Nikki Johnson

ilon Art Gallery Presents the Annual Juried Photography Exhibition

AMERICAN SPLENDOUR: NEW PHOTOGRAPHY

Selected works will be on view at ilon Art Gallery from
June 1, 2018-July 12, 2018

Opening Celebration June 1, 2018
RSVP: LONI@ILON.COM

Judges Jon Feinstein, David Rosenberg, Hannah Frieser, Loni Efron and Ruben Natal-San Miguel
Anchor Photographers Andrea Blanch, Carolyn Marks Blackwood, Sally Davies, Dana Hoey, David LaChapelle,
Annie Leibovitz, Ken Regan, Elliot Ross, Mark Seliger, Rachel Pappos, Todd Hido and Oliver Wasow

Curator Ruben Natal-San Miguel

Congratulations to our Finalists:
1st Place: Tema Stauffer
2nd Place: Lauren Silberman
3rd Place: Nina Weinberg Doran
4th Place: Benjamin Bobkoff
Honorary Mentions:  Ashleigh Coleman, Courtney Charles, Kathleen Hayes, Kris Hodson Moore, Kristin Furbeck, Maria Larsson, Michael Kirchoff, Nancy Oliveri, Russ Rowland, Susan B. Anthony

Congratulations to all our Selected Artists:  Amy Becker, Andi Schreiber, Andrew W. Schmitt, Anita Arliss, Anne Hollowday, Arthur Nager, Ashleigh Coleman, Axelle Destaing, Barbara Kalina, Benjamin Bobkoff, Beth Mallonee Maier, Caleb Churchill, Camille Madeline Coffin, Charles Mintz, Chris Bentley, Chrissy LaMaster, Christine Moser, Christopher Bryson, Courtney Charles, Eli Craven, Alex Feld, Gary Justis, Gregg Evans, Ivan McClelan, J. Wesley Brown, Jerry Siegel, Jessica M. Kaufman, Jiji Wind, Jill Waterman, John Sanderson, Kate Pollard Hoffmann, Kathleen Hayes, Kerry St. Ours, Kris Hodson Moore, Kristen Bartley, Kristin Furbeck, Kym Ghee, Laura Cervini, Laura Swanson, Lauren Silberman, Lauren Silberman, Leslie Rosenthal, Lexie Coulum, LJ Lark, Lucy Bell Seaton, Margaret Adams, Maria Larsson, Marne Lucas, Matthew Schenning, Melissa Eder, Melissa Lynn, Michael Borowski, Michael Kirchoff, Michele Monseau, Michelle Cheikin, Mira Zaki, Nancy Oliveri, Nancy Siesel, Natalie Fay Green, Nikki Johnson, Nina Weinberg Doran, Orestes Gonzalez, Rachel Rampleman, Richard Baim, Robert Dunn, Russ Rowland, Margaret Sawyer, Eric Smalkin, Sue Abramson, Susan B. Anthony, Susan Rosenberg Jones, Tema Stauffer, Torrance York, Virgil DiBiase, Wendy Whitesell, Yu-Chen Chiu

First Place Winner!

Where is my American Splendour in a world that is cloudy and gray?

This juried exhibition calls for photography that captures the beauty and splendor of the American spirit.  Despite the clouds that hang overhead, despite our present times of discomfort and wounded spirit, how can we look to photography as a release, pause, or escape? How can photography provide a sense of optimism towards the diversity of the American lansdscape, its people, cities, towns, families, architecture and natural beauty? How can photography lift us up?  American Splendour is a call for new photography that gives us hope towards something better.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////CURATOR

Ruben Natal"“San Miguel - photographer, writer, critic, curator, architect & creative director

Ruben Natal-San Miguel is an architect, photographer and curator, creative director and critic. His stature in the photo world has earned him awards, features in major media, countless exhibitions and collaborations with photo icons such as Magnum Photographer Susan Meiselas. Gallery shows include: Asya Geisberg, SoHo Photo, Rush Arts, Finch & Ada, Kris Graves Projects, Fuchs Projects, WhiteBox Gallery, Station Independent Projects Gallery and others. His work has been featured in numerous institutions: The New York Public Library, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Griffin Museum of Photography, Museum of Fine Arts Boston, African American Museum of Philadelphia, The Makeshift Museum in Los Angeles, University of Washington, El Museo del Barrio and Phillips Auction House. International art fair representation includes: Outsider Art Fair, SCOPE, PULSE, Art Chicago, Zona Maco, and Photo LA. His photography has been published in a long list of publications, highlights: New York Magazine, The New York Times, The Huffington Post, Time OUT, Aperture, Daily News, OUT, American Photo, ARTFORUM, VICE, Musee, ARTnet and The New Yorker. In 2016 Ruben's Marcy's Playground was selected for both the Billboard Collective and website for Apple. His photographs are in the permanent collection of El Museo Del Barrio in NYC.

///////////////////////////////////////////////////////////////JURORS

Jon Feinstein - photographer, curator, co-founder of Humble Arts Foundation

Jon Feinstein is a Seattle and New York City-based writer, curator, photographer, co-founder of Humble Arts Foundation, and all around creative advocate. Jon has curated numerous exhibitions over the past decade, and his projects have been featured in Aperture, The New York Times, PDN, The New Republic, BBC, VICE, The New Yorker and others. He's also the co-founder of "Found" a collaborative, multidisciplinary gallery opening in Seattle later this year. @jonfeinstein @humbleartsfoundation and @found.space

David Rosenberg - writer, producer, editor, curator

David Rosenberg is a writer, producer, editor and curator. David was the editor of Slate's photography blog Behold and his writing has appeared in Photograph Magazine, American photo, the Plantation Journal, L'Oeil de La Photographie, and Don't Take Pictures. David has worked in the editorial sector for more than two decades, juried numerous photography competitions, and managed photography departments for the world's largest tennis tournaments including Wimbledon and the Australian Open. He is currently the communications manager at TEDx.

Hannah Frieser - Execitive Director for the Photography at Woodstock, curator, writer

Hannah Frieser is the Executive Director of the Center for Photography at Woodstock, a nonprofit art organization with exhibition, residency and workshop programs in Woodstock, NY.  She has curated and organized exhibitions with leading contemporary photographers such as Pipo Nguyen-duy, Adam Magyar and Suzanne Opton.  Her essays have been featured in publications such as contact sheet, Exposure, Daylight and Neuva Luz and in monographs for Susan Kae Grant, David Taylor, Ferit Kuyas and more.

Before coming to Woodstock, Hannah was Director of Light Work, a photographic arts organization and artist residency program in Syracuse, NY, for almost nine years and served in various positions for the Society of Photographic Education (SPE) for more than a decade.  She has also served as a Visual Arts panel member for the New York State Council of the Arts.  Hannah has reviewed portfolios and juried exhibitions worldwide for Fotofest, Rhubarb Rhubarb, Photolucinda, PhotoVista, folioPORT, FotoTriennale.dk amoung others.

Hannah co-chaired 2010 SPE National Conference, "Facing Diversity: Leveling the Playing Field in Photograph Arts," with Miriam Romais, and was the chair of the Northeast and MidAtlantic SPE Regional Conference, "Photographers + Publishing" in 2011.
 

Loni Efron - Founder ilon Art Gallery & ilon and Co., archivist, photo editor, curator, software designer

Loni Efron opened ilon Art Gallery, a boutique photography gallery & art advisory located in an historic Harlem in 2014.  Loni curates group shows with this centuries' master photographers as well as emerging artists in her two large gallery spaces.  She has worked with over 80 artists including Harry Benson, David Burnett, Harold Feinstein, Larry Fink, Don Hunstein, Gered Mankowitz, Margaret Morgan, Ruth Orkin, Ken Regan, Martin Schoeller, Mark Seliger and Albert Watson.  She has collaborated with Philip Trager, Linda Troeller and Ruben Natal-San Miguel on large solo exhibitions and events.

Loni Efron is the founder of ilon and Company. Started in 1996, Loni is a pioneer in her field as founder of one of the nations first archival and digital consulting firms.  She started her career with photographers Annie Leibovitz, David LaChapelle and Joel Meyerowitz and over the next two and half decades continues to archive edit and organize iconic artists such as Keith Richards, Mike and Doug Starn, Robert Mapplethorpe Foundation.  Always adding new photographers to the roster with Alfred Wertheimer Archives, Pamela Hanson, Roxanne Lowit and Bob Gruen.

Loni guides artists thru workflow, archiving and current technology solutions.  She is an editor and curator and works on all types of distribution from the classical book to the digital experience. She designed and created iArchive and launched in March 2018 iArchive Basic, an extraordinary database solution for artists to monetize their archives and write their own legacy. She's the artist secret weapon with exceptional organizational skills using and always bringing the lastest, greatest technology to the industry. @ilonartgallery @ilonandcompany