October is the month of photography in Atlanta, thanks to the Atlanta Celebrates Photography (ACP) festival. This is the 14th edition of this annual event and once again, it holds up to its promises.
Joel Sternfeld, particularly known for his large-format color photography, kicked off the festival this year and gave the keynote lecture at the High Museum of Art last week; Events highly expected this year include a film screening of documentaries about Alec Soth and Gregory Crewdson, a public art project by Marni Shindelman and Nate Larson, “Geolocation: Atlanta” where the artists mix video, still photography and geo-based data-mining (using tweets) to be revealed on eight digital billboards throughout the metro area; and a series of six video projections of Jan’s Banning’s work “Down and Out in the South” at Georgia State University.
Hundreds of events are scheduled under the ACP festival, and every art gallery has lined up to showcase fresh work, from amateur to professional photographers alike, pushing photography forward in the city’s art scene.
But the beauty of this community-oriented and volunteer-based festival, the largest in the country in this format, is that it has something for everybody. Most events are free and open to the public, including the popular “My Atlanta Exhibition” at the Piedmont Park Community Center. Every year, this event has given the opportunity for photographers of all ages and all levels of experience to exhibit their work and compete for prizes, just by coming in and push pinning their photograph on a wall. “For a lot of people, it is the first time that they put a picture up.” Winners get their work published and are interviewed by a local newspaper. “It is an incredible exposure for amateur photographers,” comments Michael David Murphy, ACP program manager.
I still remember the beaming face of the kid who won the “Under 10 category” last year and I can’t wait to see this year’s winners.
Virginie Drujon-Kippelen
