Being named an Innovator of the Year by American Photo makes me feel like a freakin’ rock star.

Photo by John Von Pamer

It’s not the surprising congratulations I’ve received from unlikely quarters, it’s not that it made my momma proud (in fact I don’t think she’s even picked up the issue yet), it’s not that they managed to come up with a photo of me that I actually like (after I totally dropped the ball on getting one to them, thanks guys!) But really mostly it’s the very fine company I am in. Other Innovators on the list:

Caterina and Stewart (for Flickr, but of course)

Lesley Martin, Executive Editor of Aperture Books

Joerg Colberg, founder of Conscientious

All these Innovators have something in common: They are past, present or future panelists for Hey, Hot Shot!, a cornerstone of the gallery’s program, and one of the main reasons I was selected as an Innovator. As an added bonus, Fall 2006 Hot Shot Shen Wei get an Honorable Mention in the Images of the Year section. It’s great to be in such fine company, and I know for a fact that each and every one of us has some more innovation on tap for 2007.

Also, American Photo deserves an Innovator shoutout itself. Their State of the Art blog is starting to make waves. Web editor Jay DeFoore conceived the blog as a supplement to the print version and has managed to create a nice blend of old school and next wave. It’s great to see the EIC David Schonauer making regular contributions. Miki Johnson is the chief contributor, and she’s prolific in the way that bloggers ought to be. Her recent Blog It, Share It post was widely linked to, not just because she linked widely, but because it was a great synopsis of the whole blogging photographers thang. (Go, Miki, GO!)
Originally posted on Personism, I apologize for the cross-posting/repetition.

Please join us at an opening reception in honor of the Fall edition Hot Shots:

jen bekman
6 Spring St (between Elizabeth + Bowery)
NYC 10012

Hey, Hot Shot! Fall 2006 Edition

Opening Reception
Wednesday December 13, 2006 | 6pm – 8pm
Tasty beverages provided by Crumpler, makers of excellent bags, in particular excellent photo bags.

Warm Your Toes Open House
Saturday December 16, 2006 | Noon – 3pm
Joe will be serving their divine coffee along with some delicious treats. It’s a perfect opportunity to check out the show, meet some artists and warm up from holiday shopping.

Other than that, the exhibition is on view Thursday – Sunday, December 14-17, 2006 from noon – 6pm.
Do drop in!

Learn more about this season’s Hot Shots: Check out the aweseome interviews that Alice has been conducting over on The Official Hey, Hot Shot! Blog.

More information than you can shake a stick at:

Hey, Hot Shot! web site
Images, Inventory Details + Prices (via a Flickr photoset)
jen bekman web site

Mosaic Image Credits:
1. By Your Side (Distance) by Chad Muthard, 2. Misha’s Living Room, Tambov, Russia by Sasha Rudensky, 3. Joey by Shen Wei, 4. third avenue, brooklyn by Joseph O. Holmes, 5. seventh avenue, brooklyn by Joseph O. Holmes, 6. Meribel, 2006 by Patrick Smith, 7. Cap Blanc-Nez, 2006 by Patrick Smith, 8. Untitled (Bethlehem) by Victoria Rich, 9. Untitled (from I’m in the Wrong Film) by Hans Gindlesberger, 10. The Drive (With Pete) by Chad Muthard, 11. Untitled by Mette Maersk, 12. Cake Stare by Joe Fornabaio, 13. Frieda by Juliana Beasley

jbSL in TONY (trans: This week’s issue of TimeOut NY has an article about the virtual version of jen bekman that we constructed in Second Life in conjunction with James Deavin’s Photographs from the New World exhibition.)

The article is called Life Imitates Art and it’s written by Howard Halle. It’s on page 7 of the actual printed magazine if you happen to get it.

Which brings me to another thing: the exhibition (the real one, in the gallery on Spring Street!) closes this Saturday, December 9. If you haven’t made it by yet, do drop in!

To visit jbSL, follow this SLurl.

We’ll be hosting a what-promises-to-be-excellent artists talk @ jen bekman this Wednesday evening, November 29th, from 6pm -8pm. (We’ll mingle and have refreshing beverages til 7pm, and the artists talk will last til about 8.)

Moderator Marisa Olson, an artist and the Editor and Curator of of Rhizome.org, will lead a casual conversation with James Deavin and Eva + Franco Mattes. The discussion will be about their respective projects documenting Second Life.

Deavin’s Photographs from the New World, mostly landscapes and interior shots, is on view at the gallery through Saturday December 9th and in Second Life at jbSL, the gallery’s virtual location, through the end of December.

The Matteses’ portrait series, 13 Most Beautiful Avatars, is showing now at Ars Virtua Gallery in conjunction with the Time Shares series co-presented by Rhizome and the New Museum of Contemporary Art, and will be in a “real world” show opening on 11/30 at the Italian Academy, at Columbia.

We have a limited amount of space, so please RSVP if you’d like to attend: rsvp AT jenbekman DOT com.

jen bekman
6 Spring St
between Elizabeth + Bowery)
NYC 10012

Image: Untitled by James Deavin | 30” x 40” C-print

Untitled (Three) by Fall Hot Shot Patrick Smith

We just announced the winners for the Fall 2006 Edition of Hey, Hot Shot! over on the competition’s blog. And the winners are….

Juliana Beasley
Joe Fornabaio
Hans Gindlesberger
Joseph O. Holmes
Mette Maersk
Chad Muthard
Victoria Rich
Sasha Rudensky
Patrick Smith
Shen Wei

The Fall Edition opening reception, featuring delicious top-shelf beer from HHS! sponsor Crumpler, is Wednesday, December 13 from 6–8pm. The show will be up from December 14–17, 2006.

In other good news, the Fall Hot Shots will be included in the first of its kind HHS! Yearbook, brought to you by Blurb — out this December! (In the for the opening reception, is what we’re hoping!)

As always, many thanks to our fantastic group of panelists, to Jeff Kirsch and Jesse Chan-Norris for all their hard work and commitment to the jb, and, of course, a big thank you out to all of the participants!

In addition to the winners who will be showing @ jb, there are Honorable Mentions too:

Joslin Van Arsdale, Alain Astruc, Meg Birnbaum, Karin Bubas, Alana Celii, Larissa Cleveland, Cary Conover, Rachel Herman, Alexandra Huddleston, Siri Kaur, Drew Kelly, Orrie King, Daniel Kopton, Suzette Lee, Nick Meyer, Stephen Miller, Graeme Mitchell, Mark Rubenstein, Lissa Rivera, Angie Smith, Sam Sweezy, Grant Willing, Christopher Young.

I am whupped from all the reviewing and deliberating, which was really quite agonizing this time around. I suppose having too much good stuff to choose from is a nice problem to have, but it was still really hard putting the final list together.

The final hours to enter Hey, Hot Shot! are upon us. The deadline is today @ 6pm.

This is the last chance to enter for 2006…  We’ll be announcing the Fall Edition winners next Monday, and shortly after that we’ll announce the 2006 Ne Plus Ultra Hot Shots who will show in our January Annual.

You still have a few more hours, so apply now.

From this weeks edition of Flavorpill NYC:

James Deavin’s exhibition Photographs from the New World documents the DIY world of Second Life, where users create avatars and detailed online environments in order to live out their dreams. The camera function inside Second Life captures high-resolution images that allow Deavin to produce large digital c-prints. Untitled (lift), a serene shot of a digitally rendered ski lift in clouds, has a remarkable relationship to Untitled (cricket), an aerial photograph by Deavin of an actual cricket pitch in the UK, shot using the same compositional techniques. Testaments to the rich culture of Second Life and Deavin’s talents, these prints embody the quiet contemplation the virtual world provides its residents.

Holly Lynton | Solid Ground : Installation Views 3, originally uploaded by msjenbee.

Holly’s critically acclaimed exhibition Solid Ground has lots of images associated with it. Here’s a round up:

– images, statement, release, bio (on jenbekman.com)

– installation views of the exhibition, shot by the estimable Joseph O. Holmes) (on Flickr) – photos from the artist’s talk by JCN (on Flickr)

We are feverishly preparing for the opening of Photographs from the New World, which opens tomorrow @ 6pm. The real world work is looking fantastic. The prints are absolutely yummy. James and I just spent a few hours tearing each other’s throats out debating the best way to hang the show and the final result is going to be awesome.

In other news, thanks to huge efforts by Nic Musolino and our Second Life hero, Cyrus Bryan Campen we’ll have a jen bekman gallery in SL too. We’re still putting the finishing touches on it, but it’ll be live in time for the opening tomorrow. Cool? So cool.

The image above is the most recent version, and it looks an awful lot like the gallery does in person, exposed brick and all.

See you all tomorrow Wednesday November 1st, from 6pm – 8pm:

jen bekman
6 Spring Street
(between Elizabeth + Bowery)
NYC 10012
Phone: +1.212.219.0166
Email: info AT jenbekman DOT com

I’m very excited about this exhibition which is opening next Wednesday.. You can go to the gallery website to view images, or you can read the press release if you click the “read on” button at the bottom of this post.

PHOTOGRAPHS FROM THE NEW WORLD 
November 1 – December 9, 2006

NEW YORK, NY – jen bekman is pleased to present Photographs from the New World, an exhibition of new work by James Deavin. The exhibition will be on view from November 1 – December 9, 2006, at jen bekman, located at 6 Spring Street, between Elizabeth and Bowery, New York, 10012.
Photographs from the New World documents user-generated landscapes in the online, virtual world Second Life.
Jen Bekman will host an opening reception for the artist on Wednesday, November 1, from 6:00 – 8:00pm at the gallery.
From being featured recently in Rob Walker’s ‘Consumed’ market trendspotting column in The New York Times Magazine to the surprising success of insider web sites devoted to the virtual world and its inhabitants, Second Life has begun to attract the sort of real world fervor that its fans experience when they log in and assume their alter egos. A real life corporate presence is emerging there – companies like Starwood, Intel, American Apparel and Penguin Books UK are getting in on the action building virtual versions of their businesses in SL.
Deavin says, “Second Life is a place where people can live out their dreams. Some people’s dreams are to have a bigger version of what they already have. Others’ fondest wish is to be a talking elephant from Mars. Second Life is not a ‘game’ – there is no ‘next level,’ no ‘level boss,’ there is no winning or losing. Rather, characters enter into complex relationships, build things, earn and spend money. In fact, the world turns over ten million dollars a month. This money is spent in the market place and certain consumer products have become ubiquitous: grand pianos, waterfalls, boats, Japanese gardens. If money were no object, is this how real life would look?”
Gallery director Jen Bekman observes, “I am naturally inclined to be interested in a visualization of a virtual world. I have been involved in virtual communities since the early nineties and it remains a big part of my everyday life, but only as text. Many of the photographers I work with create the fantastical from the mundane. In these photographs James is documenting other people’s manifestations of fantasy and uncovering their interpretations of what physical trappings provide happiness and comfort and/or signify success.”
About the Artist

James was born in 1973 in London in the UK. He graduated from King’s College in 1995, with a bachelor’s degree in Classics. His earliest assignment was traveling to Bosnia at the time of the ceasefire in 1995 with an aid convoy. Since then he has had documentary and portrait work published in magazines including the London Times, Sunday Review, W, Harper’s, Photoworks, 125 and Next Level. He has exhibited in various group shows including the inaugural Brighton Photo Biennial, Art and Commerce Emerging Photographers, and at jen bekman.
Photographs from the New World at jen bekman, 6 Spring Street.
Hours: Wednesday — Saturday, noon – 6pm or by private appointment.
For images or more information, please contact Lauren Cerand: 917.533.0103 or press@jenbekman.com.

Holly’s critically acclaimed exhibition Solid Ground closes this Saturday.
Tomorrow evening (Thursday) we’re hosting a Q+A with Holly and critic Paddy Johnson, she of Art Fag City fame. The gallery is wee, so please let us know if you’re planning on coming: rsvp AT jenbekman DOT com.

Artist Talk/Closing Reception
Thursday Oct 26 | 6pm-8pm
jen bekman
6 Spring St (between Elizabeth + Bowery)
NYC 10012
+1.212.219.0166

Check out more installation views of Holly’s exhibition, shot by the estimable Joseph O. Holmes.

The excellent Vince Aletti writes about Holly Lynton’s exhibition Solid Ground in this week’s edition of The New Yorker.

HOLLY LYNTON
Exploring the possibilities for fantasy in her own back yard, Lynton turns it into a wild kingdom for a series of color photographs that assume the point of view of a playful and inquisitive child. Lynton’s nearly naked little girl and a bare-chested friend take on a fairy-tale presence in a landscape rendered mysterious by worm’s-eye-view closeups. He’s a giant seen through a scrim of leaves; she’s a sprite, crouching to catch a sprinkler’s spray in her mouth. But some of the most intriguing images are unpopulated: a tunnel in the snow; a bird caught behind the netting on a raspberry bush; leaves, petals, dead bees, and dry ice floating in a plastic pool. Through Oct. 28. (Bekman, 6 Spring St. 212-219-0166.)

We’ll be hosting a Q+A between Holly and Paddy Johnson of Art Fag City on Thursday October 26 from 6pm – 8pm. (There will be wine + beer, the talk starts around 7ish.)

Space is very limited, so please RSVP: rsvp AT jenbekman DOT com.

The show remains on view through Saturday October 28, and the gallery is open Wednesday – Sunday from noon – 6pm or by appointment.

As I’ve discussed extensively with the talented, gorgeous and awesome La Lux, it is a time of Bold Tings.

Over on Personism, I’ve been pretty fired up lately about the under-representation of women in tech, in art and um, rather broadly speaking creativity. Rather than pointlessly bluster, I started (you have to start somewhere) with a List of Women Speakers for Your Conference.

In other news: we’ve got a whole new crop of excellent interns here at the jb. Be on the look out for their blogging debuts. (Alice Wells made her debut on the Hey, Hot Shot! blog just the other day.)

Speaking of HHS, as previously announced: we’re accepting entries for the Fall Edition of Hey, Hot Shot! The deadline is Tuesday November 7th @ 6pm, but why wait? Apply now.

Special guest panelists this season include Amit Gupta of Photojojo fame and Joerg Colberg who writes the must-read fine-art photography blog Conscientious.

The last edition got some terrific press:

Kate Bingaman was featured on Cool Hunting.

Rob Walker of my most favoriteist NYT Sunday Magazine column, Consumed gave Ernie Button a shout-out on his blog Murketing. (Did you know he has a blog? He does and it’s good.)

Paddy Johson, of Art Fag City fame, stopped by and liked what she saw.

This is the last season of HHS for the year – we’ll be announcing the Ultras in December and their group show will open in January.

Regarding our current exhibition, Solid Ground:

On Thursday October 26 I’ll be hosting an artist talk with Holly Lynton. She’ll talk about her current exhibition, Solid Ground and we’ll ply you with booze. Not to be missed! Reception from 6pm – 8pm, artist talk at 7.

You can stay up to date on gallery related events by subscribing to our email list.

Installation View from the Summer ‘06 Edition of Hey, Hot Shot! Check out the whole set.

It’s that time again: We’re now accepting entries for the Fall Edition of Hey, Hot Shot!. This is your last chance to enter this year – in mid-December we’ll be announcing this year’s Ne Plus Ultra winners. Here are all the important dates for the Fall Edition:
Entry Deadline: Tuesday November 7, 2006.
Fall Edition Finalists Announced: Monday November 20, 2006.
Fall Showcase Opening Reception: Wednesday December 6, 2006.
Fall Showcase Dates: December 7, 8, 9 + 10, 2006.

Check out Hey, Hot Shot! homepage for more details, or Apply Now!

NEW YORK, NY – jen bekman is pleased to present Solid Ground, an exhibition of new photographs by Holly Lynton. The exhibition will be on view from September 13 – October 28, 2006, at jen bekman, located at 6 Spring Street, between Elizabeth and Bowery, New York, 10012.

Solid Ground is comprised of fifteen c-print photographs. Titles such as Emberizidae, Supernal, and I Love Monday span the celestial to the mundane, much like the photos themselves, where commonplace elements are transformed into chimerical tableaus.

Jen Bekman will host an opening reception for the artist on Wednesday, September 13, from 6:00 – 8:00pm at the gallery.

Lynton says:

In my new series, Solid Ground, I photographed a series of events in my small back yard. My back yard is hardly the Serengeti, but after a trip to Tanzania, I became convinced there existed within it hints of the same beauty and danger. Instead of vultures eating a lion’s discards, we have sparrows eating raspberries. Instead of green mamba snakes, we have slugs, but there is a jungle at grass level from the slug’s point of view. In the image entitled Limax slugs climb over the tangled grass to occupy the glasses of sugary mojitos that have been left outside. I limit the visual information in each situation and remove the story or the context for an action, so that a fragmented narrative remains.

Gallery director Jen Bekman observes:

Lynton’s work is intimate without being sentimental. The most mundane elements of our daily lives – children at play, a suburban backyard- are woven into an otherworldly existence without employing artifice or fanfare.

About the Artist

Holly Lynton received her BA from Yale University, and a MFA from the Milton Avery Graduate School of the Arts at Bard College. Her work has been exhibited at jen bekman, Mixed Greens, Wooster Projects, Lennon Weinberg Gallery, and Margaret Thatcher Projects all in New York: and at Ambrosino Gallery and Rocket Projects in Miami, the Jersey City Museum, and in London, England. She recently completed Emerge 8 at Aljira in Newark, NJ. Her photography has been published in The New Yorker, GQ, and New York, and her work has been reviewed in The Village Voice, NY Arts, and The New York Times.

Solid Ground at jen bekman, 6 Spring Street.
Hours: Wednesday – Saturday, noon – 6pm or by private appointment.
For images or more information, please contact Lauren Cerand: 917.533.0103 or press@jenbekman.com.
To download this release as a PDF, click here.

Photography by Kate Bingaman

T-minus 3 hours until the Summer edition of Hey, Hot Shot opening reception! The reception will be from 6-8pm and refreshments will be provided by the awesome people over at Crumpler.

The showcase will be on view until September 10, 2006 so be sure to come on by and support these great photographers.

Empty Kmart on 27th Street by Kate Bingaman

The time has come to announce the finalists for this Summer edition’s Hey, Hot Shot competition!

The Summer Edition Showcase will open with a reception for the artists on the evening of Wednesday September 6, 2006, from 6-8pm. The showcase will be on view Thursday September 7 will remain on view through Sunday September 10, 2006.

Without further ado, we present to you the Summer 2006 Hot Shots:

Kate Bingaman
Ernie Button
Kara Canal
Sam Gezari
Brandon Herman
Matthew Kime
Sara Macel
Matthew Nighswander
James Rajotte
Nadia Sablin

We’ve compiled a Flickr set of all the images submitted by our Hot Shot Winners!

Special thanks go to our awesome, fabulous and excellent panel for their insight humor and hard work, as well as our special guest panelists Jay DeFoore and Amit Gupta. And the other people who help make it happen: Jeff Kirsch for his research and technical prowess, Jesse Chan-Norris for hosting our panel meetings, Lauren Cerand for PR support, and also just for being her amazing self and last but not least the fabulous intern, Jane Tam for doing double duty being editor for both Hey, Hot Shot! blog and jen bekman News blog.

It’s always tough to narrow it down to the final ten, so we’re also happy to include a list of great photographers in our honorable mentions category:

Barbara Salinas, Shannon Taggart, Erika Larsen, Marc McAndrews, Juliana Beasley, Don Simon, Orrie King, Nayan Sthankiya, Katie Watson, Michelle Vitiello, Jessica Roberts, Mathew Spolin, Jonathan Feinstein, Brett Bell, Aaron Hraba, , Michael Bühler-Rose, Tania Camille Nasser, Travis Huggett, Danelle Manthey, Jay Parkinson, Jason Lazarus, Duane Dugas, Joan Cuenco, Derek Powazek, Beth Fladung, Svetlana Bahchevanova, Sesthasak Boonchai, Maureen Drennan, Jane Noel, Travis Ruse, Liz Danahey, Mikael Kennedy, and Sarah Madsen.

Thank you to all that participated in this competition!

“Sexual Chocolate” by Leon Reid -$270

“The Therapist” by Leon Reid -$400

“It is what it is.” by Leon Reid -$400

“We got im!” by Leon Reid -$250

Mainly a street artist, Leon Reid (aka Darius Jones) took a vacation from creating street art to make these collages, part of a series called “Masterwork Remix.” The following is from his artist statement:

For the first time, I’ve granted myself the freedom to express personal views on sex, class, race and the history of painting. I begin by cutting up art-history and pop-culture magazines then letting my sentiments dictate the rest.

In creating the Remixes I’ve absorbed the work most noticeably of Kehinde Wiley, Goya, Ingres, Manet and countless others.

The four works above are all affordable pieces to add to your art collection and available for purchase now. Every piece is mounted on 9”x12” paper.

Leon was a part of the recent Meditations in an Emergency exhibition and also a solo show last Fall “We’re On It”, which debuted his street art with partner Brad Downey. He is one of New York’s most prolific young artists and have been noticed and appreciated by New York Times.

Buy some afforable art, it’ll do you good.

Looking for a cool internship that will be fun while you’re doing it AND help you land an excellent job in the future? Look no further! We’re looking for Fall interns @ the jb. Here’s the lowdown, repurposed from a previous post:

jen bekman is looking for interns to work in the gallery and blog their little hearts out (never blogged before? don’t worry, we’ll teach you).

We can’t pay you, but we’ll a) buy you lunch and b) pay your subway fare to and fro. Ideally you can work a minimum of 2 days a week, one of those days being on the weekend.
Ideal Intern Characteristics:

• Obviously, interest in being in a gallery environment.
• A background, or at the very least a keen interest in fine art & desgn: You’re either an artist or designer yourself, or studying art history, something along those lines.
• Intelligence, enthusiasm, a sense of humor. No, really, we mean it.
• Reliability
• Good phone skills, or the willingness to learn them.
• Writing skills: Grammar, Spelling, Style. We write a lot of stuff here at the gallery, and we’d love to have you pitch in.
• Overall internet/computer savvy. Web & HTML skills are a major plus, and if you don’t have the skills, you should want to learn them.
• Handy? Know your way around a hammer, a level, a cordless drill? How about a paintbrush? We love you.
  Sound good? Send an email to internship AT jenbekman DOT com Tell us what you’re looking for in an internship, and what in particular about our gallery appeals to you. Please don’t be terribly formal. That’s boring. Include a resume as well. Please don’t attach anything – we like our text plain.  And yes, we’re picky – boilerplate covers go straight to the circular file. Be original!
  (Email please, no snail mail!)

Hey there jb lovers. Today is the last day to check out Meditations in an Emergency! Stop by and take a gander!

Also, we only have 5 days left until the deadline for the Summer Hey, Hot Shot competition! Be sure to check the blog everyday because I’ll be updating it with submissions I like and enjoy.