[Leica] Photo show advice wanted.

[kcarney1 at cox.net (Ken Carney)]

On 4/17/2011 7:50 PM, Lawrence Zeitlin wrote:
> This Sunday, in my post retirement avocation as a free lance art critic, I
> was asked to review a major New York area photo show. The show was the 29
> Annual Exhibit of the Photographers of Northern Westchester, sponsored by
> the Croton Council of the Arts. If you are familiar with the the
> photographic ecosystem of the New York area you will immediately recognize
> that Croton-on-Hudson is one of the few bedroom communities surrounding the
> city in which affluent and successful photographers, advertising 
> executives,
> and TV nabobs choose to live. Others are Westport, and Katonah. (But never
> in New Jersey.)
>
> First let me say that the show was excellent, even judged against the high
> standards of the LUG. That's to be expected considering the occupations and
> the skills of the contributors. But the reason I'm posting this is to get
> opinions on a proposal offered by one of the show's organizers. As many
> photographers know, finding gallery space is difficult. There are more 
> image
> makers out there than there are walls. Local galleries schedule shows two 
> to
> three years in advance. What the show organizer wanted to know was if
> photographers would accept having their images shown on large professional
> quality digital displays rather than as paper prints on a wall. In effect
> the photographers would be time sharing the available space and could be
> able to exhibit a whole portfolio rather than a few mounted prints.
>
> So I am soliciting the opinion of Luggers on this question. How would you
> feel if a photo show consisted of an array of digital frames, each with a
> portfolio of pictures? The advantage is that more photographers could could
> exhibit more works. The disadvantage is that it flies against the
> photographic and artistic tradition of paper or canvas images on walls.
>
> Larry Z
>
> P.S. Of the 62 fine photos hung in the show, only 6 were in B&W.
>
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Larry,

What kind of digital frames are you referring?  Would it be one PC 
monitor (or maybe even HDTV monitor) per exhibitor?  Or one shared by 
exhibitors?  Either way I can't see it working out.  I have never seen 
canvas prints in a show, except at art fairs, so can't comment there, 
but prints are of course far different from back lighted digital 
images.  I do hand my iPad to folks to see a portfolio, but invariably 
the prints are preferred.    I have had a few exhibits of 20-30 framed 
prints, but if someone asked about a digital exhibit, my reaction would 
be no thanks, it sounds like more TV.  Just my 2c as an old traditional 
fart.  Best wishes with your reviewing.

Ken