Black Friday

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What the fuck is wrong with us?

A Wal-Mart worker died after being trampled when hundreds of shoppers smashed through the doors of a Long Island store Friday morning, police and witnesses said.

The 34-year-old employee, a temporary maintenance worker, tried to hold back the unruly crowds just after the Valley Stream store opened at 5 a.m.

Witnesses said the surging throngs of shoppers knocked the man down. He fell and was stepped on. As he gasped for air, shoppers ran over and around him. More

It's a Mus-Mus World After All

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© Roger Ballen

On November 4 at 600 Internet Time (the Esperanto of interval measurement?) a host of photographers from around the world took a picture. The results are now up on the Mus-Mus site. The most exciting surprise for me was that Roger Ballen's rec room looks exactly as I imagined it would.

A Few Questions for Molly Landreth

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Clare Mercy, Bellingham, WA © Molly Landreth

I first saw Molly Landreth's Embodiment series while we were both grad students at the SVA. She was a year ahead of me and the series was still in the early stages, but I took notice. Earlier this year I was at Humble Arts Foundation's 31 Under 31 show and got really excited about an image that turned out to be Molly's. After the show I checked out her Web site and was amazed how far the series had come.

Embodiment is an ongoing portraiture project that has taken Molly across this country photographing "the lives of people who offer brave new visions of what it means to be queer in America today." To pay for her travels Molly is offering signed prints from the Embodiment series for the ridiculously low price of $50 apiece. When I read about her print sale I bought two and wrote her to see if she would be up for a quick interview about her project. I was very happy when she agreed.

AMY STEIN: What are your plans for this project? A book perhaps? When will you know you are done?

MOLLY LANDRETH: YES! A book is absolutely the end goal. I have been a huge collector of books on photography and art for a long time now, so that was immediately how I started thinking about this project when it began. In the book I will be combining these photographs with handwritten statements by many of the subjects and...a very new idea as of recently....a dvd of video interviews which I've been conducting during the shoots. This all just keeps getting bigger and bigger so knowing when I'm totally done may be tricky. However, I'm planning a huge trip for next year which will involve shooting from Arizona all through the southern and southern-ish/midwestern areas of the country and down through Florida. After that, if all goes well, I will be done.

AS: What are you trying to say with this work? Can you put it in the context of Catherine Opie or other photographers who have photographed aspects of gay life or culture?

ML: This body of work really grew out of my own need to see images of queer life represented in a way that I could relate to. Seeing honest representations of people within your own community is SO important. Being able to point at an image and say..."There, I can relate to that. I want to be like that. I remember what that felt like," is super empowering. It makes my heart beat faster and it feels like love. That's what I try to put into this project and I hope that's what people can get out of it. I know I felt that way when I saw Catherine Opie's photographs of drag kings, trans folks and lesbians for the first time, or saw the amazing Vaginal Davis or Nomy Lamm perform or read something by queer theorist Judith Halberstam. I was like..."Hell Ya!!" Here are artists who are taking the idea of what it means to be "Gay" in mainstream culture....with all of its limiting stereotypes.... blowing it up and reassembling it in totally subversive and amazing ways to give everyone a lot more room to move around. I hope to accomplish that with my project as well. Not all of the people in my images are super crazy or living lives in radically different ways than their neighbors, but that's not the point. The beauty is in the subtle ways they are expanding ideas of gender, sexuality, beauty, love, etc. within both straight and mainstream gay and lesbian communities, by just being true to themselves. Sometimes you don't have to be loud to cause a commotion.

Travis at Gay Skate, Glendale, CA © Molly Landreth

AS: Do you feel your project has taken on a new prescience after the passage of Proposition 8 in California, Proposed Initiative Act No. 1 in Arkansas, Proposition 102 in Arizona, and Amendment 2 in Florida.

ML: Isn't it shocking that in this country, in 2008, we can still so openly discriminate against and withhold basic rights from a particular group of people?! FREAKING CRAZY.

I don't know how the passage of these hate filled propositions and initiatives has directly affected my project or the way I think of it....but I can say this. I have seen so much compassion, strength and bravery from people that I have been photographing over the last 3 years. They fight so hard for their happiness and the freedom to live life exactly how they wish to, without fear. It is SO inspiring and it makes me hopeful that we, with the help of our amazing allies, have the strength to get back the rights that we deserve.

AS: Can you tell me an interesting story behind one of the images?

ML: Sure. When I went to Ohio for the first time, I stayed with a drag king named "Luster de la Virgion" who was absolutely incredible at finding people for me to photograph. One of these individuals being Cruz aka "Jalesa". Cruz was quitet when I first met him and I was unsure if he wanted to be a part of the project or simply wanted to hang out and watch the action. Intrigued, I started asking him questions and learned that at the age of 17, he had just performed drag for the first time to slightly uncomfortable reviews....at baptist church camp! I was COMPLETELY blown away. I started photographing other folks who had stopped by, but stayed alert to what he was up to. Casually, he had started his transformation and I saw the eyebrows, the wig, the eyeliner go on, accompanied by beige cargo shorts, a retro style button up shirt and big black skateboarder shoes. Not the look of the baptist church performer that I had expected. When she seemed to be done I asked if she was ready for the shoot. After thinking for a bit she replied that Luster had a really beautiful, white, fur coat that she would love to wear for one picture, but she was too nervous to ask because it was super special. I noted that this was kind of a super special occasion and without any more prompting she ran back inside and emerged triumphant. With the coat on, she was completely in command. Marching out to the middle of the yard she said that she'd been practicing her looks from watching top model, struck a pose and told me to shoot. She was amazing.

Jalesa, aka Cruz, Columbus, OH. © Molly Landreth

Her quote from this shoot is: "First of all, not sure if I would call myself queer, but definitely trans. Trans, to me means being different. And that is something I am trying to understand. What I see when I look at this picture is a girl—maybe even a woman that needs to be set free. I keep seeing this familiar face, staring back at me and not knowing what it means. It is like a dream that you can't wake up from and I am not sure I want to."
- Cruz aka "Jalesa"

Miss America

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Amy and Zoe at the America opening

Zoe Strauss' America: We Love Having You Here opening at the Bruce Silverstein Gallery was a fabulous affair. Once again, the girl did it up right with beer and pretzels, comfy living room chairs, and photographs so good they make you want to quit taking photographs. Whether it's her gallery exhibitions, her public installations or her book, Zoe is completely in charge of her vision and it shows. And how wonderful to have a gallerist like Bruce who believes in that vision so completely.

Pre-order Signed Copies of Domesticated from Photo-eye

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You can now pre-order signed copies of my Critical Mass book, Domesticated, on the photo-eye bookstore site. It is a lovely little book sure to bring you years of page-turning, photo-gazing joy.

And, because it's a competition book put out by Critical Mass, only 600 will be available for sale and there won't be a second printing. Talk about an instant collector's item.

Pre-order now!

Thursday Night In NYC

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Forest Glenn III © Christoph Gielen

Tonight is a slow night for openings in New York, but that doesn't mean I won't be making the rounds. Donning a parka and warmed by wine, I am going embrace the New York chill to see the Moving Walls 15 group exhibition at the Open Society Institute and Christoph Gielen's Arcadia show at Daniel Cooney Fine Arts.

The Moving Walls 15 show will feature work by James Pomerantz who I have been emailing with of late after he gave me a copy of his lovely book, Caspian Dream. The show is at the OSI so I'm hoping big daddy Soros ponies up for some quality wine.

Arcadia is Christoph Gielen's first New York solo show. Christoph's work includes spectacular aerial view of towns and cities that need to be seen in person to appreciate.

Really this is all just an excuse to hang out again with my sassy and hyper-talented lady friend, Juliana Beasley, who has been away in France far too long.

And, don't forget this Saturday is the big Zoe Strauss We Love Having You opening at Bruce Silverstein Gallery. If you miss this, you'd better be dead or in jail...and if your in jail, break out!

Thank You Syracuse

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Today I returned to New York City after two action packed days as a visiting artist in the Art Photography department at Syracuse University. I was honored to have the opportunity to share my work with the students and spend time with them discussing their work during studio visits and crits. The students at Syracuse are extremely committed and were enthusiastic with their generosity. They made me feel like a rock star.

A real highlight was sitting in on a grad critique by the great Doug Dubois. His teaching style energized me and I hope to bring some of his energy into my classrooms at Parsons and the SVA. I owe a big thank you to Doug for inviting me to his wonderful program and being such a strong advocate of my work.

Also, a big thank you to Emily Vey Duke for arranging my presentation and making me feel so welcome.

ASMP Mentor Program

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I'm about to hop on a plane to do a visiting artist stint in the grad photo program at Syracuse University, but I wanted to give a quick shout to the ASMP New York mentor program. The program connects working photographers with those just starting out. This year I'm participating as a mentor which means I'm committing at least one day a month for six months to my "mentees." If the thought of me advising you on your work and career doesn't pique your interest, check out the other top notch photographers giving their time to the program.

Get all the details here and learn how to register here. Sign-ups are happening now.

Battle Photo: Auto Graveyard!

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I have led many a photographer into the visual Thunderdome that is Battle Photo, but I have never entered the squared circle myself. It only seems fair that I subject my own work to the same test. And what better way to make my debut than against the best pound-for-pound photographer ever. I am doomed!

Joe's Auto Graveyard, Pennsylvania © Walker Evans

vs.

Auto Salvage Yard, Route 90, Louisiana © Amy Stein

Chris Marker's La Jetée

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I teach the Freshman Seminar course in the photography program at Parsons The New School for Design. The course serves to give incoming students both a technical and conceptual overview of all things photography and a foundation of knowledge that they can build on throughout the rest of their time in the program. Each year one of the first things I do is show the students the 1962 science fiction film La Jetée by Chris Marker.

La Jetée is set in a post-nuclear war Paris and focuses on a group of survivors living underground as they experiment with time travel. It was produced with minimal budget, has no dialogue, and was constructed almost entirely from black and white still photographs. It would seem an odd choice to introduce students to the world of photography, but it is simply one of the most stunning and important visual statements made in the last hundred years.

If you have not seen the film, you must. You can watch it below in three parts (it's only 28 minutes long).







In 1996 MIT Press produced a book of images from La Jetée. That book is now out of print, but this year Zone Books reissued La Jetée in all its glory. The book includes all of the film's original images along with the script in both English and French. You can buy a copy here.

Certificate of Awesometicity

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I took my car in to get an oil change this morning and this commercial was playing in the waiting area. My two favorite parts are when the white family toasts their Obama plate in the beginning and when the man in the pink shirt stops writing, turns to gaze upon his Obama plate, and then turns back to his writing with a shit-eating grin.

Yes you can...own a piece of history.

BUT WAIT, THERE'S MORE: First there was the plate and now there is the official inaugural dollar layered in genuine 24 karat gold. I can't wait for the Obama Hummel figurine and the Obama Shamwow.

Framing the Presidency

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In an age of hyper-partisan media and made-for-TV presidential stagecraft does the photograph still play an important role in helping the electorate define a candidate? Or, has the singular photographic image morphed from moment definer to mere visual buttress to support the rhetoric of partisans?

Tonight, I am looking for answers.

“Framing the Presidency”
Wednesday, November 12, 2008, 7:00 p.m.
The New School
Tishman Auditorium, Alvin Johnson/J. M. Kaplan Hall
66 West 12th Street, New York City

The Aperture Foundation, the Photography Department of Parsons The New School for Design and the Vera List Center for Art and Politics at The New School present a new season of panel discussions focusing on photography. The second event is “Framing the Presidency,” which explores the collision of photography, mass media, and politics in the 2008 presidential campaign and beyond. Artists and media experts share their experiences and explore the power of photography in constructing our image of the presidency.

With
Tim Davis, photographer
Robert Hariman, Chair of Communication Studies at Northwestern University
Todd Heisler, Pulitzer Prize winning photojournalist
David Scull, New York Times campaign picture editor photographer

Admission is free!

Brand New Funky President

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"Hey, country
Didn't say what you meant
Just changed
Brand new funky President"

- James Brown

Vote! Vote! Vote!

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If you are going to vote, great. I strongly suggest you vote for Barack Obama.

If you live in California, don't be a dick. Please vote against Proposition 8.

If you are not going to vote, you suck. And, I am going to kick your ass.

ARTWALK NY 2008 Tonight

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Now in its 14th year, ARTWALK NY is one of the great benefit art auctions in New York City. The auction helps fund the amazing work of the Coalition For the Homeless. This is the third year in a row I have been asked to donate a piece to ARTWALK and the third year in a row I have done so without hesitation.

The economy is in the dumper right now which means that homelessness is on the rise and funds for life changing programs and emergency relief are drying up exactly when they are most needed. If you can make it to the event tonight, you will not be disappointed by the work available for bid (PDF). If you can't make it, please do something on behalf of the homeless.

This. Fucking. Election.

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T.F.E.

There is No Off Switch for Jason Polan's Genius

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Lionfish © Jason Polan

Sunday my good friend Jason Polan will be doing something special for the Editions/Artists' Books Fair. As usual, it's pretty much genius.

On Thursday, Friday, and Saturday I will be making drawings for a book called 100 People I Saw At The Editions/Artists’ Books Fair. The book will contain 99 people I saw during these three days. Once the drawings are completed I will print the book, in an edition of 100 to be available on Sunday at noon. The book will be available for purchase at the Esopus table (#59) at the fair. The book will cost $20. If you choose to purchase a book, you will be drawn in your copy, completing the project and becoming the 100th person in the book.

I will be there to pick up the book and have Jason drawn my picture. You should too.

Run Amy Run

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Yesterday was a whirlwind of activity that took me to every corner and three boroughs of the city. It really wasn't much different than most days--my life pretty much follows the plot of Run Lola Run--but yesterday all the bit players and extras were dressed like the Joker and slutty nurses.

I started off in Brooklyn with my assistant Geoff prepping images for my upcoming show at the Print Center in Philly. After about four hours of staring at the computer screen, I drove home to Queens and picked up my husband and my cameras and headed over the Triborough Bridge to East Harlem.

This was my fifth year working on the Halloween in Harlem project. Every year I troll the crowded streets between Lexington and 3rd Avenue above 110th Street and fight the falling sun to document a unique New York take on an American holiday ritual. The kids in the neighborhood do not go from home to home for candy, they go from liquor store to bodega to check cashing store for candy. The streets are packed with families and stopping the flow to take photos proves half the challenge. Every year I build up to the day and then never have more than two hours to shoot before it gets too dark.

After shooting in East Harlem we drove back home to Queens, put on our lame costumes, and then jumped on the F train to the epicenter of Halloween madness to got to Matthew and Nate's party. If you have never been to the West Village on Halloween night, here's a helpful tip.

Don't go!

Streets blocked, throngs of drunken idiots in Scream masks, shoving and pushing from all angles, and New York's bagel-fed finest just standing idly by looking completely content to do nothing and collect overtime pay. Not fun. After forty minutes swimming through humanity we finally made it to the party.

Matthew and Nate throw the best parties and this year was no exception. Nate is the detail guy and no ghoulish detail was left to chance. Cupcakes with eyeballs, spiders crawling across the wall and spelling "Obama", and a giant centipede in the bathtub were just some of the touches that made this a great evening. The highlight was Matthew's Indian food throwdown challenge. He is a big fan of the Jackson Diner and my recent declaration that Delhi Palace was better raised his ire and piqued his interest. Look forward to a new Lunch With Amy post coming soon with guest diner, Matthew Pillsbury.

It always seems like a long subway ride home to Queens after a night out, but last night it took longer than usual. After a full day all I could do was collapse in my comfy chair while watching The Soup and then drag myself to bed a short time later.

This Saturday I am going to force myself to relax.