William Helburn obituary

We are sad to let you know that APAG member William “Bill” Helburn recently passed away. Thanks to Bob and Lois Lilly for sharing this information and for all their work preserving his archive. Sending condolences to them, the Helburn family and especially his son William Helburn who was an early member of APAG.

Fashion and advertising photographer William ”Bill” Helburn has died at age 96. A contemporary of Richard Avedon, Lillian Bassman and Irving Penn, Helburn created playful, sexy images that jumped off the page, often juxtaposing the sublime with the absurd. “Shock value was a term that was used,” said Helburn “And I meant to shock people as much as I could.” A “first-call” photographer at the heart of advertising’s creative revolution, Helburn brought a fashion sensibility to everything he caught in his lens. From 1949 to the early 70s, his work was seen in Harper’s Bazaar, LIFE, McCall’s, Esquire, The New Yorker and many other magazines. His work and life story are featured in the book “Seventh and Madison William Helburn” (2014) and his images in galleries including Staley-Wise in New York, Peter Fetterman Gallery in Santa Monica, Robert Klein Gallery in Boston and Jackson Fine Art in Atlanta.

https://www.esquire.com/uk/culture/a34783749/william-helburn/?fbclid=IwAR2fC5UHMZPhLVUY-zZbYW_jIVlARQmb38rEBDRfDZjiW5LEiZ0oBwtgx6Y”>

APAG quoted in INSIDE PHILANTHROPHY

Excerpt from article

“Visual Arts Organizations Scramble to Survive Fundraising. Many Won’t survive.

INSIDE PHILANTHROPHY

By HOLLY HALL – September 2020

Questions of Survival

But other visual arts organizations are struggling, and many will not survive. In a June survey of more than 750 museum directors, the American Alliance of Museums found that one out of every three museums is in danger of permanent closure as revenues and financial reserves dry up. These closures “will be devastating for communities, economies, education systems and our cultural history,” the alliance’s president, Laura Lott, said in a statement.

More than 85 percent of museums had 12 months or fewer of financial operating reserves, the survey found, with more than half reporting less than six months’ worth of reserves. Even if their institutions survive, more than 60 percent of directors predict they will be forced to reduce education, programming or other services.

When museums shut down, it’s not just the loss of galleries that draw museum-goers, says Edwards at the Frist in Nashville. “A lot of these organizations provide after-school programs,” she says. “We provide after-school arts programs, and we’ve sent out people to give presentations for kids who would otherwise be without. We do other programs for seniors and others with special needs. If you lose one-third of these kinds of resources, it is a major blow to the entire country.

Among those struggling the most to raise money now are small visual arts organizations. Mary Engel runs a New York photography archive showcasing the work of her deceased parents, Ruth Orkin and Morris Engel. Their daughter founded the American Photography Archives Group in 2000. APAG is a charitable organization seeking donations on behalf of more than 200 photo archives, photographers and collectors, a few from overseas. Engel says APAG has such a small budget, just $30,000, that it was unable to get a coveted archive grant from the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation. Mellon supports the arts, but for this specific grant, required visual archives to have a budget of $50,000 or more.

“I find it cumbersome to do grant applications,” Engel says. “A lot of funders don’t give general operating support. I find this very frustrating.” At one grantmaking organization founded by photographers, she recalls, “a major benefactor wanted me to use money in a way that made no sense, given COVID.” Though that benefactor relented when Engel explained her objections, the back and forth can be stressful and time-consuming.

“48 Hours with Muhammad Ali” featuring Peter Angelo Simon’s photographs

Photographs featured in this film by APAG member PETER ANGELO SIMON

Heres a link to the film, anyone can watch it from here but cannot download it:

https://vimeo.com/376820079/b6d553215d

Heres a link to the IMDB page, please leave a review if you want. ‘

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7475202/?ref_=nm_flmg_dr_1

Screen Shot 2020-09-21 at 2.01.36 PM.png

LA Shorts International Film Festival

Lashortsfest.com

Streams online Oct 2-31.

Alisfightersheaven.com

Rodney Smith article

: EdytheandAndrew KissingonTopofTaxis_2008

: BernadetteinRedHat withBook_2003

: TwinsinTree_1999

Article in MEDIUM FORMAT – September 2020

THE INCREDIBLE WORLD OF RODNEY LEWIS SMITH

An interview with Leslie Smolan and Patricia Barrett –

Creative Partners of Rodney Smith

by Olaf Sztaba

file:///C:/Users/dell/Downloads/MF_September_2020.pdf

Jurgen Schadeberg obituary

Very sad news about the passing of APAG member Jurgen Schadeberg. As I mentioned in an earlier post, Claudia Schadeberg has been a regular attendee at our Zoom meetings during the pandemic, and we were honored to have Jurgen join us for one as well. We had just asked him to speak at a future meeting, but unfortunately we were too late. Deepest condolences to his wife Claudia, son Charlie and their entire family.

Mary Engel – Founder and President, APAG

THE GUARDIAN

https://www.theguardian.com/artanddesign/2020/sep/17/jurgen-schadeberg-obituary

CNN

https://edition.cnn.com/2020/09/01/africa/jrgen-schadeberg-apartheid-photographer/index.html?fbclid=IwAR0KYCzK-dhjFvxneJqzUkqTAjhYMLMHd3JU-dpVvZjYJeH9T3dsfZc_cX4

THE NEW YORK TIMES

Zoom Meetings

Since the beginning of lockdown in New York, APAG took its meetings online. Within a couple of weeks it became clear how valuable these meetings were to our members, and how wonderful it was that so many out of town members were able to join in.

We have now hosted dozens of meetings with a variety of interesting and informative guests. The audio from these meetings is available on this website, under Membership / Members Only (for members only! If you haven’t joined APAG yet, the cost is very little, please join and enjoy all the benefits.)

Seen here from left to right are Stephen Perloff of The Photo Review; Chester Higgins, our guest photographer; Randa Cardwell, archivist for David Hume Kennerly; Leslie Smolan, Rodney Smith Estate; Julie Grahame, Karsh Estate, and APAG VP; and Mary Engel, Ruth Orkin and Morris Engel Archives, Founder and President of APAG.

Digitizing Negatives

Our member Ron Sherman shared this in response to our conversations about scanning in the last Zoom meeting.

During our discussion about camera scans and Nikon type scanners, I volunteered to test both, since I have used both techniques. The results are attached, along with my camera, bellows, and lens setup and the lights and camera setup. I determined that the camera scans with my equipment are ok when there is a large number of negatives to be used for reference or archiving. A newer camera and better macro lens would improve the camera scan quality. My Nikon Scanner gave me the results I need for high quality reproductions. I hope this demo gives the APAG members a starting point in their quest for a scanning solution.

Anticipating the Museum and Gallery Landscape Post-Pandemic

An APAG West primer with Alla Efimova.

The Conditions of the Archive: FESTAC 77

On Monday, January 27, 2020 from 6:30 – 8:00 p.m, curator and scholar Oluremi C. Onabanjo will engage in conversation with renowned artist and APAG member Marilyn Nance about her photographic archive of FESTAC 77, the Second World Black and African Festival of Arts and Culture held in Lagos in 1977. Nance photographed the month-long festival, creating 1,500 images of the historic celebration of Pan-African art and culture.

To attend, please RSVP to rsvp@curatorsintl.org with ARCHIVE in the subject line.
This event is accessible to people with mobility disabilities. Please contact ICI for additional accessibility needs.

ICI, 401 Broadway, Suite 1620, New York, NY 10013.

Harlem, Hollywood, Broadway: African American Legends Photographed by Jack Mitchell

“Harlem, Hollywood, Broadway: African American Legends Photographed by Jack Mitchell” opens January 19, 2020, at the Huntsville Museum of Art in Huntsville, Alabama, features 36 hand-selected silver gelatin and color photographs of important African American artists and performers taken by Jack Mitchell over a career spanning five decades. APAG member Craig Highberger represents the Mitchell archive.

News