San Francisco Art Institute’s Department of Photography 60th Anniversary Celebration

September 30, 2006 in General by hypermodern | No comments

Wow, I’ve definitely not been as impressed with an event at school as I have been with this one. From start to finish it was a great occasion. First off, the marketing for the event was direct in the sense that it was adderssed to me at my home, rather than an e-mail bulletin…the card was well designed and asked for an RSVP, with a postage paid envelope, felt good about sending that one in…The best part was it was FREE with FOOD(two positive four letter words, and a great attraction for recent alums)!
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The show itself, held in the historic Diego Rivera gallery, was really well lighted and very crisp. I have to say that the image that moved me the most was a portrait of Mark Rothko smoking a cigarette taken by Bill Heick, studendt from 1946-1949. Alumni from the first 10 years of the program were present at the opening to chat with students and members of the public. It was indeed a great forum to just get a chat in with someone who shares the same passion as you do, 60 years removed…IMG_20060930_0748
The lecture about Minor White and the affect he and Ansel Adams had on the program, and afterwards the floor was opened for anecdotes by the former students. Particualarly I found Imogen Cunningham story, of “kumquat jam exchange” to me the most satisfying…becasue it delved into lives of the artists and students beyond the walls of 800 Chestnut street. IMG_20060929_0744
The next morning, a similar event was staged, with the discussion being moderated by Jack Fulton, the present head of the photo department, and again the stories were fabulous. I’m imagining that they recorded the audio and are archiving it in the library. I highly recommend it, what a lovely time…the talk was then followed by an open lunch to the public where we had the opportunity to mingle with everyone who had just spoken, and talk about digital photography, camera gear, and just the personalities of the people who touched alum’s lives.IMG_20060930_0764
Overall, I’m very pleased to be a part of something like this, it brings honor the San Francisco Art Institute, and it re-invigorates bonds with alumni. Specifically this art school seems to be in constant flux, and it’s nice to see that through all it’s ups and downs, art is still being produced, and a verbal-historical-pictorial record is being handed down directly artist to artist.IMG_20060930_0759