MCC Hosts Smithsonian Traveling Photography Exhibit

Mesa Community College is pleased to host the new Smithsonian Traveling Photography Exhibit "Documenting China: Contemporary Photography and Social Change."

Separated from the West by thousands of miles and seemingly insurmountable cultural barriers, China has long been an unfamiliar, romanticized land until recently. In the new exhibition "Documenting China: Contemporary Photography and Social Change," the Smithsonian Institution Traveling Exhibition Service (SITES) partners with Bates College Museum of Art in Lewiston, Maine, to explore the social change in the most populous nation on Earth.

Focusing on the impacts of urbanization and industrialization in China, the exhibition of documentary photographers opens at Mesa Community College on March 1st. "Documenting China" will remain on view through April 27, before continuing on a national tour through 2009.

The exhibition presents the country from an insider's point of view through dramatic works of seven Chinese photographers. With raw black-and-white and color images, photographers Liu Xiaodi, Jiang Jian, Zhang Xinmin, Luo Yongjin, Zhou Hai, Lu Yuanmin and Zhou Min unveil truths about China's internal struggle a battle between modern industrialism and the traditional, agrarian past that has sustained the country for thousands of years.

When: March 1- April 27,

Tuesdays through Thursdays, 10 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Fridays through Sundays, Noon to 4 p.m.

Closed Mondays

Location: Mesa Community College's Southern and Dobson campus, 1833 W. Southern Ave., Mesa, main library (LB145)

Admission: Free of charge

Information: Contact Zoe Luter at (480) 461-7286.

MCC Webite: Mesa Community College

Digital Imaging In A Classic Camera Package: Rolleiflex 5MP MiniDigi AF

Many people may think of Rolleiflex professional cameras as classic if somewhat clunky affairs. Those people may want to start reevaluating that view, however, now that Rolleiflex has once again released a super cool miniature digital version of its twin reflex camera. Once again, we have to say that this mini Rollei is cute as hell. (Whoa, can't believe we just said that.)

The Rolleiflex MiniDigi AF 5.0 is just three inches tall but it includes some fairly decent digital features, making this tiny camera more than just a novelty. Though it may look like the original MiniDigi released back in 2006, the AF 5.0 model includes several improvements including autofocus (between 10CM and infinity); 5MP interpolated image files, and a 1.1-inch screen on top of the camera for reviewing your shots.

The coolest part though is how much is resembles a shrunken version of an original Rolleiflex which used two lenses, one above the other, a hand crank lever, shutter release, and hooded viewfinder. The crank lever on the new MiniDigi prepares you for your next shot – rather than advancing the film – while the classic pop-up hood and viewfinder lets you do some traditional-style "waist-level" shooting and prevents stray light from getting in. Another interesting throwback is that the MiniDigi AF 5.0 shoots digital files in a square format just like in the old days.

Along with being small enough to fit in the palm of your hand, the Rolleiflex MiniDigi AF 5.0 offers one distinct difference from the classic coal-black model –it comes in fire engine red. Oh how very racy it is!

Cost: $399
Further information: http://www.dsmww.com/
Image © PDNOnline
Article by Dan Havlik

Lyle Ashton Harris Exhibit At Scottsdale Museum Of Contemporary Art

Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art
Galleries 3 and 4

Lyle Ashton Harris: Blow Up
February 8, 2008 - May 27, 2008

This first museum survey of Lyle Ashton Harris’s art spans nearly twenty years of work, from the early, formal studio self-portraits for which he first gained acclaim to the large-scale constructions featured in the 2007 Venice Biennale. Harris approaches photography as a social performance. He "blows up" preconceptions of portraiture, mass-media imagery and street photography and zeroes in on the viewers’ role as a reader of images—images that are also evidence of one’s sense of self, gender and race. This exhibition is structured as a vast collage of imagery that weaves back and forth over time and reveals the artist’s dynamic, recombinant creative process.

SMOCA Website
Image © Lyle Ashton Harris

Barbara Bosworth Exhibit Begins April 19 at Phoenix Art Museum

Phoenix Art Museum
Norton Photography Gallery
Human Nature: The Photographs of Barbara Bosworth
April 19, 2008 – July 27, 2008

Human Nature presents the contemporary landscape photographs of Barbara Bosworth. Drawing together nearly twenty years of work, the exhibition demonstrates Bosworth's ongoing interest in people's presence in nature. She focuses on points of contact: bird-banders and their fragile catch, rifle hunters and their prey, lush green meadows marked by tire tracks, and the magic of natural phenomena easily overlooked: birds' nests, soap bubbles, an eclipse. Her photographs reflect the beauty she finds all around her, from a tiny bass swimming in a jar to the dramatic power of a pounding waterfall.

This is Bosworth's first exhibition in the American Southwest and features more than 40 prints, including both color and exquisitely printed gelatin silver photographs.

In addition, Human Nature will debut a monumental print of an overgrown meadow; shown on such a commanding scale, its deep green foliage immerses viewers in another world.

Phoenix Art Museum Website

Image by Barbara Bosworth.