fall 2003 - summer 2004 exhibition program

2003 PRC Benefit Auction
October 3 – November 2, 2003
The PRC hosted its annual auction event, teaming up with auction house Skinner to present the most important fundraising event of the year. The live auction took place on November 7, 2003. Presented at Boston University's 808 Gallery, nearly 200 photographs by over 150 photographers were auctioned off including outstanding works by such notable artists as John Goodman, Henry Horenstein, Laura McPhee, Olivia Parker, and Jerry Uelsmann.

Northeast Exposure: Vaughn Sills and Pelle Cass
November 21 – December 19, 2003
Beginning with this gallery presentation of black and white still-lifes by Vaughn Sills and Pelle Cass, the PRC was proud to launch a new exhibition series featuring new work by New England Photographers—Northeast Exposure. In her series “Beyond Words” Sills features natural objects along with corresponding excerpts from her family’s 1932 dictionary to speak to the inability of labels to describe and capture the essence of any object and its constellation of attributes. Making a humorous comment upon consumerism, Cass utilized printed materials to create collages and assemblages, which he then photographs. To view images of the installation, please click here.

Concerning the Spiritual in Photography
January 23 – March 14 2004
Broadly interpreting the idea of the “photographic,” this exhibition investigated how artists exploit inherent mechanics of light-sensitive media to achieve spiritual effects and allusions. Curated by PRC Curator Leslie K. Brown, Concenring the Spiritual in Photography emphasized a unique attribute of photography since its invention: its simultaneous straddling of natural, magic, science, and art. Featured artists included Bill Armstrong, Carol Golemboski, Jane Marsching and Debb Todd Wheeler, Lauren O'Neal, Daniel Ranalli, Jo Sandman, Chrysanne Stathacos, and Shannon Taggart. This group show of contemporary responses was complimented by a small section of historical photographs from the Sir Arthur Conan Doyle Spirit Photography Collection from the Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas at Austin. To see the special online version of the exhibition, please click here. To read the Boston Globe review, please click here. To view images of the installation, please click here.

Honky Tonk: Portraits of Country Music 1972-1981 by Henry Horenstein
March 26 – April 25, 2004
For the book Honky Tonk (published in 2003 by Chronicle Books), Henry Horenstein, the famed RISD professor and author of numerous instructional photo texts, unearthed little-known treasures from his archives: pictures of country western greats, legendary honky tonks, and the Grand Ole Opry. Selections from Honky Tonk toured the country making stops in Nashville, New York, Houston, Philadelphia, and Boston. The exhibition included portraits of Charlie Monroe, Doc Watson, Lester Flatt, Roy Acuff, Joe Val, Minnie Pearl, and Dolly Parton at key moments in their careers as well as those who made it all possible, the fans. The images from this exhibition represented some of Horenstein's earliest efforts from the 1970s—what has been called the “last great decade of country music”—where he got his start photographing for Cambridge's Rounder Records and various Boston area arts and entertainment weeklies. The PRC show, organized by PRC Curator Leslie K. Brown, brought this Northeastern slant to the fore, featuring a specially tailored selection of 32 images, including area locales, such as the now-defunct Park Square Hillbilly Ranch, music parks in MA and NH, and stars who regularly appeared in our neck of the woods (Dolly Parton, Doc Watson, and Waylon Jennings among them). To experience the whole book, virtually, visit www.honkytonkbook.com. To view images of the installation, opening, and events, please click here.

2004 PRC Student Exhibition
May 7 – May 30, 2004
This year's exhibition featured student work juried by the following 10 Institutional Plus Member Schools of the PRC: Art Institute of Boston, Boston University, Hallmark Institute of Photography, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Newbury College, New England School of Photography, Northeastern University, School of the Museum of Fine Arts, University of Massachusetts at Lowell, and Wellesley College. For more information on the student exhibition and Institutional membership of the PRC, please click here.

2004 PRC Members’ Exhibition
June 18 – July 25, 2004
Each year, the PRC hosts a juried exhibition with a nationally-renowned juror. This year, Rachel Rosenfield Lafo, Director of Curatorial Affairs for the DeCordova Museum and Sculpture Park, selected 14 out of 144 artists for exhibition. The 9th annual members' exhibition included work by Lynda Banzi Sarah Malakoff, Alison Lessmann, Lana Z. Caplan, Monique Marie Deschaines, Gloria DeFilipps Brush, Jessica Jacobs, Ellen Feldman, Julie Melton, Robin Radin, Nancy C. Scull, Rebecca Sittler, Kate P. Freedberg, and Peter Smuts. For more information on the juried exhibition and becoming a member of the PRC, please click here.