EXHIBIT Closed on April 23rd 2017
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Juror: Gary Samson

Juror's Choice: The Sleep by Florin Ion Firimita

"And if the body were not the soul, what is the soul?" - Walt Whitman 

Exhibit Calendar (Subject to Change)
Exhibit Opens:	30 March 17
Artists' Reception:	9 April 17 15:00
Exhibit Closes:	23 April 17
BODY/IMAGE Exhibit Catalog now available at PrestoPhoto The Darkroom Gallery Difference

In the earliest days of experiments in photographic methodology the various emulsions available were too slow to permit the portrayal of the human form, and even more advanced processes like daguerreotype and tintype required lengthy motionless sitting times by the subject. Nevertheless, the human figure has been mainstay of the photographer since almost the inception of the medium. Figure photography imitating the style and subjects of classical painting constituted some of the fine art photography of the time. As technology advanced, photographers began to create their own figure photography sub-genres, ranging from the crass to the sublime.Fine art figure photography is now routinely taught in art curriculums.

For this exhibition we're looking for examples of accomplished photography that present the human body as subject. The nude in nature, in the studio, and in more candid situations are all appropriate. And nudity is not necessary; any photo that depicts the body as an artful form to be celebrated is appropriate. 

Juror’s Statement: I want to start out by saying how impressed I am with the quality and breadth of this show, it was extremely difficult to make the final selections presented here in the gallery. This exhibition very successfully explores both traditional approaches to photographing the figure as exemplified by the direct portrait studies and the nude figures integrated into natural landscape as well as more experimental work where real risks were taken to push the idea of the figure into new and exciting visual territory. It is very apparent that the photographers included in the show have a solid understanding of the history of photography and how the nude figure fits into the medium as fine art subject matter. The great intimacy found in some of the work here is to be highly commended as well as the willingness to push boundaries and reinterpret the figure through the use of bold color, strong compositions and innovative ways to look at the human form.  Gary Samson Chair, Photography Department New Hampshire Institute of Art Manchester, NH

Juror: Gary Samson

Gary Samson is an award-winning filmmaker and photographer. His work is in private and public collections including the Currier Gallery of Art, the University of New Hampshire and the National Archives, Washington, D.C. He is the author of three books on New Hampshire history and has photographically illustrated other books on Ghana, Cape Breton, Nova Scotia and New Orleans. 

After graduating from Franklin Institute in Boston in 1971, he came to UNH as the photo lab technician in Media Services, Dimond Library. In 1974, he began producing films and exhibitions on New Hampshire history and culture. It was during this period that he came to appreciate the importance of creating and preserving photographic collections for future generations. He later worked with German photographer Lotte Jacobi creating a film biography and establishing an archive of her work at Dimond Library, UNH. 

Gary left the university in 2000 when he was appointed the chair of the BFA Photography program at the New Hampshire Institute of Art. He has had a long relationship with the Institute starting in 1981. He  established the Certificate in Photography Program in 1984 and has taught photography courses and workshops there for thirty-six consecutive years.

 His personal approach to photography is to make extended portraits over a period of time. “I see the process of creating a portrait as a collaboration between myself and the subject in the subject's familiar environment. That environment is an instrumental part of the portrait, revealing a facet of the subject's character. While I am setting up my camera, I try to draw the subject out in conversation and the ensuing dialogue will shape my portrayal of the individual. And like the portrait photographer Arnold Newman, I often prefer to use a view camera and black-and-white film to create my photographic portraits.”

 Gary’s most recent exhibition was “Unburdened Beauty: A Decade of Nude Portraits” at the Vermont Center for Photography in September, 2016.

• All selected entries are exhibited in our gallery and included in a full color exhibit catalog;
• Juror's Choice receives a 30x48" vinyl exhibit banner featuring their image, free entry into a future exhibition, a free exhibition catalog;
• Honorable Mentions receive free exhibition catalogs and free entry in a future exhibition. 
• People's Choice gains free entry into a future exhibit.
• We offer free matting and framing of accepted entries for the duration of each of our exhibition, subject to standard sizes. Photographers set their own prices if they wish to sell their work and retain all rights to their photographs.