FROM THE DIRECTOR
Greetings! Thanks to each photographer who submitted entries for the 2016 Michael P. Smith Fund for Documentary Photography. The quality of the work we received was unparalleled and our juror, Stella Kramer, will have her work cut out for her. Notification of the grant recipient will be announced this month.
Spring is in full swing, and in Louisiana that means festivals. We were honored to have an exhibition, Celebrating the Americana Music Triangle, in the Grandstand at the New Orleans Jazz & Heritage Festival. The 69 prints were selected by Sacha Lecca, Rolling Stone’s deputy photo editor.
Spring also brings GiveNOLA Day. Hosted by the Greater New Orleans Foundation, GiveNOLA Day is an online giving event created to inspire people to support nonprofit organizations that are making our region stronger and creating a thriving community for all.
Please consider supporting the Photo Alliance; your contribution will directly support photographers and photography through grantmaking, PhotoNOLA, exhibitions, educational programs, and community building. Please click here on May 3 to help us build a strong photographic community in New Orleans and across the Gulf Coast.
– Amy Dailey Williams, Executive Director, NOPA
Through May 29, 2016
NOPA Gallery, 1111 Saint Mary St., NOLA
Image: Final Lap, 2003NOPA is proud to be the first venue to present Mile O’ Mud in conjunction with the release of the artists first monograph, Mile O’ Mud: The Culture of Swamp Buggy Racing. Churning the buttery muddy water at the Florida Sports Park, swamp buggy races keep Florida’s frontier heritage alive. With Mile O’ Mud, 4th generation native Floridian Lightner shows us his home’s beauty; scarred and raw, surrounded by lush blue sky and restorative greens and we witness a community unapologetically celebrating their colorful and unique history.
All the Place You’ve Got
Adam Davies: Non-spaces: Industrial Architecture of the
Mid-Atlantic Region
New Orleans Photo Alliance Gallery
June 4 – July 31, 2016The work of our grant winners Cate Sampson (2015 Michael P. Smith Fund) and Adam Davies (2015 Clarence John Laughlin Award) will be shown concurrently in the NOPA Gallery this summer. Schedule of related workshops and programs TBA. Image: Adam Davies, Kelly Avenue, Baltimore
2nd Tuesdays at NOPA 
In the Gallery with Esther Murphy
May 10, 2016, 6:30-8:30PM
NOPA Gallery, 1111 Saint Mary St., NOLA
Free & open to the public
Esther Murphy will give a presentation on her work and will discuss the process of writing artist statements as a part of her artistic practice. She will also give insight on preparing applications for artist residencies and showing proposals.
Born in New Orleans, Murphy received her MFA from Washington University Saint Louis and is a practicing visual artist with a focus in photography. Artist residencies are integral to her creative process; she has been an artist in residence at the Banff Center, a self-directed residency in Frankfurt, Germany, and at Oregon College of Art and Craft.
Tuff Enough: Artist Walk-through with Meg Turner
May 15, 2016, 1PM, Scott Edwards Gallery, 2109 Decatur St., NOLA
NOPA MEMBERS ONLY: RSVP here
According to Turner, shooting tintypes and printing as large-scale photogravure prints “grounds this project in two historic photographic processes, allowing us to create images that can appear timeless.” The artist will discuss the collaborative nature of the project in which each portrait is directed by the sitter, and the show as a whole; an homage to love, friendship, and the strength of chosen family as well as process details and “show and tell” of the large gravure plates and printing tools used to create the prints. NYTimes review of “Tuff Enough” here.
Peer Portfolio Review Happy Hour
May 28, 2016, 1- 3PM, NOPA Gallery, 1111 Saint Mary St., NOLA
NOPA MEMBERS ONLY: RSVP here
Bring your portfolio, book or iPad and get ready to get and give unbiased feedback in this informal peer portfolio review, a no-pressure event providing feedback on your work without the stress of making a sale. We guarantee you’ll walk away with new ideas and perspectives – and maybe a few new friends!
NOPA is creating a comprehensive hub for all photography-based events in the New Orleans area. We are developing a new online resource to compile listings of all photography exhibitions, openings, lectures, panel discussions, and other photography-based events. We’ll continue to spotlight notable events in the newsletter, so be sure to provide a detailed description of your event for spotlight consideration. If you have a photography event to share, submit here.
The Fish Town Shindig with Benny Grunch
Thursday, May 19, 7- 9PM, NOPA Gallery, 1111 Saint Mary St., NOLA
Join the Center for the Study of Place, Inc. and support the publication of J.T. Blatty’s historic preservation photography book, Fish Town: Down the Road to Louisiana’s Vanishing Fishing Communities, honoring the places and people of our fresh seafood industry. More info & tickets here. Please email Amy Dailey Williams for information on event partnerships or NOPA gallery rentals.
Lee Deigaard: Night Vision
May 7 – May 31, 2016
Opening Reception: May 7, 6-9PM, Arthur Roger Gallery, 432 Julia St., NOLA
Trained as a sculptor, Deigaard works in a variety of media including photography, installation, drawing, and video. Recurring themes in her work include animal protagonists, cross-species interactions and connections, ancient trees, bayous, the aftermath of the Gulf oil spill, and neural networks. In 2012, she won NOPA’s Clarence John Laughlin Award for photography.
Ogden Museum of Southern Art
5th Annual Louisiana Contemporary
Submission Deadline: June 15, 2016
This event promotes contemporary art practices in Louisiana, provides exhibition space for the exposition of living artist’s work, and engages a contemporary audience that recognizes Louisiana’s vibrant visual culture. Open to living artists working in Louisiana, ages 18+. More info here.
Jonathan Ferrara Gallery
No Dead Artists
Submission Deadline: June 1, 2016
To commemorate the 20th iteration, Jonathan Ferrara Gallery will run the exhibition for two months (August/September 2016) including an opening in conjunction with Whitney White Linen Night. More info here.
Texas Photographic Society
29th Annual Members’ Only Show
Submission Deadline: June 6, 2016
The New Orleans Photo Alliance depends on your contributions to provide dynamic photographic programming, education and funding throughout the Gulf South. NOPA strives to be a cultural stimulus which fosters economic and artistic growth while preserving the rich and diverse photographic culture of New Orleans and the southern region. Please consider becoming a member today, or raising your membership status! Contact della@neworleansphotoalliance.