National Parks Exhibit, Gallery talk Feb 26, SF Bay Area (Hayward)

[rich815]

Just a reminder QT's wonderful prints will hang until March 26 so get out and see them!!! Hayward is pretty central in the Bay Area!!

Cheers,
Geary

True that! And I second what's said above. The large framed prints were jaw-dropping gorgeous. Breath-taking.

[Roger Thoms]

Darn you were there too? Ok next time something like this happens we got to arrange a secret handshake or high sign or something. Yeah strange we all look like normal people! I looked around too thinking somehow an LFF would stand out!! Hehe.

I was going to line up and say hi to QT but the line stayed 5-6 people long and I had to get back home to the fam'.

Yeah, some kind of secret signal would be cool, or maybe we should have t-shirts printed up that have a big view camera on the front and say LFPF on them. Hats would work too. I might have been a little more social but I did have to get home, had to get up at 4:00 am for work today. I did stand in line and had QT sign my book which was cool.

Just a reminder QT's wonderful prints will hang until March 26 so get out and see them!!! Hayward is pretty central in the Bay Area!!

Cheers,
Geary

This was my first time to visit Photo Central and was impressed, it's a nice facility. And as I said earlier, the exhibition is great.

Roger

[Robert Langham]

Just yesterday went to see the Mark Burns National Parks exhibition at the Bush 41 Library at Texas A&M. Be interesting to compare the two.
Mr. Burns was all digital. Nice prints, though the tone of the black and white images varied from warm to cool. Lushly matted in linen mats, black frames, professional lighting, light gray walls, incredible sponsors and support. Center of the room had a vintage National Park poster exhibit with cameras and painting reproductions.

[QT Luong]

Just yesterday went to see the Mark Burns National Parks exhibition at the Bush 41 Library at Texas A&M. Be interesting to compare the two.
Mr. Burns was all digital. Nice prints, though the tone of the black and white images varied from warm to cool. Lushly matted in linen mats, black frames, professional lighting, light gray walls, incredible sponsors and support. Center of the room had a vintage National Park poster exhibit with cameras and painting reproductions.

The current venue for Treasured Lands is a community gallery. Museums had a more high-end installation. Thanks for the report. He did send me an invite, but Texas is a bit far... Who were the sponsors, and what made the support incredible ?

[Robert Langham]

There was a donor wall with four levels, probably 40 individual donors. I recognized some significant names. Sponsored by the National Park Foundation, the Bush Library, framing was funded by one person, matting provided by another, et, et. Can't remember seeing anyone providing the printing but could have just missed it.

Nationalparksphotographyproject.com has more details. Just went outside and fished the handout from the garbage.

Space isn't a 2D space but they had made it one, including lighting. Looked like newish LED lights. The Bush Library moves and changes exhibits often, so I expect this space to morph again. Basic Bush set-up is the anaconda plan- you walk in one end and come out the far end. This space was up front to one side. Well-placed and off the anaconda route. The exhibit is in a big three-walled space with an interior "I" shaped wall with prints in the center and also a tribute to early painters. Wide spaces to walk but the prints were on the edge of being tight. Looked like standard 59 inch centerpoints. First class presentation, except for the almost too-closely hung prints. Almost. Titles had to be set on the bottom right corner below the frames. (I think someone was listed as sponsor of the titles.) Titles were just the name of the park. Medium was listed as archival pigment print.

I gave it a careful look to puzzle out the selection and sequence, but didn't learn anything. Most images are landscape scale and horizontal. Just a couple of medium close-ups. Only a few incidental people visible. Large color panorama of the Grand Canyon across the entrance wall. Walked it carefully and read the supporting material, went through the Bush anaconda, then hit it one more time for a close look on the way out.

[QT Luong]

Thanks, Robert. Dayton Duncan writes in the foreword of my book: "His dedication—it’s tempting to use the word “obsession”—to his self-imposed, self-directed, self-funded odyssey to bring his large-format camera to every single national park astonished us. The scope of it, which has taken him 20-some years to complete, in a way equaled—perhaps even dwarfed—that Watkins, Jackson, Grant, and Adams. Traveling on his own, with no government agency or corporate underwriter supporting him, he simply followed his heart and set about his work." However, at this point in time, I could certainly use some sponsors...

Also, thanks to everyone from the forum who attended, it was great to meet you!

[Vaughn]

I did get a chance to see the work -- wonderful!