The 2014 Flash Forward Festival Boston wrapped three days of photography events including indoor and outdoor exhibitions, discussions, parties, lectures and panels, attended by photographers, educators, curators, photo editors, collectors, gallerists and fans from around the world. Presentations and panels covered a range from “The Mobile Revolution” to “The Perils of Publishing.” The Fairmont Battery Wharf presented an exhibition featuring emerging photographers from Canada, the UK and the US.”
Several off-site outdoor exhibitions at the Rose Fitzgerald Kennedy Greenway, include The Fence, the work of forty talented international photographers; and three shipping container exhibitions with the work of Patrick Willocq, Brazilian artist Cale, and “Travel Photographs from Air Canada’s enRoute Magazine”. Other off-site exhibitions included shows at the Griffin Museum of Photography, the Photographic Resource Center, several galleries around Boston, and even Macy’s.
The Magenta Foundation hosts this annual event, now in it’s fourth year, and I had the opportunity to speak with it’s founder, MaryAnn Camilleri, about her background, her organization and her vision for it’s future.
Elizabeth Avedon: You’ve been a great supporter of emerging artists through the Magenta Foundation you established in 2004. What motivated you to create your organization?
MaryAnn Camilleri: My organization filled two separate areas in Canada that I felt needed a champion. The first one would be that there was not high-end art publisher dedicated to making beautiful art books. When I came back to Toronto, after my 10 years of being in NY, I was so impressed with the talent I came across and the community that supported it. However, there was no spotlight on Canadians at that time, a side from the usual suspects. We then began to cull together a compendium of Canadian photographers and during that timeframe Magenta was born.
With regards to Flash Forward, lets just say that was something I believed needed to happen. My inspiration came from my graduating class. Around forty graduated and only six or seven of us are working in our field today. I always wanted to correct that situation and have a vehicle that encourages and supports emerging artists. That desire became Flash Forward. Mind you, the evolution of the program has surpassed all my wildest expectations already.
EA: What was your history with photography before founding your organization?
MC: I attended Ryerson University where I got my BA in Photographic Arts and during that time I was already working on a long-term project, which I managed to get published at 25. I also had a group of talented friends with various backgrounds and we decided to create a magazine called Venue, that showcased arts, music, fashion, editorial etc. Each of those facets taught me valuable skills but I was restless in Toronto and, already traveling as much as I was to NY, I knew it was time to depart once and for all.
I applied as an intern to Magnum, mostly because I was restless in Toronto, but wanted to see first hand how an agency was run. I was supposed to be there for two months and came back almost ten years later. My ‘so–called’ internship changed my life. I met Inge Morath, whom I ended up working with for six or seven years until her death in 2001.
EA: What did you do for her?
MC: We started out walking the streets of New York and the area I lived in, the East Village. Magnum was putting together their 50th anniversary book and she had photographed New York back in the day. We talked about her revisiting her old New York and my New York and came up with a list of fun things to do and went and did them. It was also at the time that Magnum was going digital, so we were preparing all her prints for scanning, and syncing with the database for Magnum, which in itself, was a HUGE undertaking.
When Inge died, I was heart broken. She was a ray of light and such a wonderful person to be around. I wanted to make sure her work and her legacy was preserved, so I collected all her photos and negatives that were at her house in Roxbury and moved them to the city, around the corner from Magnum, where I could organize and archive her photos properly.
So many things happened to me in that time frame. All of the skills I had to learn simply just to make New York work for me, shaped and honed my skills. I loved every minute of living in NY and I am grateful I accomplished all I did.
EA: How far in advance do you plan your Flash Forward program of speakers and what are you aiming for?
MC: We begin planning out the festival as early as September of the same year. I assemble a programming committee and we all Skype in and start to talk about ideas and formulate the programming and some of the topics we are interested in. We tend to gravitate to what we are looking to hear about, yet we understand the crowd and dynamics we need to fulfill. The truth is, we have made mistakes, but we are quick to correct and I think, Year 4, hit the nail on the head very well. Most of all, we look for people who are comfortable talking in front of a crowd and who are great to work with.
EA: Are there any major differences in the work you show or the schedule you create from Boston, Toronto or Pittsburgh?
MC: For every city Magenta works in, we tailor what we do, according to what we feel is best suited for that city. In Toronto, we have the start of the Flash Forward book launch and exhibition that kicks off the tour. Its quite a big show, close to 90 pieces, with a huge following and audience. We also have a high school program called, The Flash Forward Incubator program, which supports high schools photography and mixed media students. We are working with two high schools this year and they create a one-off piece that we exhibit and publish in a little catalogue. At the end of the exhibition we will hold a silent auction and all the money raised goes directly back to the high schools for arts funding. Again, this program has a two folded conscious approach; reach out further and create another vehicle to encourage and support an even younger artist and bring them into the umbrella of the Flash Forward system, and secondly, to ensure that arts education in our high schools will and can continue. This is year two of our program, but the potential for growth and success are already there. It is thrilling to see the work and the talent at such a young age. I can’t wait to chart their progress!
In Boston, we call it the home of the Flash Forward Festival. That is where we celebrate the Flash Forward program, International work and of course New England work. The additional programming with guest speakers and panel discussions allows us to create the arts destination we know Boston can be. Each year the festival grow and every year we see so much more success.
With Magenta POP: Pittsburgh, our new series of POP UP art installations, allows us to move around and create art in public places, as we have done in Boston. This is a really new city for us and I am feeling it will expand quite quickly. I love Pittsburgh and cannot wait to bring indoor exhibitions and create more public art, to a city that is about to undergo its renaissance. Right now, it’s all new but I have a pretty good feeling about it.
EA: Where are you from originally? Did you start out as a photographer?
MC: I am originally from Toronto, but have spent a good part of my life living in New York and now divide my time between Toronto, Boston and Pittsburgh.
I started with a deep passion for photography and as a photographer. I loved photographing and knew I had the talent and the drive to keep it going but I was always book obsessed. My deep desire to fulfill my publishing dreams and books were my ultimate love, so my course shifted when I was in my mid 30’s and I embraced it. I knew that shifting and becoming a publisher would be where I would make the most difference, however, I underestimated my vision and my passion for helping artists. Thankfully it has all worked out.
Links:
http://www.flashforwardfestival.com
http://www.magentafoundation.org
http://fence.photovillenyc.org
