Contents:
Going Back to Atlanta | Revelations Highlights Section on Website
Podcasts, Blogs, & Research Projects | Upcoming Exhibits | Expanding our Online Store
GOING BACK TO ATLANTA!
Wynn Bullock's daughters, Barbara Bullock-Wilson and Lynne Harrington-Bullock, [will] engage in a conversation about their father's rich legacy. Moderated by the High's Keough Family Curator of Photography and Head of Collections, Brett Abbott, the discussion will weave together intimate family memories with insightful stories behind the works currently on view in the High's exhibition Wynn Bullock: Revelations.
~ Excerpt from the 2014 Atlanta Celebrates Photography Festival Guide
The Bullock Family on Vacation in Ben Lomond, CA. (Wynn, Edna, Barbara holding Hapi, Mimi; Lynne and Elizabeth holding Aphrodite and Juno.)
Image © mid-1960s Todd Walker
CONVERSATION: BULLOCK FAMILY TIES
In conjunction with its landmark exhibition of Wynn's work and as part of the 2014 month-long Atlanta Celebrates Photography Festival, the High Museum of Art is hosting a special evening program on Friday, October 10. For this illustrated "Conversation", my sister Lynne and I will join curator Brett Abbott to share backstories about some of the images in the show. We'll also talk about what it was like to be part of the Bullock family and relate anecdotes about our father's creative journey.
Lynne, Logs, and Doll, 1958 by Wynn
Taking place in the Museum's Hill Auditorium where Chris Johnson gave his talk for the show's opening festivities last June, this second High-sponsored event is also free and open to the public. Due to limited seating, however, tickets are required and may be reserved by clicking here. Following the program, the Revelations galleries will be available for after-hours viewing.
Like it was in June, several extended family members and friends will be coming to Atlanta from all parts of the country and beyond to attend the October 10 "Conversation" as well as immerse themselves in the High's ground-breaking presentation of Wynn's artistic legacy. We are looking forward to this joyful reunion. Returning to Atlanta also gives us another opportunity to meet and greet new fans of Bullock photography. Come and join in the celebration if you can!
Edna at Point Lobos c. mid-1980s
© Richard Hannon
EDNA BULLOCK AT LUMIERE FINE ART PHOTOGRAPHY GALLERY
Representing Bullock photography since 2009, Lumiere Gallery's primary focus has been on Wynn's work. This summer they mounted a show to run concurrently with the High exhibition. A complementary display of contemporary prints titled Radiant Energy – Portfolios and Photography by Wynn Bullock, it featured prints from the three Collector Edition Portfolios that Lumiere has produced in cooperation with the Bullock family estate: Classic Black & White, Color Light Abstractions, and the newest in the series to be released, Seascapes.
Edna Bullock: Jeff #9, 1984
Now Lumiere is expanding their focus to include the work of Wynn's wife Edna Bullock who took up photography at age 61, a year after Wynn died.
On October 11, the day after the High's special event, Lumiere will host a mid-day gathering highlighting Edna's photographic career. My sister Lynne and I will be present to share stories about how our mother began her journey as a visual artist in 1976 and what she accomplished as a photographer and workshop leader until her death in 1997. The program, which is also one of the featured events of the Atlanta Celebrates Photography Festival, will include a display of Edna's vintage photographs, a short video presentation on her life and work, and ample time for conversations with Lynne and me about both our talented parents.
ATLANTA CELEBRATES PHOTOGRAPHY 2014 AUCTION
Atlanta Celebrates Photography (ACP) is a year-round, non-profit arts organization whose primary goal is to make Atlanta "a leading center for the world's fastest growing art form". Although ACP sponsors community programming and opportunities for the professional development of photographers throughout the year, its most significant activity by far is producing "the largest annual community-oriented photo festival in the United States".
This October, ACP marks its 16th Festival with a month-long schedule of events and exhibitions at more than 120 participating venues. The 2014 Festival Guide details all the riches being offered, beginning with the Wynn Bullock: Revelations exhibition and October 10 "Conversation" at the High Museum of Art.
Wynn Bullock: Sea Palms, 1968
Donation to ACP Auction
As the High is becoming home to one of the most significant collections of Bullock photography in the country, we have a great interest in ACP and the goals it shares with the Museum relating to the promotion, education, study, and exhibition of photography in all its forms.
A major fund-raiser for ACP is the Festival's annual Photography Auction and Gala. For the second consecutive year, Bullock Family Photography is donating a Wynn Bullock limited edition estate print to the Auction. As representatives of the estate, both Gene and I are very happy we'll be able to attend this important event while we're in Atlanta. To learn more about ACP and the Auction, click here.
REVELATIONS HIGHLIGHTS - a new feature on our website
~ Felicia Feaster, The Atlanta Journal-Constitution
Brett Abbott, creator of Revelations
© John Wilson
In our April 2014 newsletter, I shared my belief that the Wynn Bullock: Revelations exhibition would prove to be "one of the most exciting, surprising, and historically significant views of Wynn's legacy ever to be offered by a major museum".
Volunteers learning more about Wynn's
work from Barbara, Lynne, and Brett
As my family and friends will testify, I sometimes tend toward hyperbole, but after immersing myself in the show this past June, I can truly say that curator Brett Abbott has mounted the most comprehensive and meaningful presentation of my father's creative journey I have experienced. I'm pleased to add that the new Revelations monograph is its match in quality and insight.
Although I wish all of you could have the opportunity to see the exhibition first-hand, I know that's not possible. So, for the past couple of months, our wonderful webmaster David Gordon and I have been working together to create a new feature on the Revelations project for the "Exhibition Highlights" section of our website.
Barbara explaining Wynn's up-side-down imagery
during Northside Nieghbor press interview
© Samantha Shal
Visitors in Gallery 1 during opening reception
© John Wilson
To begin your visit, click here now. Because it's such a complex site, you may want to explore it over several visits. And as additional materials become available over the next several months, we'll continue to update the pages, so don't forget to check in occasionally to see what's new.
Viewing the intriguing display in Gallery 2
© John Wilson
Lacking a source for magic wands as well as winning lottery tickets, I regret that I'm not able to transport each of you to Atlanta. And we still don't have firm commitments for a traveling schedule. Although we know words and pictures cannot take the place of direct experience, we do hope that what we are offering here will convey a sense of why this is such a significant event for Bullock photography and provide a way for you to feel a part of it. If you are so moved, send us your comments. We'd love to hear from you.
PODCASTS, BLOGS, AND RESEARCH PROJECTS
Wynn is one of my personal favorite photographers. I obviously didn't know him personally, but what draws me to his work is his innovation (those CLA's were WAY ahead of their time)…and… an honest passion for photography. There is a positive attitude and great love of the medium that radiates from his work.
~ Ted Forbes, photographer, media producer, and filmmaker
TED FORBES AND THE ART OF PHOTOGRAPHY
Ted Forbes
courtesy www.tedforbes.com
Upon my return home from Atlanta last June, I signed up for Google Alerts on Wynn Bullock. I didn't want to miss any mention of the show or book. In mid-August I received an alert that took me to a 17-minute podcast that had been posted by a man named Ted Forbes on his Internet site The Art of Photography. Despite a mistakenly attributed image, I was impressed by the overall accuracy of information he shared (Ted had obviously done his homework) and was captivated by what he what he had to say about Wynn's philosophy and imagery.
I promptly sent off an email to Ted, correcting the misinformation and expressing my appreciation for his wonderfully thoughtful, enthusiastic video. Although I had assumed Ted had produced his podcast in response to the Revelations project and the new attention to Bullock photography it was stimulating, we both quickly discovered that he was completely unaware of the High show. Quite independently, he had made his feature on Wynn out of his long-standing admiration for Bullock photography, especially the abstract color work.
Since Ted's podcast had no connection with the High show, I knew it didn't belong in the pages I was developing for the "High Museum Exhibition Highlights", but I also knew that it definitely deserved to be shared! In thinking about the issue, the idea emerged that we needed a new section devoted to the growing number of audio and video features being created on Bullock photography. I talked it over with our webmaster David Gordon who immediately saw the usefulness of such a page and "Wynn on the Internet" was born.
For his part, having learned about Revelations, Ted is now scheduled to come to Atlanta for the October 10 and 11 events. While he is there, he plans to film an interview with Brett Abbott, my sister Lynne, and me.
To access our new "Wynn on the Internet" page, click here. Ted's podcast is the top item. You'll also find a wonderful array of additional pieces, including clips from videos of Wynn himself. As soon as it becomes available, we'll post Ted's new podcast on the High project and we'll continue adding to the page as more features are produced.
PETER MILLER: A TWENTY-YEAR STORY
In January 1994, Photo Gallery International in Tokyo hosted an exhibit of Wynn's work. Someone named Peter Miller wrote a review of the show for The Japan Times and Akiko Yamada, our primary contact at PGI, sent us a clipping of it.
Titled "Bullock Makes Unseen Seen", the article contained so many wonderful insights, I kept it in a special place. All through the years, I would occasionally get it out and revisit it with deep pleasure. To read the whole review, click the image at right.
Fast forwarding to 2014, Gene and I recently had dinner with good friends from the photo community at large – our hosts Bob and Sharon Sadler from the ImageMakers on the Monterey Peninsula, Alan Fitzgerald from Art Intersection in Gilbert, AZ, and Connie and Jerry Rosenthal from Rfotofolio in Houston, TX. At one point in the conversation, Connie mentioned that they would soon be doing a feature on an artist by the name of Peter Miller who did marvelous photogravure etchings.
Immediately I began wondering whether Connie's Peter Miller was the Peter Miller with whom I had felt such kinship for twenty years. The day after our dinner, I tracked down an email address for him and sent him a message. He responded a few hours later expressing his happiness in hearing from me and confirming that he was indeed THE Peter Miller who had written the review.
Westwind
© Peter Miller
Since that initial exchange, a number of marvelous things have transpired in addition to the joyous connection itself. Peter has agreed to write a review of the Revelations monograph which, of course, we will post on our website when it becomes available. He has shared the story of our new association on his own blog. To access it, click here.
Through our correspondence, Peter has also reconnected with Akiko Yamada and Shin Yamazaki, the former assistant director and director of PGI. Now working independently within the arts communities in Japan, Akiko and Shin are working on bringing the Revelations exhibition to some major Japanese venues. Peter has joined them in these efforts and, as you might imagine, we are tremendously excited to see what might develop.
To learn more about Peter and his own art, click here to read the Rfotofolio interview. Additional information and imagery may be found at Peter's website www.kamprint.com.
CATHERINE BARTH AND WYNN'S COLOR LIGHT ABSTRACTIONS
Catherine Barth studying CLA book
A primary factor in our decision to make a large promised gift of original Bullock photographs to the High Museum was its strong commitment to education and research. One of the ways the Museum manifests this commitment is through a collaborative relationship with the Mellon Foundation and Emory University in which doctoral students from the University are granted awards from the Foundation to conduct research projects relating to the Museum's collections. To read more about this program, click here.
To our delight, we learned earlier this year that a doctoral candidate from Emory by the name of Catherine Barth had chosen to do research on Wynn's Color Light Abstractions. As part of her study, Catherine spent a few days this summer exploring Wynn's archive at the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson. She then came to the Monterey Peninsula to meet and talk with us and to experience firsthand the environs where Wynn lived and worked.
Point Lobos from China Cove ©Gene Bullock-Wilson
The highlight of her first visit to California was an afternoon at Point Lobos. Not only did she have her first whale sighting, she was able to watch several humpbacks breaching over the course of an hour. She breathed in the smells of sage and mint along the trails and savored the clean tang of the air. She listened to the sparrow's song and reveled in the snowy white plumage of egrets against a cobalt sea. The scents and sights of that special place formed for her a gestalt of a vibrant, dynamic, ever-changing world.
Wynn often said "nature is my principal teacher" and that afternoon I could feel Catherine personally experiencing how that could be so for all his image-making, both representational and abstract. Sharing the experiences with her deepened my own appreciation for his process and I'm very much looking forward to reading the paper she'll be producing to complete her project.
UPCOMING EXHIBITS
Bullock's color abstractions are each, unto themselves, reflections and portals to life deeply questioned and lived.
~ Chris Johnson, Professor of Photography at the California College of the Arts
It is rare to revisit an artist's work decades after it was made and find it still innovative and relevant in both appearance and meaning. Yet this is the case with Wynn Bullock's Color Light Abstractions.
~ Richard Gadd, Director of the Weston Gallery
WYNN BULLOCK: VISUAL PHILOSOPHER
Color Light Abstraction 1006 by Wynn
The Eloise Pickard Smith Gallery at Cowell College on the campus of UC Santa Cruz will become the sixth venue to host the traveling exhibition Wynn Bullock: Color Light Abstractions. The show will be on view from October 24 through December 7. Click here to view both sides of the postcard announcing the events. (pdf).
To complement the exhibition of Wynn's color work, Special Collections and Archives at the UCSC McHenry Library will offer a display of original black-and-white photographs by both Wynn and Edna. All the photographs for this adjunct show will come from the University's permanent holdings and will be available for viewing only through November 14.
In the Surf #2, 1968 by Wynn
A two-part opening reception has been scheduled for Friday, October 24. The first will be held from 3-5pm in the Lauritzen Photography Room on the third floor of the McHenry Library. The second part will take place from 5-7pm at the Cowell College Gallery.
As a member of UCSC's first graduating class, these two complementary shows hold special meaning for me. Gene and I are looking forward to participating in both opening receptions and warmly invite all of you who can to join us in the celebrations.
In conjunction with these two exhibits, an additional event is being planned for Tuesday, November 11, from 6:30-8:30pm on the Cowell College campus. As currently envisioned, this will be an informal, conversational-style gathering with my sister Lynne and me joining UCSC Professor of Photography Norman Locks to share personal reminiscences and interesting stories about Wynn, Edna, and their photographic journeys.
For a pdf poster with more details about both UCSC shows and their associated activities, click here.
WYNN BULLOCK: LANDSCAPES
Erosion, 1959 by Wynn
In 1999, SFO Museum became the first exhibitions program in an airport to receive accreditation from the American Alliance of Museums. The Museum features more than twenty galleries throughout the airport terminals with a rotating schedule of art, history, science, and cultural exhibitions. For more information about the Museum and its programs, click here.
Late last year, we received an invitation for the Museum to exhibit Wynn's work in the spring of 2015. The working title of the show is Wynn Bullock: Landscapes and it is currently scheduled to be on display in the Photography Gallery of Terminal 3 from February through April. The exhibit will feature twelve large-format contemporary prints of Wynn's iconic black-and-white images of the central California coast.
EXPANDING OUR ONLINE STORE
The Wynn Bullock: Revelations catalogue arrived today and it took my breath away. What a beautiful publication on so many levels. Not only is the design of the book striking, it is a fitting representation of Wynn's work. Congratulations to you and to everyone who worked to make the publication come to life. Bravo!
~ Lindsey Kouvaris, Curator of Exhibits and Collections at de Saisset Museum, Santa Clara University
With an eye to making our Wynn Bullock estate print programs available on our website early next year and in recognition of the increasing number of items we are offering for sale, we have modified the title of our "Online Shopping" section to "Online Store". For us, the name change acknowledges an increased level of business for which we have many of you to thank.
Since our last newsletter, we have added a couple of new items for sale. The first is a vintage, high-quality poster of Wynn's beloved image Let There Be Light. For further information, click here.
2015 Color Light Abstraction Calendar
The second addition is the beautiful new monograph Wynn Bullock: Revelations which we are now offering through our website by arrangement with the University of Texas Press. In addition to its availability through Amazon, UT Press, and the High Museum of Art, you can now get a copy signed by me as Wynn's daughter and contributor to the book. Click here for more details and to place your order.
By early November, we will be announcing availability of our new calendars and notecards. For the 2015 calendar year, we are offering two Wynn Bullock Calendars – one with twelve of his most beloved black-and-white images and the other devoted to his gorgeous, evocative Color Light Abstractions.
Stark Tree Notecard
For our second series of notecards, we have paired our current four Color Light Abstraction images with four new black-and-white images: Child on Forest Road, 1958; Let There Be Light, 1954; Sea Palms, 1968; and Stark Tree, 1956. These cards will be available in a black-and-white set of eight cards (two of each image); an all color set of eight cards (again two of each image); and a mixed set of eight cards (one of each of the black-and-white and color images). As before, you will also be able to create your own customized sets with a minimum of eight cards per set.
Once these new items are online, we encourage you to promptly place your orders for the items you want, especially for the calendars which were in high demand last year.
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In closing, I want to extend a special welcome to our many new subscribers. Your interest in Bullock photography is so encouraging. And to all our long-time subscribers, we thank you for your continuing support. We joyfully appreciate each and every one of you! Until next time, warmest greetings and best wishes,
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