Olympus Signs on as Title Sponsor of Bethlehem-based Photography Festival
BETHLEHEM, PA—Internationally acclaimed photographers Joyce Tenneson, Joe McNally, Zoe Strauss and Olympus® Visionary Jay Dickman headline a dynamic lineup of presenters at the Olympus InVision Photo Festival November 2-4, 2012, in Bethlehem, Pa. The festival, which will take place at the Banana Factory community arts center and SteelStacks arts campus, will also include a diverse array of exhibitions, photography portfolio reviews, the return of the popular SlideLuck Lehigh Valley photo party and the first Pennsylvania Photographers Competition.
“The Olympus InVision Photo Festival features some very important photographers whose work also happens to represent extreme opposite ends of the spectrum,” said ArtsQuest Director of Visual Arts and Education Janice Lipzin. “Showing such a wide range of imagery is an extraordinary way to share our passion for photography. There’s definitely something at the festival that will resonate with everyone.”
“ArtsQuest is honored to have this incredible wealth of photographic talent at InVision, and we are extremely pleased to welcome Olympus as the title sponsor of this festival. Olympus is one of the most well respected and recognized names in the photography world. We look forward to working with them as we continue to grow the Olympus InVision Photo Festival in the years to come.”
“Olympus is proud to reinforce its commitment to the local community with a multi-year title sponsorship of the Olympus InVision Photo Festival,” said Nacho Abia, President, Olympus Imaging America Inc. Nacho added that ArtsQuest had done a fantastic job designing the event to cultivate budding and established photographers alike, creating an event for a unified photographic community.
PRESENTATIONS
At Olympus InVision, guests are invited to experience presentations by esteemed photojournalists, fine art and commercial photographers from throughout the nation. This year the festival is pleased to welcome world-renowned artist Joyce Tenneson, who will be exhibiting her work at the Banana Factory and offering a free presentation at the ArtsQuest Center Nov. 3, 1 p.m.
Tenneson has been honored with a variety of prestigious awards for her work, including the 2012 Professional Photographers of America Lifetime Achievement Award, the Lucie Award for “Professional Fine Art Photographer of the Year,“ the “Infinity” award from the International Center of Photography and the Women in Photography International Photographer of the Year Award. She has taken part in 150 exhibitions around the world and has published 15 books during her career. Her presentation is made possible through the support of Canon USA, Inc.
On Nov. 4, 8:30 a.m., Joe McNally will present an entertaining and informative demonstration on designing creative lighting solutions to create dynamic images. An internationally acclaimed photographer whose career spans three decades, McNally was named one of the 100 Most Important People in Photography by American Photo. His special project, Faces of Ground Zero after 9/11, made use of the world’s only life-size Polaroid camera. The resulting images of heroes and survivors resulted in a traveling show, a book and approximately $2 million dollars to support the relief efforts at Ground Zero.
Other presenters include Pulitzer Prize winning Olympus Visionary Photographer Jay Dickman, who will discuss his 35-year career as a photojournalist covering, amongst other events, the war in El Salvador, the 40th anniversary of the bombing of Hiroshima, the Olympic Games and Super Bowls; Michael A. Smith and Paula Chamlee, who will focus on fine art photography using large-format cameras; acclaimed portrait and fashion photographer Amy Arbus; and Dan Marcolina, who will share tips and tricks from his book, iPhone Obsessed, for creating images using iPhones® and apps.
EXHIBITIONS
Among the six different exhibitions featured at this year’s Olympus InVision Photo Festival is the work of Tenneson, described by critics as “one of America’s most interesting portrayers of the human figure.” A resident of Maine, she combines sensuality with spirituality to create ethereal, often mystical, images. Her show at the Banana Factory, “Joyce Tenneson: A Life in Photography,” will be a retrospective touching on various phases of her career.
Also on virtual display, via slideshows on monitors at the ArtsQuest Center, will be the photographs of the award-winning Zoe Strauss, the Philadelphia-based artist who rose to prominence after photographing life in Philadelphia’s inner city for a decade and exhibiting her works under the concrete pillars of I-95 in South Philadelphia. A new nominee member of Magnum Photos, Strauss has exhibited in the U.S. and abroad with recent solo exhibits at the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Bruce Silverstein Gallery in New York. She is the recipient of a Pew Fellowship grant, a USA Gund Fellow in Visual Arts and a Leeway Emerging Artist Grant. In 2006, her work was included in the Whitney Biennial.
Other exhibitions include the new Pennsylvania Photographers Competition, juried and curated by Ricardo Viera, professor of art, and the curator & director of Lehigh University Art Galleries; the College Photography Contest, showcasing the work of students from various universities throughout the Northeast; “Faces of the SouthSide,” an exhibition of works created by South Bethlehem teens under the guidance of former United Nations photographer John Isaac; and “Unseen Color – Part I,” featuring the images of Stephen Perloff, founder and editor of The Photo Review. The Pennsylvania Photographers Competition, designed to showcase the talented photographers living and working in the Commonwealth, will culminate with the Allentown Art Museum, James A. Michener Museum and Lehigh University Art Galleries each purchasing a print from the competition to include in their permanent collections.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Following its sensational debut in 2011, SlideLuck Lehigh Valley returns with special guest artist Vicki DaSilva. Presented by the internationally renowned SlideLuck Show, ArtsQuest and Olympus, this photography-focused party Nov. 3, 7 p.m., will feature dozens of images by established, emerging and non-professional artists shown ‘slide-show style’ on video screens while guests enjoy light refreshments, cash bar and free samples of Brooklyn Brewery beer. This year’s SlideLuck event will include a special light graffiti presentation by the Allentown-based DaSilva, a pioneer in the medium. DaSilva has exhibited around the globe and was the grand-prize winner out of 35,000 entries for the Artists Wanted global competition, ”Art Takes Times Square!,” which resulted in her work being shown in Times Square in July of 2012.
Also on Nov. 3, 9:30 a.m.-1:30 p.m., professional, amateur and student photographers can have their work reviewed by photography industry leaders as part of the Olympus InVision Photo Festival Portfolio Review. This year’s reviewers include Peter Barberie, curator of photographs for the Alfred Stieglitz Center Department of Prints, Drawings and Photographs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art; Bruce Katsiff, photographer and former director of the Michener Museum; Stephen Perloff; Amy Arbus; Ellen Fleurov, executive director of the Silver Eye Center for Photography in Pittsburgh; Russell Hart, former executive editor at American Photo Magazine; Viera; Amber Terranova, photo editor of Photo District News; and Lisa Tremper Hanover, director and CEO of the Michener Museum.
Closing out the festival Nov. 4, 4-6 p.m., will be a special workshop presented by ArtsQuest and the Smithsonian-affiliated National Museum of Industrial History (NMIH). During this unique photo shoot, limited to only 30 photographers, NMIH will allow participants inside its not-yet-open-to-the-public building to photograph industrial artifacts from various eras, along with models dressed in period garb. This is a rare opportunity to go inside one of the former buildings at what was once the second-largest steel manufacturer in the world.
OLYMPUS INVISION PHOTO FESTIVAL TICKETS
Olympus InVision Photo Festival tickets are on sale now at www.artsquest.org/invision and 610-332-3378. A special all-festival pass, which includes access to all events and activities except the Portfolio Review session and the NMIH workshop, is available for only $139. The first 30 people who purchase the all-festival pass, however, will be given a complimentary ticket to attend the NMIH workshop.
The Olympus InVision Photo Festival is made possible through a generous contribution by Olympus. Other supporters of the festival include Dan’s Camera, The Holt Family Foundation, Canon USA, Inc. and Adorama. For the complete Olympus InVision schedule and tickets, please visit www.artsquest.org/invision.
ABOUT ARTSQUEST
ArtsQuest™ is a Bethlehem, PA-based nonprofit dedicated to presenting music, arts, festivals, cultural experiences and educational and outreach programs that aid in economic development, urban revitalization and community enrichment. Through festivals such as its flagship event, Musikfest®; the Banana Factory® cultural arts and education center; and the ArtsQuest Center and SteelStacks™ arts and cultural campus, ArtsQuest’s programming reaches more than 1.3 million people annually.
For more information on ArtsQuest, visit www.artsquest.org or call 610-332-1300.
ABOUT OLYMPUS IMAGING AMERICA INC.
Olympus Imaging America Inc. is a precision technology leader, designing and delivering award-winning products for consumer and professional markets.
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