New York Workshop / May 2013
NEW YORK’S PHOTOGRAPHIC UNDERBELLY: A SURVIVOR’S GUIDE
MAY 17 – MAY 19, 2013 (in New York City)
DAILY 9:00AM – 6:00PM approx.
3 DAYS + INTRODUCTORY + REVIEW SESSIONS
INTRODUCTORY SESSION: MAY 4, 2013 / 1:00PM – 3:00PM
LOCATION OF INTRODUCTORY SESSION: LA PETITE MORT GALLERY with GUY BERUBE
$495.00*
LEVEL: BASIC
*PASSPORT, COST OF AIRFARE, MEALS, HOTEL, INSURANCE, AND INTERNAL TRAVEL ARE THE RESPONSIBILITY OF THE WORKSHOP PARTICIPANT
Workshop Description:
This three-day workshop offers individuals a unique opportunity to see the underbelly of the photographic community in the Big Apple. Guy Berube brings his experience, his knowledge, and an interest in art that pushes the envelope.
This opportunity to live a New York gallery experience is open to anyone interested in diversifying their photographic outlook. Participants will learn the ins & outs of New York’s photographic scene and consider the differences between surviving as a commercial artist and expressing oneself in a fine art context through a comparison of galleries that focus on photography as a main source of representation. Time will be dedicated to taking your camera into the field in an Arbus-like, up-close and personal way.
REQUIREMENTS : Participants are expected to have a working knowledge of their equipment, be it a camera, video, pin-hole camera, camera phone, etc . Enrolment is limited to ensure one-on-one attention.
PREREQUISITE : None
WORKSHOP NUMBER : 13WNY10
INSTRUCTOR’S BIO : Guy Bérubé is owner, director and curator of La Petite Mort gallery. Guy’s vision for the gallery is a vision of social ethics. He sees the artist’s struggle with self-awareness through visual art reflected back to the viewer. The viewer is understood as an active participant in the creative endeavor, and not simply a passive recipient. A signature feature of LPM is the feeling of discomfort that many of the artworks evoke. As one of the goals of subversive art, this feeling reflects the viewer’s engagement with their own personal projections.
Discomfort is a necessary part of Bérubé’s aesthetic and ethical sensibility. It recognizes the role of art in alienation and in critical transformation: cultural progress usually occurs through the ideas that emerge at the boundaries of our communities. LPM artists represent subjects at the margins of contemporary Canadian urban society, a trend that has a long history in artistic expression. Bérubé provides an inclusive forum for contemporary Canadian artists, including those typically sidelined by mainstream society and those simply unable to function normally within it.
BONUS FEATURE : Guy Berube will include a critique of student work produced during their time in New York. This critique may lead to a one-week exhibit at La Petite Mort.
Registration: Please contact the School of Photographic Arts
(613) 562-3824 admin@spao.ca
More detailed info from the instructor: subject to some changes
This three-day workshop is an opportunity like no other to see the underbelly of the photographic community that exists within the Big Apple. Trained as a photographer himself, Berube eventually turned to collecting
and selling art due to an increasing demand for works which can be considered out of the norm. He is a self-taught and a self-proclaimed “instinctual dealer,” who now lives and works in Ottawa, Canada, as the Curator and Director of La Petite Mort Gallery. Prior to opening his own gallery, Berube lived in New York from 1990 to 2000. During this time he
was exposed to the inner workings of New York City’s art scene, which, in turn, inspired him to collect works of art that push the envelope. Guy brings 25 years of experience in art and interior design, including
success as an international art dealer, freelance interior designer, and curator of exhibitions in a range of spaces in Ottawa, Montreal, New York and Paris.
This workshop is an opportunity to gain real world experience from a seasoned professional. It is open to anyone interested in diversifying their photographic outlook – regardless of preferred medium (painters who work from photographic images are also encouraged to join) or skill level – all are welcome. In this workshop students will learn the ins and outs
of New York’s photographic scene.
Itinerary: subject to some changes
Day One | May 17, 2012 | 9am – 6pm:
9am – 10am: Question and answer period over breakfast – location to be determined by Guy Berube.
10am – 12pm: We will discuss the scope of New York City as a cultural hub of the art world, especially the photographic medium. Berube will discuss his personal experience of living in the city for ten years, as well as insider tips on how to use NYC to satisfy your personal needs as an artist.
12pm – 1pm: Lunch will be served at a location which pertains to what has been discussed.
1pm – 6pm: We will be visiting the photography studios of two established and renowned New York photographers who deal with both commercial and fine art production. These artists have had to struggle with the tension between these two modes of production – having to define the difference between survival with commercial work and truly expressing themselves
within a fine art context. The selection of New York photographers will be announced by Berube at a later date.
Day Two | May 18, 2012 | 9am – 6pm:
9am – 10am: Question and answer period over breakfast – Breakfast will be eaten during a walking tour of the streets of New York City.
10am – 6pm (with an hour lunch break): We will be visiting a selection of galleries that focus on photography as a main source of representation, starting in Alphabet City (Orchard Street area), followed by a tour of the
East Village, and finishing with the Chelsea Area Galleries. Final choices will be made by Berube at a later date. The galleries selected have been relevant to his learning of the significance of photography in the art
world. Each gallery visited on day two has made a significant impact on his self-taught education. This will be a behind the scenes look which includes meetings with directors of these galleries. Directors will explain what they are searching for in artists and what is significant to them.
Day Three | May 19, 2012 | 9am – 6pm:
9am – 10am: Question and answer period over breakfast – a discussion of the days plans.
10am – 6pm (with an hour lunch break): After getting a sense of the city,and meeting with both photographers and gallerists, Berube would like to observe a day of independent shooting in an Arbus-like style. In the wordsb of world-renowned artist Diane Arbus, this would require the student to get physically closer to their subject – whether it is human or still life
– taking risks, and getting out of their comfort zone.
BONUS FEATURE: As a bonus to this workshop, Guy Berube would like to include a critique of the work produced on day three (upon completion of works taken, and upon return), which could potentially lead to a one week exhibit depending on the strength and final result of this photographic excursion.