SoCal Minds

A snapshot of photojournalism's global finest

From the Annenberg Space for Photography

For practitioners and admirers of the craft, this is a noteworthy annual moment for photojournalism, as the 67th Pictures of the Year program has put on not only its honors and awards but also a major exhibition of the winners' work in Century City. Honorees tackled the tender and comic (such as a winning locker room coach) to tough, tough topics, from the ravages of AIDS in South Africa to the environmental crisis caused by the dwindling and even death of the Colorado River. Shooters from around the globe won accolades with Barbara Davidson of the Los Angeles Times among those lauded. Of course for those who can't cut through that notoriously funky Westside traffic to see in person the amazing, winning, exhibited works in the terrific Annenberg space, there are online galleries that convey still a year full of drama, trauma, joy and tragedy that only truly gifted photographers can deliver.

Photo: Joshua A. Bickel's honored photo of Bob Burchard, Columbia College basketball coach, as he advised his upstart team to just 'keep riding the wave' of winning their way through a tournament / Columbia Missourian, POY

In Century City, 67th 'Pictures of the Year' exhibit on display

Water or oil? Which liquid really powers planet?

From Zocalo

If the chatter about jet-stopping volcanic ash or allegations about Wall Street perfidy have grown stale as suitable lunch table topics, try this: Which would cripple civilization more, turning the spigot off on current oil or fresh water supplies? Hmm. That would get the mind into areas of inquiry always key to semi-arid Southern California, which tonight at 7 in Santa Monica hosts for a free, public discussion author Steven Solomon (shown at right) and his history-spanning views about water and its role in man's 'Epic Struggle for Wealth, Power and Civilization,' from ancient times to the current day. Space is limited and reservations are required for the session, at which Solomon will make his argument that Western democracies must rethink their domestic and foreign policies, especially regarding water use, management and conservation, so they can retain a global preeminence in the 21st Century. His talk also reminds that there's an on-going, major photo exhibition devoted to water and the planetary challenges of delivering fresh, drinkable supplies of it. 

Click here for more info, reservations for program on water

Click here for more info on Annenberg, National Geographic water exhibition 

For a perfect weekend, major exhibits galor

From the Bowers, Getty, Annenberg Space for Photography & Autry National Center of the West

With spring break atop many families and a warm, sunny weekend on tap, it's time to hit the road around the Southland to take in the astonishing wealth of varied exhibitions and activities at the area's institutions of smarts:

In Santa Ana, there will be a blockbuster debut of rarely seen relics from the far reaches of western China, tall, striking mummies and other objects that give a glimpse of the fantastical cultural mixing that occurred more than 3,800 years ago in the area of the legendary Silk Road. Excavated from an intemperate region of heat, cold and desert extremes, this collection, which took years to persuade the Chinese to allow to travel to the West, testifies to the presence of non-Asian peoples eons ago in parts of China, a multicultural trade-related mashup that might be mind-expanding even to residents of modern, diverse Southern California. The media buzz about the exhibit has been big.

Mummies, relics tell startling tales of 'Secrets of the Silk Road'

 In Brentwood, it formally opened Wednesday but this will be the first weekend for the big display that compares and contrasts the Aztec and Roman empires, an exhibition about which there has been much media attention and which seeks to take advantage of the often spectacular Westside institution's space to show off both some large-scale pieces as well as a small gem -- the Florentine Codex, a priceless chronicle of Aztec culture that has not been in the Americas, curators say, for four centuries. The show is part of a Southland celebration of the bicentennial of Mexico's independence and the centennial of the Mexican Revolution.

First weekend of major display examining Aztec, Roman empires

In Century City on Saturday, visual aficionados will be treated to the photographic exposition of a great global concern as tackled in the distinctive way that only a sui generis publication can, as one of the terrific picture exhibition spaces debuts its latest show, 'Water, Our Thirsty World.' In images that also will be carried in the upcoming special National Geographic edition, award-winning shooters have spanned the planet to capture the precious, fragile and often endangered natural resource of fresh water as it can be depicted from environmental, social, cultural and political perspectives.

A giant visual sip of global crisis concerning fresh water

In Griffith Park, this will be the last weekend to catch a wry dissection of what happens to one individual caught in the clash between old and modern cultures in America, or, in brief, 'Tales of an Urban Indian.'  The semi-autobiographical performance has been in the drafting for a decade and is part of the museum's 'Native Voices' program to encourage Native American playwrights and authors. Its star portrays more than 40 characters during the 85-minute show.

Backstory of 'Tales of an Urban Indian'

Click here for program information, tickets

Picture this: the Internment's aftermath, the civil rights era path to freedom, the`thrill of victory'

From the Japanese American National Museum, Skirball, Annenberg Space for Photography

Said it before. Worth saying again: Los Angeles is a great visual capital of the planet and there's plenty of proof around with photography of motion, grace and history on exhibit:

In Little Tokyo, there will be a Saturday afternoon reception and signing of a new book that chronicles the war-time work of a major but unsung figure in the chronicling Japanese-American life: photographer Hikaru Carl Iwasaki. He's the lone shooter still alive and was the only Nikkei photographer involved in the peculiar push by the U.S. government to persuade the country to re-accept Japanese-Americans after they were unjustly interned during World War II. He was sent nationwide to document ordinary, even plebian life but managed, as author-scholar Lane Ryo Hirabayshi (he of the Asian American Studies program at UCLA) argues, to elevate that effort and to capture a bittersweet and fleeting glimpse of an ugly part of American history. Iwasaki joined in this post-war public relations push after also documenting the internment, working alongside more acknowledged photographers like Dorothea Lange and Ansel Adams. At a time when the posts made them princes of the photo world, he went on to be a bureau chief for the now defunct Life Magazine and then a colleague at Sports Illustrated of shooters like Walter Iooss and Neil Leifer (see below). The reception and book signing is free and open to the public with museum admission.

*He's also a Denverite, the dad of my best friend from childhood onward.  

A visual recollection of the World War II internment's aftermath

In West Los Angeles, two, side-by-side exhibitions recapture the painful and poignant path, the "Road to Freedom," pursued by African Americans to win civil rights in the U.S. from 1956 to 1968. More than 35 photographers contributed the 170 displayed works, some of which never have been shown before and all of which are supplemented with recordings of speeches and music, as well as archival documents and artifacts that aim to put in context what amounted to arguably one of the most important movements of the 20th Century. In a companion display, photographer Eric Etheridge captures 40 key figures from the civil rights movement, documenting how they looked then and in portraits of them as seniors.

'Road to Freedom,' exhibit of top photos of civil rights movement, opens

'Breach of Peace' portrays civil rights leaders then and now

Before there was 24/7 cable TV, HDTV, slow mo, instant replay and the array of modern technologies that dominate the displays of modern athletics, the thrill of sports and the exulation in victory or the grief of defeat all got caught -- or it didn't -- depending on the immaculate skills and talents of a determined cadre of shooters. In particular, the photographers of Sports llustrated raised the act of chronicling popular pasttimes into art, as is shown in the Century City display of the always arresting work of Walter Ioos and Neil Leifer. This display not only captures the breadth, depth and quality of their joyous labors, it also uses technology to transport sports nuts back to the mesmerizing moments that have made fun and competition a cornerstone of contemporary life. The exhibit is available for viewing online, but even the best monitor fails to do justice to these terrific photos.

Photo: Muhammad Ali / Neil Leifer

Sports as art: the work of Walter Iooss, Neil Leifer

A Top International Photo Exhibit Moves to LA

From the Annenberg Space for Photography

After more than 65 years in the Midwest, most notably at the University of Missouri Journalism School, the Pictures of the Year International (POYi) exhibition will move to Los Angeles, starting with events this weekend. The top photos, chosen from more than 45,000 entries, will be open to public viewing starting Saturday; 80 prints and thousands of digital images will be on display. Elite photographers, visual editors and others earlier will participate in two days of lectures, discussions and presentations. The POYi program is supported by the Donald W. Reynolds Institute and the University of Missouri Journalism School. Besides an online display of top entries, there also soon will be multimedia presentations shot by Arclight Productions and mounted by the Annenberg Space in its "Voice of the Photographer" area.

Photo: Emilio Morenatti, POYi newspaper photographer of the year, shot for the AP this Pakistani lawyer fleeing tear gas fired by police to break up a protest over the government's dismissal of the high court's chief justice.

LA to Host Pictures of the Year International Exhibit, Events

Click Here to See POYi Web Site

LA, a Visual Capital, Adds to Its Photo Riches

From the Annenberg Space for Photography, Skirball & UCLA

After a weekend of cool spring temperatures, brilliant sunshine and wind-freshened air, it's hard not to be impressed by L.A.'s splendors -- and to be especially mindful of the beauty of this spot. Which also happens to be a dazzling visual capital, to boot, as witnessed by recent and upcoming events. The city got a boost to its eye-popping qualities (such as the Getty, LACMA and UCR shows and collections) with not only an important new gallery space from the Annenberg Foundation but also another key institutional spotlight on Southland artist-photographer-creators. Their works can be seen online, as well as in the new Century City space, where this month photographers Carolyn Cole, Lauren Greenfield and Catherine Opie will speak and Jules Shulman will be honored in a discussion. Meantime, at the Skirball, a course will bring into sharp focus the significant role that Jews played in American photography, addressing the contributions of such folks as Richard Avedon, Alfred Stieglitz, Alfred Eisenstadt, Diane Arbus and others. And, as if all this activity weren't sufficient, researchers say they've developed a new camera that employs an innovative imaging system and can capture images at the lightning speed of 6 million frames per second; the device will, researchers say, be invaluable in everything from blood analysis to the study of shock waves.

LA Focus for Inaugural Exhibit of Annenberg Photo Space

Insights on Jews' Special Role in U.S. Photography

New Technology Gives Camera Blinding Speed