LACP’s First Annual Fine Art Exhibition – 2016

Juror Statement

Intricacies Of Experience

The images in the exhibition strike me as an intimate exploration of the depth, mystery, and fullness of life. Photography as an art form is
experiencing unprecedented growth and it is an exciting time for creativity. With an ever-increasing toolbox with which to express oneself,
images are at times made more complicated and alternately simpler by the medium and materials used for creative expression.

Ellen Cantor used elements of mystery and nostalgia as storytelling methods and the images evoke a deep sense of longing and wonder. Others,
like Ange Ong, play with disorientation and ideas of belonging. Kris Graves image addresses self-representation and the problematic power
dynamics in photography. The ever-present dominant cultural norms that saturate our consciousness and ask us to judge ourselves against them
are also at play. These cultural norms are deeply ingrained in our society that for many the issues go unrecognized as the water goes unrecognized
to the fish. Jennifer McClure brings the question of socially acceptable ways of being for women to the forefront. We must learn to see and
understand the real meaning of equality. Equality lives outside cultural norms and prescribed ways of being. It lies in the ability for each person to
have equality based on who they are inherently, not according to any other measure.

Societal issues such as prescription drug use, our unnatural focus on youth culture, and the nature of material possessions, are incorporated into
this exhibition and add to the intricacies of shared experience. While the handcrafted pieces harken to the past, I find myself seeing this exhibition
as a kind of tablet that has accumulated many stories, stories that are layered and nuanced and labyrinthine. Found photos repurposed to question
history and historical accuracy, as well as perceived sexuality, take the place in the tablet as a question mark of what we know and what we think
we know.

Thank you to all the artists that trusted me with your work. I hope that you find the exhibition full of life, love, and mystery as I do.?

Hamidah Glasgow
Executive Director, The Center for Fine Art Photography
Co-Founder, Strange Fire Collective

Exhibiting Artists

Amy Kanka Valadarsky, Ange Ong, Dagmara Bugaj, Daniel Grant, Elisabeth Caren, Ellen Cantor, Ellen O?Connell, Gina Cholick,
Jennifer Lothrigel, Jennifer McClure, Jerry Drapala, Jerry Takigawa, Karen Hymer, Kris Graves, Lori L. Ordover, Lori Pond, Marta Wapiennik, Matthew Burns, Mike Tan, Mitch Walker, Motonori Shimizu, Peter Hastings, Sara Silks, Ted Dayton, Todd Bradley, Wen Hang Lin, Yoichi Kawamura and
Zhuoqun Jiang

About the Juror

Hamidah Glasgow has been the Executive Director and Curator at The Center for Fine Art Photography in Fort Collins, Colorado since 2009. Hamidah holds a master’s degree in humanities with a specialization in visual and gender studies and a bachelor’s degree in philosophy. Hamidah’s contribution to photography has included curatorial projects, national portfolio reviews (FotoFest, Photolucida, Medium, Center, Filter, etc.), contributions to publications and online magazines and the co-hosting of regional conferences. Hamidah is also a co-founder of the Strange Fire Collective. This collective is dedicated to photo-based work that engages with current social and political forces, highlighting the work of women, people of color, and queer and trans artists, writers, and curators.