by Bruce Schaefer
Following are a number of photography-related exhibits and events occurring now, or soon, in the extended Washington D.C. area. These include gallery and museum exhibits, college exhibits, special events, and sometimes exhibits or events to photograph yourself. Also look at the previous months’ Exhibits & Events columns for ongoing exhibits that aren’t repeated here.
- Exhibits & Events – November 2019 (three ongoing)
- Exhibits & Events – October 2019 (one ongoing)
- Exhibits & Events – September 2019 (three ongoing)
Following these are a number of online photography award winners for armchair adventures.
NATIONAL GALLERY OF ART – RICHARD MOSSE: INCOMING
Between 3rd and 9th Streets along Constitution Avenue NW
Washington, DC
East Building, Concourse Level
November 17, 2019 – March 22, 2020
Mesmerizing and unsettling, the immersive video Incoming (2014–2017) by Richard Mosse (b. 1980) presents viewers with the sights and sounds of a pressing issue of our time: mass migration. Seeking a new way to shed light on the refugee crisis and “the urgent narratives of human displacement,” Mosse and cinematographer Trevor Tweeten capture fragments of events along two major pathways leading into Europe—one from Africa, the other from the Middle East—using a highly specialized surveillance camera. Originally designed for military use, the camera produces images by detecting thermal radiation, including the heat of a human body, from as far as 18 miles away. The effect allows Mosse to walk a tightrope, exposing the intimate stories of these refugees while providing a veil of privacy, isolating the plight of individuals while underscoring their interconnectedness with all humanity.
Projected on three large screens, Incoming is accompanied by a score composed of ambient sound by Ben Frost. A recent acquisition purchased with funds from the Collectors Committee and a gift from Robert B. Menschel, the 52-minute long video work is accompanied by nine photographic stills from the film.
Admission: Free
FREER GALLERY OF ART – SACRED DEDICATION: A KOREAN BUDDHIST MASTERPIECE
Jefferson Drive at 12th Street SW, Washington, DC
September 21, 2019–March 22, 2020
A single object—a beautiful gilt wood sculpture of Gwaneum, the bodhisattva of compassion and the most popular deity in Korean Buddhism—is the focus of this loan exhibition from the National Museum of Korea. Carved in the late Goryeo period (918–1392), this crowned image is now known to be the oldest surviving gilded wood figure in an informal pose. Its posture, with one leg raised and the other lowered, is associated with the deity’s dwelling place, where he sits calmly on rocks above the crashing waves of the sea. The same subject in a similar pose was common in devotional paintings, such as the hanging scroll of Suwol Gwaneum bosal (Water-Moon Avalokiteshvara) now in the collection of the Freer Gallery.
Admission: Free
NATIONAL MUSEUM OF AMERICAN HISTORY – MY COMPUTING DEVICES
14th Street and Constitution Avenue, NW
Washington, DC
August 28, 2019 – February 2020
Check your pocket. Check your purse. Check your hand. Chances are, you’re carrying a computing device. Today large numbers of Americans have and use cell phones capable of a wide variety of computations. Handheld calculators, laptop computers, and personally owned gaming devices abound.
Your computing device is the result of centuries of innovation and experimentation by inventors and users alike. The devices they proposed, operated, and owned were personal to them—a tangible symbol of their ideas, their expertise, and their unique needs.
These are a handful of their computing devices.
Admission: Free
HIRSHHORN MUSEUM AND SCULPTURE GARDEN
Independence Avenue at 7th Street, SW
Washington, DC
Manifesto: Art x Agency
June 15, 2019 – January 5, 2020
German artist Julian Rosefeldt’s epic, multi-channel video work Manifesto serves as the centerpiece to a display of works from the Hirshhorn collection highlighting works of art created in response to, or as a part of, artistic manifestos of the past 100 years.
Admission: Free
WASHINGTON POST
Here is a link to the online Washington Post’s lists of D.C., Maryland, and Virginia photography-related exhibits and museums. I have found that the various photography-related exhibits appear in different parts of the online paper, making a simple search or link unreliable. You can search within
Photography section: Photography
Going Out Guide: Going Out Guide
Art Section: Art
ONLINE PHOTO SITES:
Following are some websites that offer terrific images for the armchair adventurer.
2019 NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TRAVEL PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS
https://www.nationalgeographic.com/contests/travel-photo-contest/2019/winners
The 2019 National Geographic Travel Photo Contest drew entries—stunning images of wildlife, people, and places—from around the world. Photographers shared their vision of our global experiences and top industry experts reviewed thousands of pictures to determine the ultimate winners.
THE NATURE CONSERVANCY 2019 PHOTO CONTEST WINNERS
https://www.nature.org/en-us/get-involved/how-to-help/photo-contest/2019-winners/
We’re excited to announce the winners of the 2019 Photo Contest. This year’s photo contest received a record number of submissions from more than 150 countries. We thank everyone who entered or voted, and we look forward to your participation again next year.
THE AGORA AWARDS 2019
The Agora Awards 2019 rewarded the world’s greatest photo of the year with $25,000. Michael Aboya received his prize in the Awards ceremony in Barcelona and has gone down in photography history. After nine months and +130,000 submissions, Songs Of Freedom has been chosen as the world’s greatest photo of the year.
URBAN 2019 PHOTO AWARDS WINNERS
https://urbanphotoawards.com/winners-2019/winners-2019-single-pictures/
URBAN International Photo Awards is a world wide photo contest that has come to its 10th edition. URBAN looks for talent and quality both among professional and amateur photographers, offering them an international platform from which to get noticed.
URBAN is divided into two sections: one is dedicated to “Themed Photos”, with its main theme about Street Photography, which has formerly given the name to the contest since its first edition. Real, instant images capable of telling stories woven into the urban fabric. URBAN unveils the city and its secrets. The other section is “Projects & Portfolios” where each participant can submit a series of images oriented to show his or her idea through photographs.