his job and gave us an excellent perspective of this hidden, yet incredibly significant, part of IMA.

Entry to IMA from the underground parking garage

Sidenotes: This opportunity was just another example of how IMA is making sure those interested stay engaged with and learn about all things at the Museum. IMA is the crown jewel of Indianapolis, IMHO. I will write more about how I feel about this in a future post. I will say, for now, that IMA doesn’t seem to be missing a beat in providing the city, and the world for that matter, with a first class museum.


Streams (Digital photograph made at IMA before the storage area tour)

New Video from Website

Here's a video that shows a series of images as I talk about my artistic vision. You can see a higher quality version on my website.

New Website

I've been working on a new website that will gather all of the galleries of work into one easy to access location - Ron Kern Photographer.

Working on a few new photographs

Got out this past weekend while it wasn't so incredibly hot and made a few photographs. This one is from a potential series, "Looking Up at Buildings."

New Online Gallery

I have posted a new online gallery for the collection of photographs at the Kellar Mahaney Gallery in Zionsville, Indiana. It is located in the right column below the artist statement.

Time Tunnel Fruit

Still struggling with the Impossible Project materials, but having a little more luck. Click on image to enlarge.

Study

Making some digital studies for the "So Satch Says" series. Click on photograph to enlarge.

Promoting in Zionsville

Satch and I have been very busy promoting our work at the Kellar Mahaney Gallery. Over the past two weeks we have met many new people and received excellent feedback on our work. Lolly, the owner of Kellar Mahaney Gallery is a top notch hostess and has the nicest gallery in Zionsville, IMHO. Zionsville's does have it going on when it comes to their gallery scene and village vibe. Check it out soon