Chicago Photography Center

WELCOME !

I believe that Summer is arriving in Chicago: windows and doors are open to the outside air, gardens are blooming, and the CPC is opening its doors on our second show of the calendar year: the June'09 Exhibition.

Photographs are like blooms. They are fussed-over, trimmed, nurtured, coaxed, cared for, and finally ready to be viewed by the larger audience. And so are the photographs we celebrate with this exhibition. I encourage you to take the time to read the photographers' statements; they reveal so much about their individual approaches to image-making: Erik Ciccarelli describes "a separate world" he enters when behind his camera; Mike Davern seeks "color in the world", whether the source is local or far from home; Richard Johnson "dares the observer" (of his images) to "process what they are viewing", often "snippets of a scene or a portion of an object"; Don Kepler muses on the "disruption" in his approach-summising that new "aggressive techniques and pushing skill boundaries may lead to faster improvement"; Sean O'Connor collaborated with dancers, actors, and athletes- "people very aware of how to move their body from point A to point B"-using their movements in studies of time slowed or frozen in frame; and Tom Snow takes us out to the street, where he strives to "capture candid images of people doing various tasks"...usually in a "fast-paced environment which does not allow or support the use of additional light sources".

I trust that everyone who sees this show will find something to connect to; it's broad in scope and technique. On behalf of the entire Board of Directors of the Chicago Photography Center, I welcome you to our community.

Betsy Lent

CPC Board of Directors