First, thanks for the shout-out.

Secondly -- great, great idea. The Walker has a blog up now too. I bet we've got the beginning of a trend....

Nice opening post--Thanks Lauren. Congratulations on the exhibition. The connections you made between blogging and the act of photography--momentary observations captured in time--are a great start to the conversation.

As for Mr. McGinley, more later, perhaps. (Scale? Identity? Fashion? Reality TV? Youth?) There was a short interview on Artnet last year, and Tyler's remarks were interesting, as well. Incidentally, McGinley did a series on Olympic swimmers for the NYT.

Interesting image choice, Lauren. I remember giving a gallery talk with you, and someone in the group commented on how sorry she felt for this guy, Dan (in the photo), and how she couldn't really enjoy the image because he appeared so pained. I also remember you and I looking at each other w/ a bit of confusion. Dan just so happened to be the one "dusted" on this particular day/night, but I'm fairly certain he's had his share of being the "dustee". To me, he clearly is not in pain, and I'm sure someone will probably pay for "Dan Dusted". More images, please.

Allen Thomas? Is this a post from the collector that is featured in the exhibition? Probably. I've gone to museum exhibitions for years and while photography isn't my favorite (and frankly I wouldn't want my 13-year-old daughter to see the show) it's great that a collector from Wilson, North Carolina is featured at the state art museum. How'd you get started collecting photographs? And how did the Museum find out about you?

Since I've never blogged until now, I'm unsure of the etiquette. If I'm supposed to email you directly (L Marshall), let me know.
Otherwise, thank you for your comments on the show. I've collected art (or simply objects I liked)for as long as I can remember. In college, I began to collect small paintings and ceramics. Once out of school, I really started appreciating contemporary studio glass (particularly Penland produced)and wood pieces by an artist named Randy Shull. Just before photography, I was collecting realistic oil paintings by an aritst named Jack Saylor (currently living and painting in Beaufort). Photography dovetailed beautifully w/ Jack's work. A gallery in New Orleans got me hooked on photography while vacationing down there ~ and New York kept me going w/ lots of galleries dedicated to only contemporary photography.
The Museum heard about the work through the Director, Larry Wheeler. He and I had bumped into each other a few times in NY, and had discussed contemporary photography and mutual friends. It evolved from there.
This particular show does include some challenging work, and I appreciate your comments.

I think you did just perfect Allen.

Lauren, great idea for the blog. Finally one I want to read! (Have you looked at Rosie O'Donnell's? UGH!)I can't wait to see the show and to see the other work in Allen's collection. I'm pretty sure I know most of it but seeing is different experience than hearing and talking about it. I'm so proud to be a small part of Allen's collecting process.

I hope the museum will benefit from the exhibition for a very long time. The show works against the grain of so many stereo types of "the south" and (unfortunately) the conservative viewpoints of our country at this moment. Thanks to Lauren, Dennis and Allen for continuing to be champions of artists with true vision and particular voices.

Thanks Allen, Dan, Chad and Tyler for your comments and support of the blog. We hope to post more images from the show and more entries from Allen and the NCMA staff in the next few days...Stay tuned.

Exhibition update: We plan to install the video, Amphibians, by Anthony Goicolea in our video gallery next week. Anthony is represented by two works in the photography exhibition, Blizzard and Midnight Kiss. He will give an artist lecture at the Museum on Sunday, June 26 at 2:00 pm in the Museum auditorium.

Also - see the Village Voice review of ANthony's current show at Postmasters, NYC http://www.villagevoice.com/art/0517,harris1,63357,13.html

Thanks Tyler ~ coming from you that means a lot. And thank you Dan for the kudos. (Full disclosure: Dan is one of my favorite dealers in NY, so he's going to say nice things).
Can someone link the Goicolea review from the Voice?

Full Disclosure: I say bad things about clients all the time!

Dan dusted. I like the interplay of two vehicles of expression here—both taunting. The photo itself is McGinley’s chosen canvas. But Dan’s body is also a canvas for expression. There is this kind of really open quality to the photo. A brutally raw and simple means of expression, black marker on human flesh; not decorative or beautiful, but harsh, scribbled human graffiti. Dan’s face, as Allen remarked, not necessarily pained, but to me, pleading. A blanket held loosely around his waist. A little trickle of blood from his nose. All of this conveyed with a more sophisticated means of communication, a photograph. Scene framed by the artist. Made with chemicals and light, two dimensional, contained, but still expressive. I think of the actual act of creation. How it feels to write on flesh (what to write?) or to be written on. Putting a mark where there wasn’t one before. Like taking a photo. Putting light onto paper, fixing it with chemicals. Making a (subjective/objective?) record, “writing down” the moment. Like dusting but more permanent.

Hey Dan—gotcha! his friends tease. All in good fun. Dan’s vulnerable but without shame; on display. He’s not pained, but he’s not laughing either. There’s a kind of tension in that. Makes me want to know the rest of the story…

Is it possible to make the image larger? I didn't know there was a trickle of blood from his nose. I thought it was a nose ring. No matter, a great analysis of the work ~ have you ever considered being an arts writer? Your point about wanting to know the rest of the story is exactly why I purchased it. The McGinley show at the Whitney was big and colorful, and extensive to the subject matter. After seeing 30 or 40 McGinley images from this series, you see where he's going with it, and Dan's story seems told through the other images as a whole. That may be why I don't see Dan as pained ~ or really anything other than 'dusted'. It's like at the end of MTV's series "PUNKED", a reality show of celebrities playing (elaborate) pranks on other celebrities. After the cameras are revealed, and the star is sufficiently embarrassed, they are asked to look directly into the lens of the camera and say, "I've been PUNKED". Some required last jab before everything goes back to normal. The photograph of Dan, to me, feels like that last jab. The photograph is the proof.

Allen- great point about needing to see the photo in the context of the series. I need to look at the rest of the works. And I looked again: Dan's nose isn't actually trickling blood, but there is a definite bloody scrape on his nose... like he was hit or slept on concrete or something.

As a volunteer at NCMA I get to see everything. I love most of In Focus. A few photos don't impress me. But on the whole, I really love this collection. Photography has been ignored as an art form for to long.

Dan dusted. I feel his pain - how hung over would you be on the morning after a night where you were passed out so completely you didn't know your friends were writing all over you in magic marker? BTW - this is a fabulous show.

The comments from bloggers neglect to included the indecent nature of the exhibit and its inappropriateness for the young and victims of sexual abuse. A warning should be given before entry.
I have heard many negative comments from the visitors and also NCMA workers and many of them mention that children should not be allowed and that parents shoud be warned beforehand.
I would like a response before complaining again.

To J.P. Durnin: Thank you for your comment. I agree that there is some challenging subject matter in the exhibition. Many of these artists deal with difficult issues on many levels (our aim for the blog is to talk about them.) Your concerns about the victims of sexual abuse seem the most urgent, however. Do you have a particular image in mind? If so, I suggest we explore that image by way of the blog and let other staff and visitors comment. Others may share your concerns as well—and the conversation may (or may not) tell us something about the works of art—regardless, it’s a conversation worth having. (Or, if you’d rather, I’d be happy to continue the conversation via email.)
Art, especially contemporary art, can be uncomfortable for some viewers, and yet it’s the only kind of art that really resonates with others. If it’s successful it will speak to many issues found in contemporary society—and it is not always pretty, it can even be repulsive. And that can be good.

It's always good to see new art blogs, and it's particularly good to see experts doing it (and not just mere amateurs like me). I'm looking forward to seeing what can be found here!

Joerg. I browse your web site all the time, and was excited to see your name on this blog. The museum is currently having a contemporary photography show that has generated some good buzz. If you get some time (!), please look at some of the images, and let our members know what you think. Your writing is concise and provocative ~ and you seem to truly understand photography, today. By the way, Joerg's website is http://jmcolberg.com/weblog/ ~ "Conscientious - a weblog about photography", and is always an interesting read.

Hi Allen, looking at the photos online isn't quite the same as seeing them at the museum. In any case, from the samples that are online it seems there is quite the diverse collection of photos by some of the most interesting contemporary photographers; and I think it will be quite the eye opener for those people who don't really know too much about this kind of art.

Some people might argue that the show is somewhat incomplete, but I don't think that would too fair (or too useful) a statement. Unless you have almost infinite space and monetary resources you will always miss somebody's favourite photographer.

The show definitely gives you a feel of what contemporary photography can be about - and where else do you get to see so many different people's work shown at once?