Over the past week, I’ve received gigantic amount of traffic from a couple of blogs (Conscientious and NYMPhoto) linking my gallerina post. While I hope many people can understand the problems, I also wished there was a discussion formed from the post. But being completely unaware I had a buggy problem with comments, no comments were posted. Anyways, it’s all fixed now. So, if you have any thoughts, please leave me a note.

I do find it interesting how some prominent female photo bloggers are not initiating into the conversation.

Let me get back to some head-scratching decisions. Edit thumbnails down to 15 images for my thesis show.

Store still open for business!!!

I have a love/hate relationship with the Chelsea gallery scene. When I started sending my resumes out to galleries looking for internships two- three years ago, I did my research in choosing galleries I knew showed work I enjoyed. Along with the galleries, I enjoyed, there were a handful of places I was hesitant about as I either never been to the place or knew it had large spaces and pieces of pretentious art with pretentious people. Being young, I thought, “what the hell.. it’ll be a learning experience.”

Let me take you through one of my interview sessions at one such “pretentious” place.. where the walls echo.. and gallerinas’ heels click with annoyance… and nobody gives a crap who walks through the doors.
Fashion-wise, I am a t-shirt and jeans type of person and slap on a pair of sneakers and I’m good to go. Knowing I was heading the Chelsea for an interview, I snazzed it up a little bit with dress pants, a button down shirt, a pair of ballet flats, and my portfolio. Nothing too fashionable, nothing designer-made.. nothing close to what gallerinas wore on that day at that top Chelsea gallery.

The gallery was featuring a video piece that month, so after opening the huge and heavy door into the space, you get to deal with the very busy “gatekeeper” who’s usually either typing away or on the phone. No “hello, how may I help you.” Nada.

“Hi, my name is Jane Tam. I have a meeting with blah blah.”

You couldn’t see the space because there was a floor-length curtain blocking you from entering the space.

You hear the heels click and out comes your interviewer, dressed to impress, topped off with a red lip. She was wearing 3-inch heels, some fancy dress, and had perfect highlights to her haircut. From that.. I already knew.. “fuck, this place is not for me.”

When the art doesn’t impress you, and that video that was playing definitely did not impress, and the woman interviewing you seemed to spend a fortune dressing herself.. as well as the rest of the staff, not giving two shits about a new intern, please, just walk away.

Sure, I thought,” Jane, suck it up and maybe you’ll be able to expose yourself to lots of important people.” I’ve tried it. For two weeks, I tried being good and gritting my teeth while I filed for the 50th time and ran to get lunch and researched where to get concrete for some new piece going up, but I just couldn’t get over how a gallerina I worked with flirted with every guy who came in and looked like he had money, how she complained about her high heels that she wore everyday, how my black jeans and flats just didn’t look professional enough, and how every job I was given was in no way challenging. I hated how fashion was as important as the job and how fashion and trend was a priority to hiring.

Now I know interns do get all the grunt work.. but when you see the gallerina above you on a smoking break, clicking her shoes, and fondling over her blackberry, and you’re compiling the represented artists on file.. and there are 10 male artists and 2 females.. you wonder, where the hell are we?

I don’t know… I just could not deal in that environment.

(People know I interned at Jen Bekman.. and by far, one of the friendliest, most welcoming, and diverse gallery. I chose Jen over Chelsea.. just from the environment, the opportunities/responsibilities given to me, and the feeling.)
Read Cara Phillip’s “What’s a Lady to Do?”

Submit: Women In Photography contains a simple concept:

-To showcase work, news and ideas from women in the contemporary photo world.

-To create a collection of strong work by women actively creating work.

-To reach new audiences collectively.

Those interested in participating can submit as follows:

-5 jpegs from a cohesive project or a work in progress.

5×7 @150 dpi named “myname_title.jpg”

-short statement/bio

Email submissions to
womeninphotography at gmail dot com

Submission deadline for first monthly spotlight: May 1st. 2008 (11:59)

The 4 selected photographers will be given a week each to showcase a current project or a work in progress.

Psst… Prints are still for sale!

jane tam >> the store

I’ve had the idea of selling some of my prints online for awhile. Now is the time to launch such a project, especially since finances are rough right now. I’m limiting the selection to 3 images because this is only the beginning. Hopefully, those of you who enjoy my work would be kind enough to purchase a print. Go to the store~

There is also an option to donate. Why donate?

I am currently a senior at Syracuse University, preparing for my BFA Solo Thesis Show on May 3rd. Like many college students, I am immensely in debt from the costs of film, processing, developing, and printing. Frames cost money. Mounting costs money. The space I rented cost money. This is all for a solo show featuring my photographic series on my family. I do not ask my family for money as they are a working class family who struggle enough to put me through a private university. So, any little bit will help me. Thank you! For those who donate $15 or more will receive a 5″x7″ print in the mail.

**International buyers: I set up Paypal to only accept US addresses but if you’re interested, please just drop me an email at store@janetam.com for shipping prices.

**update: I added two more images up for sale. There are also now 5×7 prints available for photo-illustrations.

**Super thanks to Herman, Nina, Jen Snow (for Jen Bekman), Noel, Kelly, and Timothy for linking my store.

**update: Added three more images for sale. Had to change prices a little bit due to the realization of the budget needed to produce my show. If my department would help a little, just a little, that would ease it up a bit but the Art Photo department in Syracuse never really did get much funding.. -_-

Grandfather’s chair, 2008 © Jane Tam

After awhile, you really get tired of seeing the same few names float through the photography community. It’s not “emerging new artists” anymore, rather it is a community that selects the popular trends and joins the train. While this is great for those on the train, what about taking risks and allow the many “new artists” on board? After all, are we not a little bored?

I interned at Jen Bekman Gallery two summers ago, when Hey! Hot Shot was building a lot of momentum and press and was before the creation of 20×200. Working directly with Jen, you can feel her ambitions for how the way the art world was run and for her gallery. It was between interning at Jen’s gallery or a major photography gallery in Chelsea that I had to choose from. Ultimately, I chose Jen because of the chance to work one on one with her and learn immensely from her drive. I truly enjoyed that summer (despite the fact that I sprained my ankle in the worse way possible that time.)
Anyways, the New York Times has a great article, “Easing the Pain of Collecting” featuring Jen and her gallery. It’s still amazing to see how far the gallery has come since last two summers ago.

Currently on view at Jen Bekman:

Ne Plus Ultra The Hey, Hot Shot! Annual
February 8 thru March 15, 2008
6 Spring Street
New York, NY 10012

Kathryn’s Bed at Home, Brooklyn, NY ©Jane Tam

The next following weeks will culminate into full preparation for SPE National in Denver. I am still contemplating whether to include some work from Hong Kong into my portfolio and how it actually fits in conceptually with my Family series. When showing my work, it is all in how I explain the images.

You can tell when images don’t fit into a series of work and my portfolio is not exactly immune to that problem. My perfectionalist personality makes it hard for me to create new work as I constantly reshoot images over and over again. I am not the best technician when it comes to using a camera so reshooting is a must. So, I realize some images in my portfolio do seem to stick out like sore thumbs. Though with the whole series, you can certainly see the growth of how the project started.

Preparing my portfolio comes with a lot of finishing. Most photographers buy an archival portfolio box for prints, which usually comes in the grand old color of *drumroll* Black! When you’re in a conference with hundreds of other photographers all vying for attention, a black portfolio is not exactly what’s going to make you memorable. Seeing this problem from college reviews, I decided to make my own portfolio box. Notice the plaid. (please disregard the crappy digital photo)

A 16″x20″ plaid portfolio box; homemade by your’s truly. This certainly grabbed a lot of attention and I have some requests to make other’s. I have yet decided on a fabric for my next box but I plan to make it open in a “portrait” orientation rather than a “landscape” orientation. I also have to make a box to safe-guard my book.

If anybody wants to request a homemade portfolio box, just email me and I will give you a quote. (I’m trying to up money for my Senior Thesis show, coming this April, so any help is appreciated.)

Can I Come Home With You? ©Jane Tam

Last April I finished a project for my Book Arts class, in which I used photographs from my family series and merged illustrations I created from found family photographs. Every image was printed digitally except the cover, which is hand silk-screened. There are many plans in my head to make more books. Be on the look out.

Their First Murder, 1941 © Weegee

Whilst roaming around the campus library, searching for a topic to write a 5-page paper on for my Art-in-America class, I came across Weegee by Weegee, An Autobiography in the 4th Floor Limited Art Access Collection. The first chapter, titled Tintype drew me in with a simple and honest introduction.

My typewriter is broken. I own no dictionary, and I never claimed that I could spell, and if Shakespeare, Balzac and Dostoyevsky could do it the hard way, in longhand, so can I. Not having been a drug addict, an alcoholic or a psycho, I don’t need a ghost writer.
I have no inhibitions, neither has my camera. I have lived a full life and have tried everything. What may be abnormal to you is normal. If I had to live my life over again, I would do it all the same… only more so.
Everything I write about is true… and I have the pictures, the checks, the memories and the scars to prove it.

© Weegee

I am always interested in literature about New York City so when this was my chance to learn more about Weegee’s NYC of the 1920s-40s, it instantly caught my attention. From his father sending fake money to Austria to his mother to the nights he spent practicing his fiddle-playing in the Acme darkrooms, it is told with the utmost honesty and never a ounce of pity. Though still only through the beginning of autobiography, this is a page turner, and if you can get your hands on this rare book, read it.

Thinking I can purchase a copy on Amazon or Half.com, I was surprised to see this book wasn’t reproduced in multiple editions. Currently, a copy on Amazon is being sold for $490. I’d really love a copy to keep.