THE UNCHOSEN ONES R. J. KERN - EXHIBITION PROPOSAL
←
→
Page content transcription
If your browser does not render page correctly, please read the page content below
THE UNCHOSEN ONES
An exhibition of photography
by
R. J. KERN
EXHIBITION PROPOSAL
rjker n.com | theunchosenones.com
To schedule an exhibition, gallery talk, book signing, or educational gathering, please contact R. J. Kern:
Email: rj@rjkern.com
Website: www.rjkern.com
Phone: (303) 474-0983
Copyright © 2019 R. J. Kern
Printed May 2019
Page 2
!
PROJECT STATEMENT
The Unchosen Ones takes place on the sidelines of county fair animal contests in
Minnesota in 2016. These county fairs lead up to the Minnesota State Fair, one of
the largest and best-attended expositions in the world.
One isn’t born a winner or loser, but a chooser. This theme is explored in this series.
As we look at them, they look back, allowing us to think about how we choose
winners and the repercussions for the ones not chosen.
The project consists of over 60 portraits made at 10 Minnesota county fairs in 2016.
The photographs showcase the subject facing the camera, allowing the viewer to
decide what connects and distinguishes these subjects.
With a vantage point straight onto the figures, the direct stance portrayed develops
a typology, showcasing individual styles and characteristics. With a serial and
systematic approach, the human condition is exposed in real-time.
rjker n.com | theunchosenones.com
“I chose R. J. Kern as the first place winner, a series of posed
portraits of children and their non-prize-winning goats. The
question of what it means to be a victor certainly had new
resonance this year, but for me the issues of winning or losing were
far less pressing than the sensitivity of the portraits, both of the
children and of the animals (two subjects notoriously difficult to
photograph) and most essentially of their relationship to one
another. The simple conceit of a uniform backdrop called attention
to the act of photographing and also highlighted the differences in
scale, attitude, and pose among the sitters, both human and
hircine. I found the project beautifully seen and surprisingly tender.”
Corey Keller
Curator of Photography
SF Museum of Modern Art
June 2017
Page 4
!
Kenzi & Hootie, Anoka County Fair, Minnesota, 2016
rjker n.com | theunchosenones.com
EXECUTIVE SUMMARY
“The Unchosen Ones,” is an interdisciplinary installation of documentary photography
showcasing relationships between humans and animals. Your support helps sustain on-
going artist initiatives including community engagement through exhibitions, artist talks, and
sharing the messages of “The Unchosen Ones” to communities across the globe.
ABOUT THE PROJECT
The Unchosen Ones project was published in
National Geographic magazine (November 2017).
The project was awarded CENTER’s Curator’s
Choice Award (First Place) by juror Corey Keller,
Curator of Photography, SF Museum of Modern Art.
The work has been exhibited internationally
including the National Portrait Gallery (London, UK),
the Yixian International Photography Festival
(Anhui, China), the Rokko Photographic Garden
(Kobe, Japan) and a solo exhibition at the Griffin
Museum of Photography (Boston, USA). The book,
The Unchosen Ones, featuring over 65 participants
from the project was published in 2018. The project
was supported by the Minnesota State Arts Board
Artist Initiative Grants (2016, 2018). Behind the scenes at Clay County Fair, 2016
ABOUT THE ARTIST
R. J. Kern (b. 1978) is based in Minneapolis,
Minnesota. His work explores ideas of home,
ancestry, and a sense of place through the
interaction of people, animals, and cultural
landscapes. In 2018, Kern published his first
monograph with Kehrer Verlag titled, The Sheep
and the Goats. Public collections holding his work
include the Center for Creative Photography, the
Griffin Museum of Photography, the Plains Art
Museum, the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston and
Museum of Fine Arts, St Petersburg. He is
represented by the Klompching Gallery in New
York and Burnet Fine Art in Minnesota.
R. J. Kern, photo by Jake Shivery
Page 6
!
ESSAY EXCERPTS FROM THE UNCHOSEN ONES BOOK
“The Unchosen Ones stands, to be sure, as a
document of these subjects, and of specific hot
summer afternoons in Minnesota; I have no doubt that
a hundred years from now viewers of these
photographs will marvel at their truth, and greedily
consume every fact and detail. This is what
documentary photography is intended to do, but the
best documentary, as this work is, transcends the
specificity of time and place. In the language of
actuality, Kern has preserved decisive moments in
photography that are also universal human moments.”
— Alison Nordström, PhD
Independent scholar, curator, and writer
Pre-press meeting at National Geographic.
Photo by Giovanni Savino.
“No matter what place or award is received, the
bond between the exhibitor and their animal is
hard to break. The time spent feeding, training,
watering, and grooming, along with the discipline
to exercise and train their animal to hold its head
high or to place its feet, hoping to catch the
judge’s eye and win the highest approval. Too
many of these children, the animals become a
friend or a pet. The exhibitors will carry the life
skills and memories for a lifetime.”
— Joe Scapanski
Minnesota State Fair Board of Managers
Solo exhibition, Central Lakes College
rjker n.com | theunchosenones.com
ARTIST BIOGRAPHY
R. J. Kern (b. 1978) is an American artist whose work explores ideas of home, ancestry,
and a sense of place through the interaction of people, animals, and cultural landscapes.
His work has been exhibited in a number of notable exhibitions including the National
Portrait Gallery (London, UK), the Museum of Modern Art (Tbilisi, Georgia), the Yixian
International Photography Festival (Anhui, China), and a solo exhibition at the Griffin
Museum of Photography (Boston, USA).
Kern's work has been presented in a number of publications, including a feature in
National Geographic (November 2017), with his series The Unchosen Ones and Out To
Pasture. Kern published his first monograph with Kehrer Verlag titled, The Sheep and the
Goats, awarded one of "The Most Beautiful German Books 2018” by Stiftung Buchkunst
and awarded Bronze by the prestigious Deutscher Fotobuchpreis 2018-19. He self-
published his second monograph, The Unchosen Ones, which won an Award of
Excellence in the Communication Arts 2018 Photo Annual.
Collections holding his work include the Center for Creative Photography, the General
Mills Corporate Collection, the Plains Art Museum, the Griffin Museum of Photography,
the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, and the Museum of Fine Arts, St. Petersburg.
He is represented by the Klompching Gallery in New York and Burnet Fine Art & Advisory
in Minnesota.
SOLO EXHIBITIONS FOR THIS PROJECT
2019 Plains Art Museum, Fargo, ND
Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Tampa, FL
2018 The Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester, MA
Burnet Fine Art & Advisory, Wayzata, MN
Klompching Gallery, Brooklyn, NY
2017 Yixian International Photography Festival, Anhui, China
Central Lakes College, Brainerd, MN
The Phipps Center for the Arts, Hudson, WI
Page 8
!
AWARDS FOR THIS PROJECT
2019 56th Annual Juried Competition Exhibition, Masur Museum of Art, Juror Catherine Futter
(Director of Curatorial Affairs, Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art), Honorable Mention
6th Open Call, Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts, Juror Aline Smithson, Second Place
2018 Critical Mass “Top 50”, Photolucida, Portland, OR
Minnesota State Arts Board, Artist Initiative Grant, St. Paul, MN
"Great State of Minnesota Award" by Minnesota Citizens for the Arts
"First Glance Award," Minnesota State Fair Foundation
Communication Arts 2018 Photo Annual, Award of Excellence, Category: Books
2017 CENTER Choice Award Winner, Curator’s Choice, Juror Corey Keller (Curator of
Photography, SF Museum of Modern Art) First Place, Review Santa Fe 100, CENTER,
Taylor Wessing Photographic Portrait Prize, National Portrait Gallery, London, UK, Finalist
2017 International Juried Exhibition, Center for Photographic Art, Juror Philip Brookman
(Consulting Curator, National Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.), Second Place
The Royal Photographic Society’s International Photography Exhibition 160, Silver Award
Renaissance Photography Prize 2017, Finalist
All About Photo Awards 2017: Mind’s Eye, Winner & participant in Juror’s Merit Gallery
2016 Minnesota State Arts Board, Artist Initiative Grant, St. Paul, MN
Mahnomen County Fair with 4-H kids at the traveling community exhibition
rjker n.com | theunchosenones.com
HISTORY
This project began with preliminary research and testing conducted at the Minnesota State
Fair in Sept 2015. In January 2016, the Minnesota State Arts Board awarded a $10,000
Artist Initiative Grant to support the project. In April 2016, the artist attended a lighting
workshop in Los Angeles offered by Felix Kunze, Annie Leibovitz’s former lighting assistant.
From June - August 2016 the work was created across 10 county fairs in Minnesota. In May
2017, Corey Keller, Curator of Photography at the SF Museum of Modern Art, awarded the
project Curator’s Choice Award (1st Place) at CENTER. In November 2017, the work was
published by National Geographic. From November 2017 - February 2018 an image from
the series was exhibited at the National Portrait Gallery in London. In January 2018, the
Minnesota State Arts Board awarded a second $10,000 Artist Initiative Grant to support a
traveling community exhibition traveling to county fairs in the summer of 2018. In May 2018,
the series of exhibited at Klompching Gallery in New York and June - Sept 2018 the series
of exhibited at Burnet Fine Art & Advisory in Wayzata, MN. The Griffin Museum of
Photography featured the work from both series, The Unchosen Ones and Out to Pasture.
Lecture at the Griffin Museum of Photography, Winchester, MA
AUDIENCE
As evidenced by the popularity, the installation has the potential to reach a broad audience,
its universal subject matter and unique and unusual methodology offers great potential for
the development of educational outreach programming relating to art, science, and
psychology.
In conjunction with the installation, panel discussions have been presented a venues with
professionals and experts from livestock and agricultural communities. The questions and
discussion that followed create thoughtful dialogues regarding the installation’s ability to
articulate a pictorial access to typology in animal contests and its artistic connections to
animal husbandry. As a fundraising opportunity, a similar panel could be planned in your
community.
Page 1
! 0Size options for “Out to Pasture” (above)
EXHIBITION CONTENTS & OPTIONS
The exhibition contents for The Unchosen Ones includes 12 “Large” color archival pigment prints on
Hahnemuhle fine-art paper which features a matte finish. The exhibition ships in two large boxes,
approximate the size of two golf club bags. Prints are shipped rolled in tube with paper in between.
Wooden frames are shipped in a box wrapped in foam padding. Approximate shipping (one-way) via
FedEx Ground in the continental US is $175.
Two sizes are available to provide host venues flexible options for scale:
• “Small”: Framed with glazing, 20 x 24 inches
• “Large”: Suspended with wood frames, 43 x 53 inches (print size), 44 x 54 inches installation size
Works include an exhibition set (not for sale) of archival pigment prints sized 43 x 53 inches featuring
unique wood frames which suspend prints from wall (up to 12 images). Of special uniqueness is the
tactile quality of these works and their accessibility to a variety of audiences. The exhibition could
also include both COLLECTOR’S EDITIONs the books on display which may be handled by the view
with gloves. In addition, a landscape series, Out to Pasture, would be available to compliment The
Unchosen Ones project, as many could be exhibited as diptychs featuring the animal in the home
pasture.
In addition, for the “Out to Pasture” series, an additional “Medium” framed size is available:
• “Small”: Framed with glazing, 21 x 25 inches
• “Medium”: Framed with glazing, 27 x 36 inches
• “Large”: Suspended with wood frames, 39 x 52 inches (print size), 43 x 56 inches installation size
rjker n.com | theunchosenones.comRylee and Nelly, Clay County Fair, Minnesota, 2016
Page 1
! 2Six interviews of the youth are provided as text to accompany the exhibition. The text may be
used to support the exhibition via wall placement, placards, or marketing materials.
SAMPLE YOUTH INTERVIEW #1
What was it like NOT to win grand champion? How did you feel?
“While I have won grand champion before, and it was a great feeling,
winning wasn’t the main focus. I just love showing. All my livestock are
grand champs to me, with or without ribbons.”
What advice would you share with other competitors at fairs?
“Always walk into the show ring with a smile and always walk out with a
smile. Always have fun and try your hardest. You learn from your animals
and other people at the fair, too.”
What life skills have you learned through showing your animals?
“I’ve learned the importance of never giving up, always helping others
learn, and the importance of teamwork when working with my animals.”
How have those skills shaped your life?
“It has taught me about the goodness of hard work and how to care for
others through love.”
rjker n.com | theunchosenones.comSAMPLE YOUTH INTERVIEW #2
What was it like NOT to win grand champion? How did you feel?
“I was sad for a few minutes but then I was okay.”
What advice would you share with other competitors at the fair?
“It’s fun to show animals. Sometimes you win and sometimes not, but
that doesn’t matter.”
What life skills have you learned through showing your animals?
“I use them in baseball, hockey, music, and even homework.”
How have those skills shaped your life?
“I use them in baseball, hockey, music, and even homework.”
Page 1
! 4Kol and Annabell, Anoka County Fair, Minnesota, 2016.
rjker n.com | theunchosenones.comSPACE REQUIREMENTS & TECHNICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Four “large” prints installed takes a minimum of 20 linear feet. For 12 “large” prints installed,
approximately 60 linear feet is required.
The installation of each portrait takes approximately 15 minutes per image. Two people are required to
safely hang the large portraits suspended in the wooden frames. Standard gallery lighting is suitable. No
additional equipment is required to power the exhibition.
Workshop for BFA students, Emerson College
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING
As a host venue for the exhibition, you will have the unique opportunity to engage audiences of all
ages in conversation about the relationship between humans and animals and R. J.’s approach to
his documentary photographic processes through gallery talks, public lectures, workshops, and
book signings.
• Gallery Talk: The artist is available to give presentations for adults and a young audience, in organized
groups or informal settings.
• Lectures: Universities and community spaces will benefit from presentations and in-depth
insights from the perspective of a working artist, for professors and students in the liberal arts,
geography, psychology, fine art, as well as agricultural studies.
• Workshops: Topics vary based on student level. Topics include:
• Lighting: Using studio lighting in the field for a painterly effect
• Career & Marketing: Moving from an “Emerging" to an “Emerged" Artist, working with galleries,
building a collector base, and getting work into museums and corporate collections
• Publishing: Self-publishing, working with publisher, creating collector’s editions
Page 1
! 6HOW TO SCHEDULE
To schedule an exhibition, gallery talk, book signing, or educational gathering, please contact
R. J. Kern directly:
Email: rj@rjkern.com
Website: www.rjkern.com
Phone: (303) 474-0983
Your support helps sustain on-going artist initiatives including community engagement
through local exhibitions, artist talks, and sharing the messages of “The Unchosen Ones” to
communities across the globe.
HOW TO PURCHASE BOOKS / PRINTS
Fine-art prints, limited-edition artist books, and COLLECTOR’S EDITIONs are available for
sale. Contact R. J. Kern for details.
“Kern has preserved decisive moments in photography
that are also universal human moments. Youth is fleeting.
Disappointment is inevitable. Love endures. We carry on.”
— Alison Nordström, PhD Independent scholar, curator, and writer
rjker n.com | theunchosenones.comOPTIONAL CONSIDERATION: TRAVELING COMMUNITY EXHIBITION
A secondary, traveling community exhibit featuring photographs and interviews with participants
suitable for installation indoors or outdoors at venues such as schools, libraries, historical societies,
community spaces, and agricultural fairs. The exhibition takes approximately 25 minutes for two
people to install. The four-sided panel display are sized four feet (square) by approximately ten feet
tall. The show ships and stores in the equivalent of two golf club sized boxes.
Hennepin History Museum, Minneapolis, MN, 2018 (above)
Hubbard County Fair, Park Rapids, MN, 2018 (right, top)
Mahnomen County Fair, Mahnomen, MN, 2018 (right, bottom)
Page 1
! 8rjker n.com | theunchosenones.com
To schedule an exhibition, gallery talk, book signing, or educational gathering, please contact R. J. Kern:
Email: rj@rjkern.com
Website: www.rjkern.com
Phone: (303) 474-0983
R. J. Kern is a fiscal year 2016 & 2018 recipient of the
Artist Initiative Grant from the Minnesota State Arts
Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of
Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State
Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from
the Arts and Cultural Heritage Fund.
Page 2
! 0You can also read
