Venues

Laurel Nakadate: Polaroids from ‘Stay the Same Never Change’
and
The Architect's Brother: Photogravures by Robert and Shana ParkeHarrison
and
Current: 2012 SPE Student Juried Exhibition
October 4–October 31

Reception for all of the Exhibitions
Friday October 26, 5 pm–8 pm 

Convergys Gallery 
Fall 2012 FOTOFOCUS Lecturer and Visiting Artist, Laurel Nakadate
Laurel Nakadate: Polaroids from ‘Stay the Same Never Change’

Exhibition Reception
Convergys Gallery
sponsored by FOTOFOCUS
Thursday October 25, 5 pm-7 pm

Lecture
Laurel Nakadate Presents her Work in a Free Public Lecture
Fath Auditorium, Cincinnati Art Museum
sponsored by FOTOFOCUS
Wednesday October 24, 7 pm-8:30 pm
Public Reception
Great Hall, Cincinnati Art Museum
hosted by FOTOFOCUS
8:30 pm-10 pm

The Art Academy of Cincinnati and FOTOFOCUS host the first exhibition of Polaroids from Laurel Nakadate’s Stay the Same Never Change project. Nakadate utilizes popular culture to examine the discomfort and allure in the relationship between women and the male gaze. Her work employs the manipulative power of the camera to challenge issues of intimacy, societal power, voyeurism, loneliness, and individual agency. Displayed in a line referencing film and narration, the 150+ Polaroids invite viewers to engage with Nakadate’s subjects in their personal journeys.

A Yale graduate, Nakadate’s work was the subject of Only the Lonely, a 10-year retrospective at PS1, New York City. Nakadate's work has also been exhibited at the Getty Museum, Los Angeles; the Asia Society, New York City; the Reina Sofia, Madrid; the Berlin Biennial; Grand Arts, Kansas City; and at Leslie Tonkonow Artworks + Projects, New York City. Born in Austin, Texas, the artist lives in New York City. 

The FOTOFOCUS Lecture and Visiting Artist Series, sponsored by Lightborne Inc., and formerly known as the Lightborne Lecture Series, invites renowned photographers to Cincinnati to share their work with the public and area college students. Since its 1996 inception as a free public lecture series showcased at the Cincinnati Art Museum, the program has expanded to include an Artist Residency at the Art Academy of Cincinnati. In the fall, area students work with the visiting artist during two three-day workshops, receive one-on-one critiques, and install an exhibition of the photographer's art in the Art Academy Gallery. In the spring, an artist is invited for a three-day visit, with group and one-on-one critiques with students. To date over thirty artists have participated in the Series, including Laurie Simmons(www.lauriesimmons.net), Todd Hido (www.toddhido.com), Hank Willis Thomas (www.hankwillisthomas.com), Gregory Crewdson, Thomas Demand (www.thomasdemand.de), Joyce Tenneson (www.tenneson.com), and Doug Aitken (www.dougaitkenworkshop.com). 

Pearlman Gallery
The Architect's Brother: Photogravures by Robert and Shana ParkeHarson 
sponsored by AIGA Cincinnati and FOTOFOCUS

Shana and Robert ParkeHarrison create elegant photogravures using theatrical constructions of impossible realities. Images from the series The Architect's Brother are performances in mythological spaces underscoring flight, presence, futility, and freedom. The dichotomy addresses our humanity and struggle with the natural world while conjuring wonder from the viewer.

The ParkeHarrisons studied together at the University of New Mexico. Since the mid-90s, they have exhibited throughout the world, including: Tokyo Photo-Biennale, Japan; Whitney Museum of American Art, USA; Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography, Ottawa; Nobel Peace Center, Oslo, Norway; and Bozar, Palace of Fine Arts, Brussels, Belgium. In 2006, they were invited to the Venice Biennale of Architecture.

Chidlaw Gallery
Current: 2012 SPE Student Juried Exhibition
Organized by Art Academy of Cincinnati students, Current is on display in a student-run gallery. Justine Ludwig, Assistant Curator, Contemporary Art Center, Cincinnati, juried submissions from regional photography students who competed for cash prizes and awards.

First established in 1869 as the McMicken School of Design, the Art Academy of Cincinnati is one of the smaller four-year arts colleges in the United States. In 2005, the Art Academy relocated to its present facility in the Over-the-Rhine neighborhood, and continues to foster the revitalization of the surrounding area as an emerging arts district. Featuring three galleries, the Academy is dedicated to maintaining a vibrant creative community committed to engaging innovative visual artists who make meaningful contributions to the world.