De Montfort University is pleased to announce the availability of one Wilson Fellowship for its new MA in Photographic History and Practice. The Fellowship offers £5,000 toward the defrayal of tuition and other costs related to the MA, and is open to all students UK, EU and International. To apply for the Wilson Fellowship, please submit a piece of recent writing on photographic history no longer than 10,000 words, in English, to the Admissions Committee. For applications to the MA, please contact Student Recruitment at the Faculty of Art and Design at artanddesign@dmu.ac.uk or apply online at ukpass.ac.uk. For questions about the MA programme or the Wilson Fellowship please contact Programme Leader, Dr Kelley Wilder at: kwilder@dmu.ac.uk.
The MA in Photographic History and Practice is the first course of its kind in the UK. It lays the foundations for understanding the scope of photographic history and provides the tools to carry out the independent research in this larger context, working in particular from primary source material. In addition to our collaboration with the Wilson Centre for Photography Studies in London, we will work with the collections of the National Media Museum, Bradford, the Central Library, Birmingham, the British Library and private collections throughout Britain. Students handle photographic material, learn analogue photographic processes, write history from objects in collections, compare historical photographic movements, and debate the canon of photographic history. They also learn about digital preservation and access issues through practical design projects involving Website and database design. Research Methods are a core component, providing students with essential handling, writing, digitizing and presentation skills needed for MA and Research level work. Further modules will encourage independent thinking in theory and in history writing, introduce students to methodologies commonly encountered in photographic history, and set the students on a course for finding their own MA dissertation topic. Students receive expert advice on the thesis topic of their choosing, which is written in the summer months and submitted in September, one year after the course begins, in the case of full time study, or two years in the case of part-time.
For further details on the course and application process, please download a course brochure from http://kmd.dmu.ac.uk/kmd_photohistory_page/HOPP.pdf.
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In a blog entry reporting on a conference dealing with the cultural sector’s use of social media, broadcasting and the web Tristan Roddis reports on a presentation by Peter Lawther, the Senior Online Marketing Executive at the National Media Museum in Bradford's. Roddis notes... Lawther outlined the opportunities and pitfalls of publishing photographs on the Flickr Commons. In brief, the upsides were a huge increase in reach and engagement (they even got a contribution of a new set of historical photographs after a member of the public recognised the style as being the same as some old prints he found in his attic), as well as marketing potential due to the fact that their collections were covered by both the press and bloggers. The only real downside identified was that it can impact on revenue from picture library purchases, although several delegates pointed out that similar experiments have not shown a decrease in revenue as a consequence.
Read the full blog entry at http://blog.cogapp.com/2009/05/22/museums-social-media-broadcast-and-the-web/Read more…
The National Media Museum, Bradford, is looking for an Exhibition Organiser. As an Exhibition Organiser you will manage the development of exhibitions, co-ordinate project teams and other stakeholders to ensure exhibitions are delivered on time, budget and to the highest standard. You will be involved in all aspects of exhibition preparation and delivery, you will co-ordinate all exhibition administration, co-ordinate the development of interpretation strategies and plan and oversee installations. The salary is £21,900pa.
With experience of working in a similar role in a museum or gallery, you will already have an understanding of exhibition administration and delivery procedures, as well as a sound knowledge of developing interpretation strategies and exhibition display techniques. You should also have experience of managing projects and co-ordinating the work of internal and external stakeholders. If you can combine these attributes with excellent communication, organisational and IT skills, you’ll help us deliver a superb programme to our visitors.
The National Media Museum is an interdisciplinary organisation recognised for the strength of its world-class collections, acclaimed temporary exhibitions, international film festivals and its unique permanent galleries.
The Museum’s annual programme of temporary exhibitions and displays draws from its comprehensive and internationally acclaimed collections and also regularly commissions contemporary practitioners to make new work for public display.
Contract Type: 2 Year Fixed Term (35 hours per week)
Closing Date: 31st May 2009 Interviews: 8/9th June 2009
To apply, please write with full CV and covering letter to: The HR Department, National Media Museum, Bradford BD1 1NQ or email: recruitment@nationalmediamuseum.org.uk
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The National Media Museum, Bradford, is advertising for one full-time and one part-time context developer to undertake research to a given brief and to be assigned to a project for a defined period to support Exhibition Organisers, Curators or Web Developers. You will undertake picture research and rights clearance and liaise with outside institutions to obtain information. The salary is £18,900.00 per annum (pro rata for part-time).
The National Media Museum is an interdisciplinary organisation recognised for the strength of its world-class collections, acclaimed temporary exhibitions, international film festivals and its unique permanent galleries.
The Exhibitions & Displays team is responsible for delivering 6 exhibitions per year, up to three displays, exhibition associated web sites, audiovisual content, and a publication entitled Archive.
As a Content Developer you will assist with the production of all of these areas of activity. You will be required to undertake research to a given brief and will be assigned to a project for a defined period to support Exhibition Organisers, Curators or Web Developers. You will undertake picture research and rights clearance and liaise with outside institutions to obtain information.
This role calls for an informed interest in photography, film, television or new media and a good understanding of museum-based exhibitions and learning resources. You should also have strong writing, research and organisational skills, supported by experience of managing projects, working as part of a team and following briefs.
Closing Date: 31st May 2009 Interviews: 8/9th June 2009
Contract Type: 1xFull Time role (35 hours per week) 1xPart Time role (21 hours per week)
To apply, please write with full CV and covering letter to: The HR Department, National Media Museum, Bradford BD1 1NQ or email: recruitment@nationalmediamuseum.org.uk
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Last night Martin Barnes, senior curator of photography at the V&A, welcomed a range of guests at an informal drinks party in the newly re-opened photography gallery at the museum. Martin thanked supporters and those that had donated prints and money for their continuing interest and reminded those present that the Print Room also offered free access to the museum's photograph collection not on display.
The gallery has been split into two with the far section showcasing prints from the nineteenth century and rehung as they were traditionally shown at the time (see photo, right) while the front of the gallery showed a selection of contemporary prints hung in the modern style. A number of photo books were also included in cases. The rehang was undertaken by Martin's curatorial colleagues, Marta Weiss, Susanna Brown and Ashley Givens.As Martin noted, it was a change for him to not be directly involved this year but to be able to come in see the work complete. The display runs until April 2010.
For the British national collection of art photography the gallery is far, far, smaller than it should be but in the limited space that they had available Martin and his colleagues have produced an interesting view of the V&A's collections, containing some historic and exciting contemporary photography. One hopes that strong attendances at the special, temporary, photography exhibitions being planned for next year and beyond, together with the likely opening of the National Media Museum's London presence a few minutes walk away, might focus the attention of the V&A's senior management on extending the space available for showing the permanent collection.
Also, on show in the museum's recent acquisitions gallery are a number of photographs and an impressive exhibition of photographs titled The Photographers' Pilgrimage: Exploring Buddhist Sites which shows nineteenth century photographs from the main buddhist centres from around the world (see photo below).Photographs: Michael Pritchard.
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For more information, please contact Garance Chabert : chabert.sfp@free.frÉditorial/EditorialPolitique des imagesBernd STIEGLER- Quand une vue d’arbres est presque un crime. Rodtchenko, Vertov, Kalatozov- When a Photograph of Trees Is Almost like a Crime: Rodchenko, Vertov, KalatozovIllustration photographiqueThierry GERVAIS- De part et d’autre de la « garde-barrière.» Les errances techniques dans l’usage de la photogaphie au sein du journal L’Illustration (1880-1900)- On Either Side of the ‘Gatekeeper’: Technical Experimentation with Photography at L’Illustration (1880–1900)Didier AUBERT- Politique du documentaire. Photographier “l’autre moitié” pour Vanity Fair et le Parti démocrate- The Politics of the Documentary: Photographing ‘the Other Half’ for Vanity Fair and the Democratic PartyPortfolioOlivier MENANTEAU, Media AlertLes conditions de l’histoireMatthew S. WITKOVSKY- Circa 1930. Histoire de l’art et nouvelle photographie- Circa 1930: Art History and the New PhotographySophie HACKETT- Beaumont Newhall, le commissaire et la machine. Exposer la photographie au MoMA en 1937- Beaumont Newhall and a Machine: Exhibiting Photography at the Museum of Modern Art in 1937Reconnaissance artistiqueMichel POIVERT- Une photographie dégénérée ? Le pictorialisme français et l’esthétique des aberrations optiques- Degenerate Photography? French Pictorialism and the Aesthetics of Optical AberrationMarc LENOT- L’invention de Miroslav Tichý- The Invention of Miroslav TichýNotes de lecture/ReviewsRésumés/Summaries
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An influential figure in the study of photographic history during the late 1960s and 1970s Bill Jay died on 10 May 2009. Jay originally worked in Britain before moving to the United States in the mid-1970s. He was a regular writer on photographic history and was responsible for bringing to a wider audience a number of important early photographers including Sir Benjamin Stone, Frances Frith and Paul Martin.
Born in Maidenhead in 1940 Jay received a grammar school education and spent two years at the Berkshire College of Art. He joined a consumer photographic magazine and worked for a number of others before becoming the first Editor/Director of Creative Camera and Album magazines. The latter achieved an international reputation as one of the best photographic magazines then available. During this time, he earned a living as a picture editor of a large circulation news/feature magazine and as the European manager of an international picture agency. Jay was the first Director of Photography at the Institute of Contemporary Arts and gave over 400 lectures to art schools, camera clubs, universities and wrote hundreds of articles for his own and other photographic journals as part of a one-man crusade to, in his own words, 'instill some life into the British photographic community'.
In his own view his crusade met with a limited response and in 1972 he left Britain to study photography at the University of New Mexico with Beaumont Newhall and Van Deren Coke. He was awarded a MA in 1974 and a MFA in 1976 - his dissertation topic was on the nineteenth century British photographic Francis Bedford. In 1974 he founded the program of photographic studies at Arizona State University, where he taught history and criticism classes for twenty-five years becoming Professor of Art History. For four years he was a Board member of the Society for Photographic Education.
Bill Jay published over 400 articles and was the author of more than twenty books on the history and criticsm of photography and he also contributed essays to monographs by well-known photographers, such as Jerry Uelsmann, Bill Brandt, Michael Kenna, and Bruce Barnbaum.
His own photographs were widely published and exhibited, including a one-person show at the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. His previous monograph, Photographers Photographed, included a selection of the thousands of portraits he has taken of prominent individuals if the medium of photography, a database of which is located at the Center of Creative Photography, which also houses his research archives.
After retiring from Arizona State University in the late-1990s Jay moved from Mesa, Arizona to Mission Beach near San Diego and very recently to his adopted hometown of Samara on the Nicoya Peninsula in Costa Rica. His legacy is his extensive writings and his archive which is housed at the Center for Creative Photography and consists of 177 linear feet of 'papers, writings, research files, teaching materials, audiovisual and photographic materials, books, periodicals, and computerized database of photographer and educator Bill Jay.'
Some of the information for this obituary appeared on Bill Jays own website. Additional recent biographical information can be found here.
Some of his publications include:Views on Nudes.
Focal Press Ltd., London, 1972. A history of the nude as a subject for photographers, from 1840-1970. Second edition: 1980.
Customs and Faces: Sir Benjamin Stone 1818-1914.
Academy, Editions, London; St. Martin's Press, New York, 1972.
Victorian Cameraman: Francis Frith's Views of Rural England 1850-1898.
David and Charles, Devon, England, 1973.
Victorian Candid Camera: Paul Martin 1864-1944.
David and Charles, Devon, England, 1973.
Essays and Photographs: Robert Demachy 1859-1936.
Academy Editions, London: St. Martin's Press, New York, 1974.
Models, Messages, Manipulations.
Unique, handmade book of words and pictures. Acquired by Art Museum, University of New Mexico for permanent collection, 1976.
Negative/ Positive: A Philosophy of Photography.
Klendall/Hunt Publishing Company, Second edition: 1982. Reprinted 1989 for Montana State University.
Light Verse on Victorian Photography.
Limner Press, Arizona, 1981. Anthology of poetry from the 19th century press. Limited Edition: 500 copies, numbered and signed.
Route 60 (with James Hajicek).
Limited edition, hand-printed, leather bound livre-de-luxe, containing tipped-in original photographs. Friends of Photography at ASU, 1981, through private donation.
Series of essays in British Journal of Photography, later collated into Cyanide and Spirits.
1980s.
Photographers Photographed. A selection of my personal portraits in monograph form.
Peregrine Smith, Utah, 1983.
Bernard Shaw: On Photography (with Margaret Moore).
The first comprehensive collection of critical essays and images by Shaw. Peregrine Smith, Utah, 1989.
Occam's Razor: an Outside-In View of Contemporary Photography. Anthology of essays on 20th century issues.
Nazraeli Press, Munich, Germany, 1992.
The Photographers: Volume 1. Portfolio of photographic portraits and written profiles. Images printed in collotype by James Hajicek.
Limited edition, numbered and signed. Nazraeli Press, Munich, Germany, 1992.
U.S. Photo Guide (with Aimee Linhoff). Resource index to over 2,000 institutions, workshops, museums, galleries, periodicals, individuals etc. in academic/fine-art photography.
Nazraeli Press, Munich, Germany,1993.
Some Rollicking Bull: Light Verse, and worse, on Victorian photography. Anthology of ballads, sonnets, odes and songs as well as humorous, strange and odd items from the pages of 19 century photographic periodicals.
Nazraeli Press, Munich, Germany,1994.
On Being a Photographer: A Practical Guide [with David Hurn - Magnum Photos].
LensWork Publishing, 1997. And subsequent editions.
On Looking at Photographs: A Practical Guide [with David Hurn - Magnum Photos].
LensWork Publishing, 2000.
Cyanide and Spirits: an Inside-Out View of Early Photography. Anthology of essays on 19th century issues. Nazraeli Press, Munich, Germany, 1991.
61 Pimlico: the Secret Journal of Henry Hayler.
Nazraeli Press, Munich, Germany, 1998. Movie option rights acquired by Coppos Films, Los Angeles.
Sun in the Blood of the Cat. An anthology of essays on 19th and 20th century photography.
Nazraeli Press, 2001.
Bill Brandt -One Picture Book No. 9. Limited edition,
Nazraeli Press, 2002.
Men Like Me. Portraits of homeless men in a small California seaside town.
Nazraeli Press, 2005.
Snapshots. Photographs of amateur photographers with their cameras at picture places in Britain, Europe, USA and other sites.
Bill Jay's Album, Volume1. A collection of portraits of photographers, with extended commentaries, reminiscences...
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Broadcast Now reports that Outright Distribution has sold the critically acclaimed BBC2 documentary series Genius of Photography to National Geographic Channels International (NGCI). Produced by Wall to Wall Television, the series offered a comprehensive history of photography and was originally produced for BBC2 and BBC4. NGCI will air the 6 x 60-minute series in Asia, Australia, New Zealand and the Middle East. In addition, Genius of Photography has been sold to Histoire in France and Viasat in Scandinavia and Central and Eastern Europe.
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Award winning, visionary and truly unique, the National Media Museum embraces photography, film, television, radio and the web. Part of the NMSI family of museums, we aim to engage, inspire and educate through comprehensive collections, innovative education programmes and a powerful yet sensitive approach to contemporary issues.
You’ll support museum activities by providing a range of audio-visual and broadcasting services. This includes producing educational multimedia content in a range of formats, as well as filming and editing events for broadcast and distribution. Needless to say, you will be involved at every stage of media production, from concept and shooting to editing and mastering. You’ll also provide technical support and advice to colleagues throughout the NMSI and ensure the Television department is up-to-date with the latest technologies, such as live streaming and online video archiving. This is a great opportunity to produce brand-new multimedia content in a highly creative environment, while also working with landmark TV and film footage.
Contract Type: Permanent 35 hours per week. Salary: £23,500.00 per annum
To join us, you’ll need a good track record in location video and audio recording, extensive knowledge of linear and non-linear audio and video editing and experience of recording, lighting and live production in a TV studio environment. You should also have experience of the software used in live or post-production, such as Final Cut Pro, Discreet Combustion, 3D-Studio, Adobe Encore, Adobe Photoshop and Microsoft Powerpoint, supported by knowledge of a number of historic and current media formats, particularly 1” C-Format, 1/4” audio tape, Laserdisc, Umantic, D-2 & 3, Betacam SP, DV, DVD, DAT, Minidisc, MPEG-1/2 and various streaming formats. At the same time, you will need the capability to maintain existing hardware and develop new systems.
We regret that we can only respond to successful applicants. No agencies please.
We are an equal opportunities employer
Closing Date: 26th May 2009 Interviews: 4th June 2009
To apply, please write with full CV and covering letter to: The HR Department, National Media Museum, Bradford BD1 1NQ or email: recruitment@nationalmediamuseum.org.uk
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Christie's London is seeking a junior specialist/sale administrator for it's Photographs Department based at King Street. Te successful applicant will:
Handle all Estimate Requests, as well as Catalogue Production and Administration for 2 King St sales a year. Support HOD, Yuka Yamaji, on all aspects of the business and work closely with PA/Admin Support to maintain efficient day-to-day operation of Department.
Key Responsibilities/Tasks (Duties include but are not limited to the following):
• Contribute to Department’s turnover and profitability by demonstrating sound business judgement in all aspects of the business; Provide exceptional client service
• As primary liaison for Department, forge strong relationships with internal resources, including Porters, Art Transport, VAT, Vendors, Cashiers, Credit Control, Photo Studio & Client Services
• Maintain and build professional relationships with external resources, including Framers, Conservators, Scholars & Galleries; Promote efficient use of external network
Consignment Gathering/Winning Business
• Client communication – dealing with in-coming enquiries including new consignments, updating vendors and informing clients of forthcoming sales/events
• Review, priorities & research Estimate Requests; Suggest estimates to HOD to ensure timely response
• Execute regular ‘Sale Runner’ and Hilling sessions with HOD; Coordinate conservation
• Oversee ‘Town Visit’ e-gathering process & action ‘Chase’ phone calls to win pending business
Catalogue Production – Meet Image & Text Deadlines
• Catalogue & Condition Report the sale; Identify Chart of Art data & ARR lots
• Handle Catalogue Photography & Colour Correcting
• Research Provenance, Rarity, Literature Reference, Exhibit History, Bios & Figs
• Prepare Sale Binder (complete manuscripts & thumbnails) for HOD
Selling the Sale – Pre-Sale Prep to Post-Sale Wrap Up
• Sell the sale by executing ‘Highlights CD’ & ‘Targeted Emails’; Manage Sale Preview
• Work closely with Marketing on presale promotion & Viewing signage
• Pre-Sale Prep (Matting/Framing & Lotting Up) to Post-Sale Wrap Up
Sale Administration
• Pre-sale: create/manage consignment paperwork/client correspondence and departmental files; ensure estimates and reserves agreed prior to each sale; props-list, lotting-up sale; oversee the arrival and transfer of sale property, including pre-receipting
• Post-sale: financial reports (ie pre-settlement report); sold since sales; transfers to other sites and returns; assist clients with shipping/export licenses; make sure all unsold lots are re-offered for sale or collected
• Keep the sale ‘Sale Runner’ up to date at all times for reporting to Business Manager
• Set up and follow up of sale debriefs for effective client management
• Manage physical property locations and property system records for sale consignments, BI lots, uncollected property, property under evaluation, and transfer of consignments to other sale sites, including tracking and entry of correct VAT status
Skills/Competencies Required:
• BA and/or MA in Art History or History of Photography
• Minimum of one years academic or practical experience in History of Photography
• Work experience in commercial art environment
• Excellent communication, interpersonal and organisational skills
• Proficiency in Microsoft Word, Outlook, PowerPoint and Excel
• Knowledge of a foreign language preferred
Apply on line here.
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In November 2000 Christopher Penn discovered an old letter crumpled up behind the top drawer of his late father’s writing bureau. It led to the discovery of a family – his own – of which he had been unaware and knowledge of his great-grandfather Albert Thomas Watson Penn, who was one of the pioneering photographers of South India. A T W Penn left home in England before he was twelve and had started work as a photographer in the hill station of Ootacamund in the Nilgiri Hills by 1865, the year in which he turned sixteen. His work is now held in all the major collections of nineteenth century photography.
Research for the book made use of newspapers of the time, held on microfilm in the British Library, church records and the photographs taken by A.T.W. Penn to piece together the details of his life and that of his family. The Public Records Office in Kew provided vital information on the tragic life of the author’s grandfather who, having won the Distinguished Conduct Medal for valour at the battle of Omdurman, riding in the same squadron as Lt. Winston Churchill, and won a fortune eleven years later in the Calcutta Derby Sweepstake, died a pauper and in disgrace.
Profits from the sale of this book will go entirely to three charities in South India in equal parts: The Nilgiri Documentation Centre (an offshoot of the Save the Nilgiris Campaign), The Dohnavur Foundation and The Edhkwehlynawd Botanical Refuge, which is concerned with protection and preservation of the fauna and flora of the Nilgiris and care for the Toda, an aboriginal tribe.
In Pursuit of the Past
ISBN: 978-0-955945502
Price £14:50 plus £2:50 p&p (£7:50 p&p overseas)
Available from the author and publisher: C.F.Penn, Pendle, Burdenshot Hill, Worplesdon, Surrey, GU3 3RL.
Tel/Fax: 44 (0) 1483 235 609
Email: christopherpenn@btinternet.com
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Open Eye Gallery, the north west’s only photography gallery, is preparing to move to brand new premises in the heart of Liverpool’s waterfront after receiving a £100,000 award through Arts Council England and the National Lottery.
The new premises on Mann Island will be constructed to allow Open Eye Gallery the opportunity to offer new gallery and education spaces, as well as giving the public access to the gallery’s extensive print collection. Open Eye Gallery is one of the UK’s leading photography galleries and is regularly funded by Arts Council England.
Sarah Fisher, Head of Visual Art says: 'Liverpool has an exceptional offer for those interested in exhibitions, with Open Eye providing an insightful photography programme. The Gallery's move to Mann Island will mean they finally have the exhibition space to match their international ambitions.'
Patrick Henry, Chief Executive of Open Eye Gallery, says: ‘The National Lottery award takes us a step closer to our new home at the heart of the Liverpool waterfront. A larger, more flexible space - twice the size of our current premises - will help us to build up our artistic and engagement programmes, reach more people and raise our ambition all-round. This is great news for Open Eye Gallery, for Liverpool and for photography in the UK.’
The North West’s only gallery to focus exclusively on photography, Open Eye was established in 1977.
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Following the recent award of £11,750 to acquire works by Daniel Meadows and Homer Sykes, Birmingham Central Library has been awarded a further £6000 by The Art Fund, the UK’s leading independent art charity, to purchase 12 prints Anna Fox, one of the UK’s leading photographers. Work of all three photographers was included in the Legacy section of the recent exhibtion Knight of the Camera: The Photographs of Sir Benjamin Stone (2007)The works to be acquired come from the series Back to the Village (1999-2008). This is an ongoing photography project observing the uniquely English rituals that take place in the picturesque villages of Hampshire. Anna Fox says:“I first came to see the Benjamin Stone Collection in the late 1990s when I was researching a lecture on the archive for the Royal College of Art. I knew about the collection as I had seen a few prints in an early edition of Creative Camera and a number of photographers had mentioned how much the work had influenced them in the late 70s. I was astounded by the volume of work in the archive and completely fascinated by the photographs of customs and fairs, which was a subject close to my heart having grown up in rural Hampshire. The Benjamin Stone photographs also amazed me because I realised how timeless they were - people dressing up could almost belong to any time. Although I find most of the photographs interesting my favourites have always been the Sherbourne Pageant, something in the subjects’ poses lends a sense of humour or irony to this image that is unforgettable.”The Library has an immense archive of photographs by Stone which were gifted to Birmingham Free Libraries after his death in 1914. It now forms the cornerstone of the Library’s collection which was awarded Designated status in 2006 by the Museums, Libraries and Archives Council.The work acquired by these three key photographers will be the subject of an exhibition at Birmingham Museum and Art Gallery in 2010.
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