Photography & Imaging News Roundup 2017

Scroll down to see the accomplishments of our Faculty, Alumni, and Students!

Faculty

Caitlin Berrigan was awarded a Graham Foundation Grant for her project Unfinished State and contributed to a book entitled Architecture Is All Over. She also received a commission to collaborate with NYU visiting scholar, Dr. Karen Holmberg, for Imaginary Explosions through the Geohumanities Forum at Royal Holloway University in London.

Wafaa Bilal had solo shows at Virginia Commonwealth University and the Arab American National Museum. He participated in group shows at F.A.C.T. and the National Taiwan Museum of Art in addition to delivering lectures at several institutions. Read more about Wafaa.

Isolde Brielmaier, Ph.D., was interviewed by Whitewall Magazine, published scholarly work in a variety of journals, moderated and curated programs at the Tang Teaching Museum (where she serves as curator-at-large), and participated in panels at the New York Public Library and at Art Basel Miami.

Sandrine Colard, Ph.D., joined the Department this fall as an Assistant Professor/Faculty Fellow. She participated in a panel for our current exhibition Re-imagining A Safe Space, as well as to NYU/La Pietra Dialogues, "Race, Racism and Xenophobia in Global Context III" held at the European Parliament in Brussels.

Tom Drysdale is preparing to moderate a panel in February entitled “Beauty is Truth, Truth Beauty: Practical Aesthetics in Diagnostic Imaging” bringing together DPI Faculty member Caitlin Berrigan with a neurosurgeon and a radiologist from NYU Langone. Tom also hosted an event at the Grey Art Gallery focusing on Charlotte Moorman’s Avant Garde Festivals and participated in the P&I 2017 Faculty & Staff Exhibition.

Editha Mesina was included in Heads Up! 2017 Group Multimedia Exhibit at the West Kortright Center and the P&I 2017 Faculty & Staff Exhibition.

Lorie Novak is part of The Polaroid Project book and exhibition and participated in the Re-imagining A Safe Space exhibition and P&I 2017 Faculty & Staff Exhibition. She also participated in the international Fast Forward 2 Women in Photography Workshop at Dillon + Lee Gallery, NY.

Paul Owen traveled to Tenamaxtlán, Jalisco, Mexico to continue work on his video documentary A Stationary Parade. Additionally, Paul was consulted for and participated in Vietnam War 1945-1975, a current exhibition at the New-York Historical Society, and mounted a solo exhibition Vietnam Vignettes in Callicoon, NY.

DPI Chair Dr. Deborah Willis’s exhibition Posing Beauty traveled to SNAP! Orlando. Meanwhile Dr. Willis served as a panelist for TIME Lightbox, participated in the exhibition Songs of my People at G.W., was interviewed by NYPL and WBAI, published a print catalog for Framing Beauty, exhibited at NYU Florence, showed at Pittsburgh’s August Wilson Center, spoke at the TED Women Conference, received a Vision Award from CPW, participated in Progeny! at the EFA Project Space and the P&I 2017 Faculty & Staff Exhibition. Dr. Willis also published the photo essay “I’m Going to Eatonville” in Strange Oscillations and Vibrations of Sympathy, with Cheryl Finley.

Kalia Brooks co-curated Perpetual Revolution at ICP, served as a panelist for TIME Lightbox, curated an exhibition at Gracie Mansion, and was interviewed on WBAI.

Mark Bussell curated an online gallery entitled 150 Psalms, 150 Photographs for Lincoln Center's White Light Festival for Lincoln Center.

Iliana Cepero’s exhibition Cuba Is was reviewed in The New York Times.

Yolanda Cuomo designed and produced printed works including Pete Souza’s book Obama: An Intimate Portrait, Blitt by Barry Blitt, Altered States: The Library of Julio Santo Domingo, and ME + CO: The Selfies: 1972–2016, by Jean Pigozzi

Erika DeVries was included in artlikelifelike, Art In Odd Places, O+ Festival, the P&I Faculty & Staff Exhibition, and Re-imagining A Safe Space.

Sean Fader was interviewed in Artslant for his project 365 Profile Pics and showed work at C24 Gallery. Sean has upcoming exhibitions including You Never Know How You Look Through Other People’s Eyes at the Institute of Contemporary Art at Maine College of Art.

Melissa Harris’s book, A Wild Life: A Visual Biography of Photographer Michael Nichols was published by Aperture. In conjunction with the biography, Harris and Peter Barberie co-curated the survey exhibition, Wild: Michael Nichols, at the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Melissa also co-curated Re-imagining A Safe Space with DPI Chair Dr. Deborah Willis

Lili Holzer-Glier received an award from American Photography, participated in the Aperture Summer Open, and was a part of Re-imagining A Safe Space.

Christopher Phillips organized a symposium on contemporary Chinese photography and media art that took place at the NYU Institute of Fine Art on November 3. Participants included celebrated Shanghai media artists Yang Fudong and Lu Yang, as well as Prof. Wu Hung of the University of Chicago.

Joseph Rodriguez had features in The New York Times and New York Times Magazine, published a monograph of vintage photos from Harlem, and a solo exhibition at the Bronx Documentary Center.

Jeffrey Henson Scales had a street style feature in The New York Times and an accompanying exhibition in SoHo. Scales also co-edited the New York Times’ Year In Pictures 2017.

Bayeté Ross-Smith had numerous features in The New York Times, including interactive pieces. Additionally, Ross-Smith participated in the P&I 2017 Faculty & Staff Exhibition, and completed a TED residency culminating in a TED Talk. Bayeté was also involved in the Lianzhou Foto Festival.

Diana McClure contributed the story, “Visible Intersections & the Art World in 2017” to the December issue of Art Basel | Miami Beach Magazine.

Shelley Rice spent a sabbatical semester at NYU Paris, working on a book about Albert Kahn's Archives of the Planet being published by the University Presses of France. She also co-authored books on the French artist Orlan, and on MOMA's Photography Collection, and reviewed the Walker Evans exhibition that is now at the SF MOMA for ARTNews.

Exhibitions

Current Students

Rebecca Arthur (‘18) exhibited work at the Gordon Parks Foundation and was featured in Vice Magazine.

Myles S. Golden (‘18) is included in the current exhibition Re-imagining A Safe Space, photographed Kehinde Wiley for Interview Magazine, was featured in The Offing Magazine and received an award from the Drysdale Production Fund

Colby Tarsitano (‘18) was awarded a La Quinta Scholarship.

Sophomore Robin Takami was named to the Athletic Honor Roll.

Junior Sarah Schecker was interviewed in Study Breaks Magazine and had her work featured in Light Leaked.

Riana Gideon (‘18) received the JGS Imagining America Fellowship in September.

Olga Ushakova (‘18) had fashion editorials published in Huf Magazine and The Atlas Magazine.

Junior Jheyda McGarrell was featured on Juxtapoz.

Junior Joey Solomon was included in a number of exhibitions: Log On at Ludlow House, Kinetic Music And Art Showcase at The Living Space, The New York Art Book Fair at MoMA PS.1, Portals at PhotoPlace Gallery in Middlebury, VT, Landscape, Grand and Personal at the Southeast Center for Photography in Greenville, SC, Streetwise at the Darkroom Gallery in Essex Junction, VT,  Time and Space at the Czong Institute of Contemporary Art in Seoul, South Korea, and the 16th Annual Joyce Elaine Grant Photography Exhibition at Texas Woman's University. Joey was also published in Studio Visit Magazine vol. 36, three issues of Float Magazine, Elston-Gunn Magazine Issue 2, Der Greif Magazine Issue 10 and Humble Arts Foundation, Group Show 54 -- Seeing Sound. Additionally, he made the Shortlist for 2017's Athens Photo Festival.

Alumni

Hank Willis Thomas (‘98) was named a Soros Equality Fellow, received an ICP Infinity Award recognizing For Freedoms (co-founded with Eric Gottesman); brought the Truth Booth to Australia, served on the For Freedoms curatorial team for the Aperture Summer Open, unveiled public sculptural works in Philadelphia and New Orleans, as well as a permanent public installation in San Francisco; spoke at TEDWomen and The Brooklyn Conference: Inspiring Social Change; opened a solo show at Ben Brown in London, participated in Progeny! at ETA Project Space, and was awarded the AMIA AGO Photography Prize.

Paul Paiewonsky (‘87) completed his first app assignment, a travel guide to Oslo. @pp_photog

Richard Renaldi’s (‘90) book Manhattan Sunday was featured in The New York Times. The project was exhibited at Aperture, The Eastman Museum, and will travel to Cleveland, OH, and Berlin, Germany.

Shannon Castleman (‘93) founded Oakwood Arts +P35 Gallery, a community arts space in Richmond, VA dedicated to making art and careers in creative industries accessible to all.

Jackie Neale (‘94) exhibited cyanotypes on Governor’s Island and had a residency in Mission, TX with several accompanying exhibitions. @jackiephoto

Among other projects, Wyatt Gallery (‘97) gave a book talk for Jewish Treasures of the Caribbean at 92Y, exhibited SUBTEXT at Foley Gallery, served on the For Freedoms curatorial team for the Aperture Summer Open, and exhibited SUBTEXT at Yeelen Gallery for Art Basel Miami.

Hiroyuki Ito (‘97) has had numerous features in The New York Times and other leading publications in addition to self-publishing several monographs.

Amy Lyne (‘98) published photo books depicting Coney Island and the escalators at Grand Central. @amylynephoto

Lauren Morgan (‘00) accepted a position as Photo Editor at Entertainment Weekly. @morglaur

Rachel Morrison (‘00) was cinematographer for acclaimed film Mudbound, widely praised for her visual style.

Brett Myers (‘00) works as a producer for Youth Radio, producing impactful stories.

Rose DeSiano (‘01) won the Flow.17 Public Arts Commission on Randall’s Island, and her work was praised in Hyperallergic.

This past year at SFMOMA, Tanya Zimbardo (‘01) curated New Work: Kerry Tribe and Runa Islam: Verso and co-curated Nam June Paik: In Character and Soundtracks (online digital catalogue). She guest curated Center of Gravity: Gunvor Nelson and Dorothy Wiley for San Francisco Cinematheque and Organic Logic: Howard Fried, John Roloff, Mark Thompson for the 500 Capp Street Foundation. She was a researcher in residence at Signal Culture in New York and gave a talk “Black Sun: Otto Piene and Aldo Tambellini” at the Art & Technology Colloquium at the Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive.

Christiaan Kier (‘01) became spokesperson for FLUX, a national division of AIDS Healthcare Foundation dedicated to creating safe spaces for Trans* and Gender non-conforming individuals. Currently, Christiaan is featured on billboards in Los Angeles and bus shelters in Miami with the Inside Out campaign, along with the website and social media. Christiaan also participated in a panel to discuss Katie Couric's Gender Revolution documentary on National Geographic. @xtiaanity

Alice Proujansky (‘02) was featured in The Intercept and Stat News. Her work is included Re-imagining a Safe Space. @aliceproujansky

Mike Rothfeld (‘04) has a piece in the Contemporary Jewish Museum in San Francisco’s current exhibition.

It’s been an exciting year for Paul Mpagi Sepuya (‘04), who mounted solo exhibitions at the Yancey Richardson Gallery and Team Gallery in addition to participating in Trigger: Gender as a Tool and a Weapon at the New Museum. He was selected for a the upcoming New Photography 18 at MoMA with fellow alum Sam Contis. @pagmi

Sam Contis (‘04) opened her first NYC solo exhibition Deep Springs at the Klaus Von Nichtssagend, published Deep Springs (Mack Books), was awarded a grant from the Nancy Graves Foundation, was published in Photograph Magazine, was selected for a the upcoming New Photography 18 at MoMA with fellow alum Paul Mpagi Sepuya, and gave an artist talk at Aperture.

David Gilbert (‘04) was featured in BOMB Magazine and participated in a Los Angeles group exhibition.

The New York Times conflict photographer Bryan Denton (‘05) was awarded the Overseas Press Club of America Robert Capa Gold Medal with colleague Sergey Ponamarev. @bdentonphoto

Serena Clara Creston (‘05), currently teaching Fine Art and Digital Technology at Washington State University, exhibited Semila Besada at the Candy Gallery, gave a TEDx talk on her work, and created and showed various other interactive artworks. @sena_clara_creston

Nicholas Calcott (‘05) was included in PDN’s 30, alongside fellow alum Sasha Arutyunova (‘11)

Rebuilding in Miniature, a documentary by Veena Rao (‘06), won a post production grant through New York State Council for the Arts (NYSCA), was featured in season six of New York Times Op-Docs, Vimeo's Staff Picks, and won Best Documentary Short at Indie Memphis Film Festival. @msveenarao

Nat Ward (‘06) is included in Polaroids: The Disappearing, was interviewed in HAF NY, participated in a show at OCCUPY MANA, and had a solo show at Ford Foundation Live Gallery,  

Mary Ancel (‘06) earned an MFA from School of the Art Institute in Chicago. @keithmaryancel

There Is Only One Paul R. Williams: A Portrait by Janna Ireland (‘07) is on view at WUHO through January 21, 2018. @jannaireland

Morgan Rachel Levy (‘07) shot features for Bloomberg Businessweek and Five Thirty Eight. Her personal work was exhibited as part of The Fence in Denver and at the Carreau du Temple in Paris and published in VSCO Human Journal. @morganrlevy

Bonnie Briant (‘08) @bonniebriant designed books for Red Hook Editions, PowerHouse, and others. Working with faculty member Yolanda Cuomo, Bonnie contributed to the design for Pete Souza’s book Obama: An Intimate Portrait. She also worked to create Newest York with fellow alumni Jonno Rattman (‘14) and Bobbie Richardson (‘15).

Nicole Fineman (‘08) was featured in The New York Times.

Jordan Reznick (‘08) continued to work on a project entitled Queer Babes and participated in group exhibitions at Aperture and Dickerman Prints. Jordan also completed artist residencies at Djerassi and Dickerman prints. @jrezzle

Sophie Lvoff (‘08) is currently participating in the Post-Diplome ENSBA residency in Lyon, France. @lockheedsophie

Gaza Girls, a new book by Monique Jaques (‘08) is slated to be released in early 2018. The project was featured in National Geographic. Monique’s work on maternal healthcare in Haiti appeared in The Washington Post, and published several stories on Liberia in The New York Times. She also received an honorable mention for the Marilyn Stafford FotoReporter prize. @moniquejaques

Danily Domingo (‘10) writes: “After nearly 7 years at Condé Nast, I transitioned into full-time freelance this past year. Highlights include art directing Galerie Magazine—a fine art and interiors quarterly launched by the owners of Hudson News—and shooting interiors for clients such as Décor Aid, with projects published in Connecticut Cottages & Gardens and Architectural Digest. Additionally, I've been posting social-media-exclusive content—of pretty buildings and boring art mostly—on Instagram (@hedtk) and have so far built up an audience of 27k. Closing out the year, I've reneged and gone back to the full-time thing, now doing digital creative for Bloomingdale's.”

Casey Oto (‘10) is working as a full-time photo producer, working on projects with photographers all over the world. @stellar_regions

Oakland’s City Limits Gallery hosted an exhibition including work by Beryl Bevilacque (‘11). @berylbev

Sasha Arutyunova (‘11) made PDN’s 30, shot cover stories for California Sunday and Bloomberg Businessweek, multiple features for the New York Times including one on Russia and a portrait of Elizabeth Warren, a commission for Amtrak, and was featured on Photoville’s Fence. @sashafoto

Michael George (‘11) has worked on several projects with the New York Times T Brand Studio, explored the Azores for AirBnB, and has been published in National Geographic Traveler, The National Magazine, and Rhapsody Magazine -- check out his tearsheets! @migeophoto

Rin Johnson (‘12) released Air Sheets, including work from fellow alums Elliott Jerome Brown Jr. (‘15) and Kearra Amaya Gopee (‘17). Rin also participated in March Madness at Fort Ganesvoort Gallery alongside Hank Willis Thomas (‘98).

Jonno Rattman (‘13) co-founded nonprofit arts publisher Newest York (with fellow P&I alums). Their first artist publication is William Mebane’s photobook Mental Hygiene. @jonnotherattman

Mallika Vora (‘13) moved to Mexico City to start working on documentary photography projects full time and had features published in Newest York and LA Weekly. As a freelance web designer, she worked on projects for faculty member Yolanda Cuomo and alum Mark Davis. @mallikaphoto

Zalika Azim (‘14) was selected for a Baxter St. CCNY Residency alongside fellow alum Elliott Brown.

George Brooks (‘14) runs a rapidly growing digi tech business, and has worked on many high-profile commercial shoots, often collaborating with fellow alumni. @brooksdigi

Jackson Krule (‘14) has been published in the NY Times, Travel & Leisure, Vogue (twice), and QZ. @jacksonkrule

Liam Cotter (‘14) produced a group exhibition of street photography and launched Solas Studio. @liamcotterphoto

Kevin Matthews (‘14) writes: “Taken a new direction into software engineering at my new job. Now time to start paying back them[sic] loans and picking up the camera again! Watch out for next year!“ @kpam92

Perri Hoffman (‘14) was featured in the New York Times and was Assistant Curator for the Bending the Frame exhibition with former DPI Faculty Fred Ritchin.

Mark Davis (‘15) was published in Playboy and Christie’s Magazine, exhibited in the Houston Center of Photography's 35 Annual Juried Membership Exhibition, and received an honorable mention in the Silver Eye Fellowship 18 International Prize. @mark_t_davis

Eric Lawton (‘15) co-curated a group exhibition Discursive Selves at Westbeth Gallery which included work by fellow alumni Nicolas Bloise, Elliott Jerome Brown Jr., Rindon Johnson and Paul Mpagi Sepuya. The show received positive critical attention from Hyperallergic.

Molly Leon (‘15) writes: "I lived with a Filipino-Hawaiian family for four months in their home on Kauai. I studied and documented their culture and relationship/family dynamics, by creating an immersive experience for myself. It enabled me to gain perspective both on what it is like to be of the land, as well as to be a transplant and cultural/racial minority in a land that is not my own." @mollyleonphoto

Caleb Savage (‘15) had a solo show of images from Northeast Pennsylvania’s Coal Region at the Bushwick Community Darkroom, participated in the P&I Faculty & Staff Exhibition, and is included in the 2017 Photo Review competition. @calebsavagephoto

Elliott Jerome Brown Jr. (‘16) participated in the Spring/Break Art Show, was featured in Artforum Critics’ Picks, was chosen for a residency at Skowhegan School of Painting and Sculpture, curated a Zine & Self-Published Book Fair, interviewed Carrie Mae Weems for Vice, photographed Solange Knowles for Evening Standard Magazine,  curated a show at MINKA Brooklyn, photographed Denise Gough for The New Yorker, photographed curator Rujeko Hockley for Cultured Magazine, and was selected for a 2018 Workspace Residency at Baxter St. CCNY along with alum Zalika Azim.

William Martin (‘16)  joined Fresco News as their Director of Video after graduating. Funded by Fresco he returned to Cuba to continue working on his long term project A Cuban Family. The project started in 2014 about a Cuban family fighting government oppression to leave the streets of Havana. Currently he is making short documentaries focusing on human rights. He will continue work on three of his stories which include: "HawkStorm, a Native American chief, is intent on rewriting the narrative of his people. Recognized as a prophetic warrior in the current time of the Seventh Fire, he is challenging his people to forgive the injustices of the past in order to illuminate the green path forward;" and a piece revealing the connection between climate change and an increase in child brides.

Calvin Falk (‘17) writes: "Since Graduating I have worked as a Steadicam operator on many music videos and narrative short films. Ranging from being shot on digital and film cinema cameras. In addition I am operating days on a few indie feature films and the first season of a new streaming web show! I hope to keep my nose to the grindstone for the foreseeable future! Hoping to work on at least one full feature length film be end of next year!" @steadical

Nicky Ottav (‘17) was interviewed in Out Magazine.

Phoebe Boatwright (‘17) was published in Real Life Magazine

Kearra Amaya Gopee (‘17) participated in The Laundromat Project residency and in the Self Published Book Fair. Kearra was also interviewed by News12 Brooklyn and the Trinidad and Tobago Guardian.

Caroline Fahey (‘17) was interviewed by i-D Magazine.