Anne Kelly, Associate Gallery Director, photo-eye Gallery
David Maisel, Photographer
Anne Veh, Art Consultant & Independent Curator
Christopher McCall, Director, Pilara Foundation
Linda Connor, Photographer & Educator
Paul Schiek, Artist, Publisher TBW Books
Whitney Johnson, Associate Picture Editor, The New Yorker
Dennis Kiel, Chief Curator, The Light Factory Contemporary Museum of Photography
Stefan Kirkby, Smith Anderson North Gallery
Joanna Lehan, Associate Editor, Books, Aperture Foundation

The reviews begin for me in two hours. More later…

This is my second portfolio review event. The first one I participated in was last year’s PhotoLucida conference in Portland. It’s been fascinating to track what has come from it. It is a good lesson in marketing and being open and aware of how to lead a flow of events when you’re unsure of where it’s all heading.

A case in point… At PhotoLucida, I left two different postcards out for people to pick up as well as business cards. I honestly didn’t think anything would come of it, but a few months after the reviews ended, I got an e-mail from Aline Smithson who wanted to interview me for a piece that would run in an upcoming issue of Light Leaks magazine. I never actually met Aline. But the issue has just now come out and it’s a beautiful feature piece with about 10 images from my Displaced: Part II portfolio. What is even more interesting is that a few days after the issue was released, I got another e-mail from Quinton Gordon, the director of the LUZ Gallery in Victoria, British Columbia expressing an interest in possibly including some of that work in a group show in 2010. I don’t know if Quinton saw the Light Leaks issue (shame on me for not inquiring yet), but the timing was right for me to make the assumption. What is the lesson here? Never assume anything about what will bring exposure. One of the best things to come from that event happened because someone I never met picked up a card, kept it, and contacted me later for an interview.

Another follow-up story from PhotoLucida… One of the reviewers that I met with was Thom Sempere, the Executive Director of the San Francisco Photo Alliance. I would say he was one of the reviewers that understood and appreciated my work the most. I remember leaving our session wondering, what if anything, could come from it. They don’t have a gallery, they don’t represent artists, but it was nice to get the feedback none-the-less.

Then, last December, a good 8 months after we met, he sent me an e-mail asking me to donate a print for their annual auction. I agreed mostly because I respected Thom and wanted to help him. I knew he had kept me and my work in the back of his mind and I felt that by donating a print, it would support someone who had already given me a lot of encouragement. After the auction occurred, he followed up with me saying that he had spoken to Ed Carey, the director of Gallery 291 and that I should get in touch with him to schedule an appointment to show some prints. Gallery 291 (www.gallery291.net) is a gorgeous gallery, right on Union Square in downtown San Francisco. I was amazed that Thom had been able to make such a perfect match for my work. Ed shows beautiful work, and all of the pieces I have seen have an attention to craftsmanship and printing that is extremely important to me. I made a trip down to San Francisco last November, met Ed in the gallery and presented my work. It was a good meeting, he seemed genuinely interested in the work, and me, and it gave me an opportunity to explore the gallery, see the prints they were showing, how the space was broken up, etc. The other work that was being shown was elegant and well executed. The space was beautiful, the location, ideal. I left the meeting feeling optimistic. I’m meeting Ed Carey for lunch for our second meeting tomorrow (today I should say) at 12:30p.m. I bring this story up because again, I was surprised. I really had no idea what, if anything, would come from my initial meeting with Thom Sempere, but my work must have stuck with him, and he has gone out of his way to help me. The point here is no matter who you meet, what your initial impressions of them are, you should treat everyone as if they were going to give you a big break in your career.

As I prepare for this second portfolio review event, I thought I would share some tips from what I have learned thus far in this awkward process of having what feels like 5 seconds to describe work that has taken a lifetime to produce. First, be very careful about how much information you give. You don’t need to forcefeed what the concept behind your work is. If you do feel that urge, it may be that your work isn’t strong enough to convey the concept in the first place. Give the reviewer enough to be interested, and then let them have their own time and space to experience the photographs. Periods of silence are helpful, they give the reviewer time to become lost in the images. The twenty minutes goes very quickly so if you can seduce them into the story in that amount of time, you’re ahead of the game. Second, although many of the instructions for the review say to bring one full and complete body of work, I recommend bringing more. At PhotoLucida, I brought 2 portfolios, here I have brought 3. There were many times when I was presenting when there was time to go through another body. You will get a sense of whether the reviewer is into the first body of work pretty quickly. If they’re not, you’ll be thanking yourself immensely for bringing another series. I recommend bringing something that might show a different side of your abilities, to be able to make the point that you have range as a photographer and let them see that you have two completed portfolios, both spoken with the same voice. This is a big point to make in such a little amount of time, but bringing extra work can do that for you. Third, if possible, have something available that you can pass around that is a small, portable way for people to view your work. At PhotoLucida, I brought a book dummy for Displaced. I can’t tell you how many more people saw my work because I had something that could easily be passed around. It also pleased the reviewers to see that I had thought the project through to that level, and opened up a whole new way for them to see my work. It was not something I had thought through, the bringing of the book dummy, but I was incredibly happy to have it there.

The reviews start tomorrow morning. I will post more shortly!

BUILDING THE PORTFOLIO
Dates: Every other Saturday starting on April 10 for 6 sessions; 7th and 8th sessions on Saturdays July 10th &24th
Time: 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: My studio in the Mississippi neighborhood of Portland
Limit: 7 Students
Cost: $300

This intensive course is designed to help you either complete a new body of work or an existing series that you may have trouble finishing, with the goal being to have a completed portfolio of between 15-20 prints. We will spend the first half of each class discussing such topics as developing a concept, image quality, print quality, print size, printing materials, editing, sequencing, general craft, bookmaking, marketing, and writing your project statement; the second half will be devoted to evaluating your progress on the development of the work.

This is not a ‘technical skills’ workshop, although we’ll discuss technical skills as it pertains to making the work stronger. The emphasis is on creating the work itself, and shaping its form so that you will be able to present the portfolio to your chosen audience whether that be a gallery director, collector or the media. You’ll develop both the tangible product—a portfolio—and the ability to explain its importance. We’ll sharpen your ability to critique your own work, as well as others’, and work through the project from conceptualization to final printing.

Admission is by review. A pdf of current or past work will be required for acceptance. To apply, please e-mail me a low resolution pdf with 20 images of recent work, I will be in touch shortly.

I have narrowed my list of reviewers down to those that might be interested in the Displaced book or just generally in my work. I’m deciding right now what to show, how many prints to present, and what marketing piece to leave behind. There is an art to presenting your work, how much to say, how much to keep away from the viewer. The more times you do this though, the easier it becomes to strike a balance.

I will write a full report on the portfolio reviews when I get back…

MARKETING YOUR WORK
Date: Saturday, April 3
Time: 10:30 a.m. – 4:30 p.m. (includes 1 hour for lunch)
Limit: 10 Students
Cost: $110

Lauren Henkin will demonstrate how to best market yourself and your work. We’ll start with an evaluation of your work and your marketing successes and challenges to date. We’ll cover tools and specific marketing materials you can use to boost your career and sales of individual artworks. Some of the topics covered will include: defining a target audience, creating the optimal marketing piece, writing query letters, entering juried shows, participating in portfolio review events, attending trade shows, designing and creating self-promotion materials such as web sites and general best practices for presenting your work. This workshop is targeted toward photographers who already have bodies of work they wish to present and who are actively marketing their work.

This will be an opportunity to get feedback on materials you may already be using or preparing to create. You’re encouraged to bring in your current marketing and work samples.

Be on the lookout for future workshops/classes!

I’m sharing this with your for two reasons, first I didn’t want you to think that I only share my successes. I am disappointed by the loss of this opportunity and want everyone out there like me, who has gotten these notes that feel like rejections to know that it happens to everyone. Second, I thought you might be interested to read how I responded to the tough questions that were posed for the application. I have such a hard time writing answers to questions like “Please describe your artistic practice?” Or, “What is your interest in this residency?” Deceptively simple questions… I have to say how grateful I am to have such talented writers around me that I can turn to for guidance and feedback (especially after reading 5 drafts). So thank you to especially to Joel Preston Smith and Kirsten Rian… The odds were against me, but I’m know I put my best foot forward.

I think most of us photographic artists are such visual people that we can’t even stand reading the introductions to some of our favorite photography books (shame on us). I know I’m guilty of it. I hope we can all take some time to appreciate the artists out there capable of communicating clearly and eloquently with the written word. I know that as I continually struggle to become a better writer, the more in awe of them I become.

What is your current artistic practice?

The questions I attempt to answer when creating art, are: What, if anything is permanent? How are the things that we value or leave behind reflections of who we are? What around us is a model of humility and inspiration? What lasts? Using refined techniques, I provide a formal medium for valuing and studying informal subjects—in order to pay tribute to things we see everyday—discarded toys, dresses hanging in a closet, or trees growing beside dumpsters. The joy for me in taking pictures is when I am able to look closer, recognize the beauty that is present everywhere, and then successfully communicate that vision with others.

I take great pride in my print-making abilities, and have studied with both darkroom and digital printing masters to ensure that my skills are always at the highest possible level. All of my images are all generated from film negatives, which I scan and print digitally on an Epson Professional inkjet printer on acid-free, archival-rag paper designed for fine art printmaking. I was recently named a Moab Master photographer, an honor given to artists who are redefining artistic standards for digital printing.

Recently, I received a grant to publish my first book, Displaced, which will be released February. While working on the book, I realized that all the choices I have made in my artistic career–including whom to work for, whom to study with, which projects to pursue and when to invest in further education–have all led me toward creating books. I have thrown myself into the study of camera operations, composing images, film selection, negative development, scanning, printmaking, writing, graphic and web design, color theory, bookmaking, packaging, and marketing all in the hopes of arriving at a point where I felt qualified to produce them. I work extremely hard not just to be competent, but to excel at all of these disciplines, in the belief that I can make work that is exemplary, expressive and inspired. Designing these packaged stories is my life’s passion; it is what excites me most as an artist.

What is your interest in this residency?

In 2007, I traveled throughout Nova Scotia, Canada on a self-imposed exile resulting from a painful separation from my husband. Needing a place to escape, to find beauty in, and restore confidence in myself, Nova Scotia provided a safe haven for artistic exploration and healing. In my marriage, I’d become unwelcome, an interloper, but in Nova Scotia, I was an honored guest. I hadn’t traveled on my own for ten years and was scared of being on my own, alone. But, I felt welcomed by a hauntingly quiet land that somehow came to feel like my true home. Toward the end of the trip, I realized that I had changed there—safely returned from a state of anxiety-ridden sadness to one of faith that I would be able to go on—alone.

After returning to the U.S., I felt grateful for being allowed to find sanctuary in such a serene and beautiful place. I wondered how I might present a gift to a place? What could I possibly bestow on New Scotland?

I felt that Scots arriving there for the first time, possibly in exile themselves, would have been relieved to find solace, safety and familiarity in that land. I wondered how often they’d thought back to their past—to what had been left behind and whether it would have made the separation easier knowing that Nova Scotia and Scotland were literally attached at one time and that in a sense, they were now residing in another part of the homeland they had left.

I knew then what I wanted to do—go back to Old Scotland and assemble a photographic record of the sibling land, as an homage to the people and landscape that I was now connected to.

I haven’t been to Europe in twenty years. A lack of money and scarcity of time have prevented me from exploring and documenting the landscapes that I find most compelling. Coming to Cove Park will open my eyes to a different part of the world again while simultaneously giving me the opportunity to visually reunite two places linked by history, people and landscape—to reconnect two lands, and in doing so, honor them both.

How will the opportunity impact your work?

In my artistic career, I have never had the chance to focus exclusively on making art. I am constantly distracted trying to make money, marketing my photographs, teaching and the other responsibilities of daily life. I find it harder and harder to carve out the time to simply create. As a resident at Cove Park, I would be able to dedicate myself to developing a comprehensive body of images of the Scottish landscape.

I would also be extremely enthusiastic to participate in the residency’s Public Programme component. In Portland, Oregon, and around the U.S., I now frequently present my work to art communities and eagerly participate in opportunities to learn from other artists. I founded and now lead a critique/discussion group at the Newspace Center for Photography in Portland, a monthly meeting dedicated to constructive critiques of photography, shaping careers and artistic practice. I am also a guest critic for Portland State University’s School of Architecture, advising students on how photography can improve their communication skills, and in 2010 will be starting an artist book press and gallery called Vela Noche. I firmly believe that artists have a responsibility to share their own work and perspectives, to teach and inspire when possible, and to listen and learn from others.

Because I have not been able to travel much over the last ten years, I have not been able to devote longer than a few weeks towards one endeavor. My other works to date are small, intimate portfolios. Participating in the Cove Park Residency will have a profound impact on my work—in attracting a wider international audience, in my exposure to how other artists approach their work, and most importantly, in helping me take the leap towards a higher plane of artistic and personal growth.

During this residency I will create a new book, Come Away In, about being welcomed home—back to a place I’ve never been.

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Speaking of talented writers, I’m so proud of my nine-year-old niece, Gaby. I created a blog for her as a holiday gift this year and I’m blown away by how good of a writer she is at the age of nine. Her web site, in case you have a free moment is www.gabyvinick.com. Check out the Haiti posts in particular…

The Mississippi neighborhood is extremely vibrant and the space is beautiful. I will be planning an opening party shortly and I hope you will all come out to see the new studio. To see more of the building, you can go to www.numisspdx.com. Thanks, as always, for your support!

© Lauren Henkin

I am moving into a new studio on Monday. The new space is right on N. Mississippi Avenue and is in a beautiful new building. Details to come on an opening party!

More soon!

In other news, it looks like I will be moving into a new studio right on Mississippi Avenue in North Portland. The space will work beautifully for my studio, gallery and small press.

I will also be offering two workshops in the new space, one on marketing for photographers, the other will be a longer, intensive portfolio development class. I will post a description along with dates and cost in the coming weeks. Please let me know if you are interested in either class, there will be a limit on number of students.

Vela Noche Press’ first artist book publication will be of local artist, Joel Preston Smith’s, work from Liberty, West Virginia. I will be updating more information on that process soon. We are now editing his images and selecting a paper for the interior of the book.

Production for my book, Displaced, has begun. There are only a few copies left at the edition price of $350, so if you’re interested in buying a copy at that price, I suggest doing it shortly. You can pre-order at www.displacedproject.com. I am currently printing the book, and the text pages will be sent to Inge Bruggeman to be letterpress printed this week.

More to come!