Above are installation shots of my part of the group exhibition in “Whatever Was Splendid” at the Fotofest 2010 Biennial. The gallery space is extremely large and takes over two floors of 1113 Vine Street Studios so there’s quite a number of works by each artist.

I feel incredibly fortunate to be in a group exhibition amongst such a high caliber of artists. Many people at Fotofest asked how I got to be a part of the exhibition and if I had been to Fotofest two years prior — and the simple answer is that Aaron Schuman (of SeeSaw Magazine) emailed me after seeing my work on Nymphoto and I have never been to Houston, Texas. (Thoughts on age-ism in a later post.) I met a lot of artists who attend these reviews like class reunions. To each his own.

Come opening night, Fotofest organized bus shuttles to galleries where the last destination was the reception/party at Vine Street Studios, where “Whatever Was Splendid,” is installed. I did not see the exhibition prior to that night but was so pleasantly surprised at the wonderful space and the amount of work each artist exhibited. There was so much work, it took me awhile to find where my photographs were. I even asked a staff member due to the massive crowds coming in and the maze-like space. (PS. I’m upstairs!)

During the night I received lots of great feedback from the local Houstonians as well as gallery/museum/curator folks, which really made me feel like I should give myself a good pat on the back. Asians flocked to me and felt at home with my images of the kitchen as well. It was an amazing experience! Later on the evening, the mayor made an appearance so it was glitz and glamor with body guards and cameras all hustling to the VIP tent where curators and artists were briefly introduced. There I met a bunch of photographers who I mainly know of online such as Will Steacy, Brian Ulrich, Hank Willis Thomas, Todd Hido — but also met other great people like Richard Mosse, Greg Stimac, and more. (Tema, you were missed!)

The trip was a completely new experience and overall, it was successful.

I can’t thank Aaron and Fotofest for the opportunity and all the support!

In the next few posts, I’ll write about the artists I met, thoughts on age-ism, and possibly some huge changes in my life.

Press news:

Aaron, Richard, and I were also interviewed by the Houston Public Radio early one morning. I was a bundle of nerves so coherence wasn’t on the plate but it’s great that I made it on the radio, right? Thank you Meghan Hendley for the opportunity.

Houston Public Radio, listen here.

The exhibition was also featured in The Telegraph last week.

Fotofest exhibitions is also featured in CultureMap.

Review of the exhibition as a whole from the Houston Press.

All artists in the main Fotofest exhibitions are published in the biennial catalog, which is a hefty 507 pages! It is beautifully printed and includes an introduction by Charlotte Cotton and an accompanying exhibition essay by Aaron. You can order a copy here.

Also, James Pomerantz of APhotoStudent.com announced I was the winner of his film giveaway. Thanks again, James!

Dog In the Middle, Hong Kong from Asleep at Sea ©Jane Tam

If you head over to the main website, you should see I updated the website and included (or edited) images in Foreigners in Paradise, Asleep at Sea, and Discarded Delights. Also, I finally added a mailing list form in the Contact page, so if you wanna keep up with what I’m up to, fill the form out.

Recently I’ve been honored to be asked to join Nymphoto. I jumped on the opportunity since it was my chance to have a community that’ll motivate me as well as be part of something meaningful. It’s hard coming out of college, without a job, and wondering, “so I am suppose to be doing something….” I really could not understand how artists motivated themselves to keep production flowing. After meeting the members and seeing how much I can learn and contribute to the collective and to myself, I regained my confidence to keep working. I’m seriously in great company (Nina, Rona, Candace, Maria, Margot, Talia, and Melanie). Sometimes you need that kick in the rear.

Anyways, I’m the Featured Artist this time around on Nymphoto’s main website. Check the blog for weekly conversations with fellow female photographers. I think it’s a great resource to have!

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.)

The Center of Photography at Woodstock, NY is holding its first annual Regional Reviews on February 9.

The photography community is not only centered in the city anymore as more and more communities are growing in exposure and offering more opportunity in Central and Upstate NY. (I should know, I work at Light Work Community Darkrooms , part of Light Work in Syracuse, NY.) The Regional Reviews will give photographers a chance to meet with a minimum of five reviewers from galleries, publications, and institutions in the surrounding Central and Upstate NY area. I haven’t been to many reviews but a minimum of five is an amazing opportunity. Usually you’ll get lucky to meet with three in one day, let alone five.

CPW is honored to have an esteemed group of reviewers participating in this event. They include; Chronogram (Kingston) | Digital Art Space (Troy) | Donskoj & Company (Kingston) | Exposed Gallery of Fine Photography (Delmar) | Fovea Editions (Beacon) | Galerie BMG (Woodstock) | The Image Works (Woodstock) | Nicole Fiacco Gallery (Hudson) | The Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art (New Paltz) | Photo Sensualis (Woodstock) | Photographic Center of the Capital District (Troy) | The Center for Photography at Woodstock | and others!

To learn more about the Reviews, see bios of the reviewers, and/or to register, go to their website here.

Woodstock is only 2.5 hours from the city and is a great little town with lots of arty vibes.