A pin-up exhibit featuring four local artists.

Presented in conjunction with Atlanta Celebrates Photography.

Atlanta, GA ~ Arts for All Gallery at VSA arts of Georgia proudly presents COMING INTO FOCUS, a small group exhibition of photographic work by local artists, opening Tuesday, September 2 and continuing through Friday, October 24, 2008.  This pin-up style exhibit features four Atlanta area artists and is presented in conjunction with the well-known annual city wide event Atlanta Celebrates Photography.  The four photographers will design and supervise the installation of their own work, and each has chosen a distinctive approach to coming into focus.

“I chose … a pinhole camera because it reminds me of a peep show.  The camera has no lens, only a hole, like a peephole, to create the image.  The irony of using this pinhole is that the photographer cannot look through the hole in the camera or a viewfinder to see the image as it is being shot.  The images … are … a surprise … revealed in the darkroom…”

more about the Peeping Pinhole Project



“I think my work is definitely a reflection of the community [in which] I live … my approach to photography is that of bringing life’s ever surprising events into focus.  Ultimately the photograph should capture the spirit of the moment and be relevant to the viewer in … a way that intimately connects them to that specific image [and] will take them beyond … the intellectual…”

“Photography changes one’s perception of reality.  What is real, what is not, and what things can be.  After … a spinal cord injury, I became engrossed in photography and its therapeutic effect on my soul.  In a way I have changed the way I see the world through my injury, and my photography reflects that. I shoot … for what should be seen or imagined.”

“My present body of work is [titled] Photo Impressionism, and … all images are straight out of the camera, no Photoshop or editing, just some simple color corrections … [and] reality is not quite what it seems …”

Arts for All Gallery is located in the historic Healey Building at 57 Forsyth Street, NW, in Downtown Atlanta.  Patrons are invited to meet the artists at public receptions on September 4 and October 2, from 5 – 8 PM.  Both evenings are part of Atlanta’s monthly Turner First Thursdays downtown arts walk; these events are free and open to the public, complimentary light refreshments are served, and at Arts for All Gallery an ASL interpreter is provided.  The gallery is open to the public Monday – Friday, from 10 AM – 4 PM; there is an ADA-accessible entrance, and admission is always free.

Arts for All Gallery is a program of VSA arts of Georgia, a non-profit organization dedicated to providing access to the arts for people with disabilities and those of low income.  Major funding is provided in part by the Fulton County Commission under the guidance of the Fulton County Arts Council; the City of Atlanta Office of Cultural Affairs – Office of the Mayor; and the Georgia Council for the Arts, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts, through appropriations of the Georgia General Assembly.  VSA arts of Georgia is affiliated by VSA arts, an affiliate of The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts.  This program is made possible in part through funding provided by the national office of the VSA arts under an award from the U.S. Department of Education.  However the content does not necessarily reflect the policy of the U.S. Department of Education and endorsement should not be assumed.

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VSA arts of Georgia invites artists/photographers to submit application for inclusion in the upcoming photography exhibit COMING INTO FOCUS, to be presented in Arts for All Gallery September 2 though October 24, 2008.

VSA arts of Georgia provides access to the arts for people with disabilities and those with low income.  As a program of VSA arts of Georgia, Arts for All Gallery is dedicated to exhibiting artists of merit who may be disabled or of low income.  The gallery is a 1,500 square foot exhibition space located in the historic Healey Building in the Fairlie-Poplar district of downtown Atlanta.

Artists applying may be asked to demonstrate how they fit the organizational and the gallery mission, by specifying how they self-identify as an artist with a disability, and/or how they meet federal guidelines as a person of low income. “Low income” is defined as an individual whose family taxable income for the preceding year did not exceed 150% of the poverty level. For example, for a family of 4, taxable income for the preceding year would be $31,800 or less.  More detailed information can be found at:
http://www.ed.gov/about/offices/list/ope/trio/incomelevels.html

The project will be organized as a pin-up exhibition, and all artwork must relate to the theme “Coming into focus”.  Artists applying for inclusion in the project may submit up to ten (10) examples of their photographic work, in print, slide or digital formats.  Each of the nine (9) artists chosen will be assigned approximately 6 square feet of wall space in which to install their work.  Artists selected to exhibit their work must be able to install their work, or arrange for their own assistance with installation.

Artists with disabilities who are unable to secure assistance with installation on their own must contact gallery staff no later than August 22, 2008 as we may be able to make alternate arrangements.  All installation techniques must comply with gallery and agency guidelines.  Artists will be notified of acceptance and inclusion in the exhibit by Wednesday, August 13, 2008. Artists must indicate their acceptance of their inclusion in the exhibit by 5:00 PM on Thursday, August 14, 2008, by contacting Jaehn Clare, Director of Artistic Development:

A photographic pin-up exhibit presented in conjunction with

COMING INTO FOCUS

Arts for All Gallery

VSA arts of Georgia

57 Forsyth St. NW, Suite R~1

Atlanta, GA  30303

Press contact: Jaehn ("Jane") Clare
Director of Artistic Development
VSA arts of Georgia
57 Forsyth Street, N.W.
Suite R-1, The Healey Building
Atlanta, GA 30303-2226
404.221.1270 x 202
Jaehn.ClareVSAartsGA.org

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