PHOTOS

Images That Moved a Nation

February 4, 2014 |
© dektol@wordpress.com, courtesy Etherton Gallery.

© dektol@wordpress.com, courtesy Etherton Gallery.

Danny Lyon: Memories of the Southern Civil Rights Movement

In the modern era, prior to the internet and the 24-hour news cycle, photographs alone had the power to galvanize public opinion around an issue, movement or story. From Jacob Riis’ How The Other Half Lives in 1890, which depicted the dire conditions of New York slums, to the 1948 Life Magazine photo essay Country Doctor by W. Eugene Smith depicting a vanishing way of life, these works moved a nation. However, one of the most significant examples of photojournalism took place in the early 1960s, capturing the civil rights movement. Images circulated, showing a way of life in the southern United States that was so different from life in other parts of the country, and were hard to fathom. Beset by journalists from around the globe, the news photographs depicted a nation in crisis and a tinderbox ready to explode.

But a fascinating thing happened when an artist, as opposed to a news organization, turned his eye towards the political firestorm. The work of renowned photographer Danny Lyon has always explored boundaries and made viewers think differently due to his subject mater and total immersion into a way of life. Lyon’s images between 1962-63 remain a staggering document of the era.

This month marks the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act, and as February is also Black History month, Etherton Gallery has staged an exhibition of 50 photos from Lyon’s body of work on the subject. Lyon has continued to examine hot-button topics in his long and fruitful career. His most famous works include The Bikeriders in 1967, that documented an outlaw motorcycle gang and Conversations with the Dead, which chronicled inmates in Texas in 1971. His work depicts a way of life at that specific moment in time which still resonates today regardless of the time elapsed.

It remains hard to fathom the discrepancy in the way of life in America during this time. Lyon’s work, much like that of acclaimed photographer Robert Frank in his The Americans, captures a world unvarnished and unapologetic. In images that are as simple as a depiction of a water fountain or an entrance divided for use by different races, to images that depict the movement of unrest, arrest and civil disobedience Lyon is an observer and chronicler of a sad chapter in American history. An ironic dignity is imbued in the images of what so recently shamed our country, and the fight to change it that was so hard fought.

© dektol@wordpress.com, courtesy Etherton Gallery.

© dektol@wordpress.com, courtesy Etherton Gallery.

While much will be made of the 50th anniversary of the landmark legislation this month, it remains somewhat easy to forget what the world looked like prior to its institution. Lyon, fresh from college and anxious to capture the world around him traveled from New York to the south at age 20 and managed to create defining and staggering works that retain their power to move an audience more than 50 years later. While many of the images appeared in a civil rights book entitled The Movement, the work may not be as familiar as his other works which he self published later in his career.

The sense of grace in the face of oppression is remarkable and even more so now that many of the people depicted in Lyon’s images are senior citizens or may have died. These images may be the only catalog of their type in the capturing of the faces and events as they happened, as Lyon was surely the only photographer on site when the photos were taken. It’s doubtful that a contemporary group of images, even on the same topic, could carry as much weight as this body of work does in the modern world. The act of revisiting them or even discovering them for the first time is quite remarkable.

Gallery owner Terry Etherton has had a long history with Lyon and he “jumped at the chance” to show the work following the successful showing of the Bikerider series in 2012. This show’s images were curated by Lyon from the larger body and printed in 2006 as one of 10 complete sets. Etherton plans to tour the show much like a museum would, following the exhibition here. Look for a Lyon talk at the UA Center for Creative Photography this spring as a companion piece to this staggering show.

Danny Lyon: Memories of the Southern Civil Rights Movement is on display at Etherton Gallery February 8 though April 19. The gallery is located at 135 S. Sixth Ave. More details at EthertonGallery.com or by calling (520) 624-7370.

Lens on the Land: Environmental Photography of the Santa Rita Mountain Range

January 29, 2014 |
photo: Gooch Goodwin

photo: Gooch Goodwin

The beautiful Santa Rita Mountain Range in Southern Arizona is a tranquil and serene stretch of land that harbors a diversity of rare animals, plant species, water resources and communities that have inhabited the area for generations. Currently, the area is facing a threat in the form of a proposed copper mine that would cost $1.23 billion to dig the mile wide and a half mile deep area that will likely jeopardize the ecosystem and all of its regional inhabitants.

To help combat this, photographer Josh Schachter and Brian Forbes Powell teamed up with the Sonoran Institute and Save the Scenic Santa Ritas to compile a collection of stunning photographs of the region from 30 photographers of the area to be presented at the exhibit, Lens on the Land: Rosemont, What’s at Stake. Over the past two years, Schachter and Forbes Powell have narrowed over 500 photographs down to 50 for this special showcase to raise awareness of the need to save the area and its endangered species.

“Two years ago we went out there and started photographing and decided that we had to use art to help people understand how important the ecological resources are in that region,” says Schachter. “We decided that it would be more effective to partner with the organizations that were already working to protect that land of the Santa Ritas and surrounding areas. So we contacted them and then put a call out to photographers in the region and compiled hundreds of photographs. For me, it’s also exciting to have all of these artists come together and use their talents to explore and represent this landscape.”

Desert box turtle (Terrapene ornata luteola) looking at long-horned beetle. photo: Dennis Caldwell

Desert box turtle (Terrapene ornata luteola) looking at long-horned beetle.
photo: Dennis Caldwell

If the mine is allowed to proceed, it would operate for at least 20 to 25 years and could jeopardize nine endangered species, Southern Arizona’s $2.4 billion dollar tourism industry, the availability and quality of water for the area; it would darken the skies for the thriving astronomy industry, damage many cultural sites that reflect thousands of years of Native American habitation and could harm the rural economies including vineyards, pecan orchards and ranching.

“Throughout history, art has played a role on shaping our understanding of landscapes. Stories and visual stories can help solidify our community’s view of issues and policy maker’s perspective on these issues,” says Schachter. “Around the Rosemont [Copper potential mining] area and the water sheds and the Santa Ritas so many of the resources and species are so hard to see in passing, so photographs that illuminate them, like a jaguar in snow for example or rare flowering orchids, are amazing resources.”

The exhibit is showing at Fluxx Studio & Gallery, 414 E. Ninth St., and opens with a reception on Saturday, Feb. 1 at 6 p.m. The opening event and exhibit is free to the public and runs until Feb. 26 on Thursdays and Fridays from 3 p.m-6 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from noon to 7 p.m. There is also a screening of “Rosemont Ours” a NEW ARTiculations Dance Theatre video production that takes place on Feb. 16 at 7 p.m. as a complement to the exhibit. The gallery will also feature dance, video, painting, poetry, audio interview and music that to help support the conservation of Rosemont.

“It’s very exciting because a collection of photographs such as these of this region haven’t been assembled like this before,” says Schachter. “It’s really an exciting celebration because it is such a unique region that has so many wonders that are rarely seen. Over all of the years of working on conservation issues, I’ve developed a deep passion for telling stories of species, people and land through art. It has allowed me to develop a vocabulary to be an photographer, as much of my own photography is focused on the designs of nature and without that I wouldn’t be an artist.”

Ofelia Uya Rivas, an advocate for the cultural and ecological heritage of her people and land for many years, sits by the proposed mine site after performing what she describes as “a ceremonial offering to the land and ancient ancestors in recognition of the sacredness of the significant O'odham legacy of survival since millennia." Behind Ofelia rest dozens of significant prehistoric sites, including an ancestral ball court site, traditionally used for games and ceremonies. Most of these sites, including much of the area shown in this photograph, would be buried under hundreds of feet of mine waste. photo: Josh Schachter

Ofelia Uya Rivas, an advocate for the cultural and ecological heritage of her people and land for many years, sits by the proposed mine site after performing what she describes as “a ceremonial offering to the land and ancient ancestors in recognition of the sacredness of the significant O’odham legacy of survival since millennia.” Behind Ofelia rest dozens of significant prehistoric sites, including an ancestral ball court site, traditionally used for games and ceremonies. Most of these sites, including much of the area shown in this photograph, would be buried under hundreds of feet of mine waste.
photo: Josh Schachter

For more information, and to RSVP for the opening, visit LensOnTheLand.com

Life in Tucson – November 2012

November 12, 2012 |

Photos by Andrew Brown.

Tip Your Hat

November 12, 2012 |

by Sydney Ballesteros + Claudine Villardito

Among fall’s many pleasures is the opportunity to indulge my appetite for accessories.  Living in the desert, I am starved for weather that gives me an excuse to pull out—or acquire more of—the scarves, gloves and boots that punctuate autumn looks. The accessories I get most excited about, however, are hats. Time was, a woman wouldn’t be seen walking to her mailbox without her head covered.  And why not?  Hats draw attention upward, they frame the face, instantly glamorize, and pull whole wardrobes together.  What’s more, hats—especially vintage ones—are wearable sculptures; fine millinery takes such skill that to wear a beautiful hat is to be a work of art oneself. This month’s editorial celebrates the power wielded by beautiful accessories, with special focus on the artistry of the hat.  And who better to illustrate it than one of history’s most notorious milliners: Elsa Schiaparelli. The black and white number is one of her divine creations.

P.S.–A black turtleneck goes with everything!

Credits

Creative Director + Stylist: Sydney Ballesteros, SydneyBallesteros.com

Photographer: Stacia Lugo, StaciaLugo.com

Makeup: Tangie Duffey

Hair: Raul Mendoza

Model: Katie Reed

Wardrobe: Black Cat Vintage, BlackcatVintage.com

 

The Lady of Spain

October 3, 2012 |

Though baroque influences abound in fashion history, this fall’s focus on ornate embellishment (see Dolce & Gabbana’s needlepoint and tapestry handbags for proof) allow us to once again appreciate the craftsmanship required to produce exquisite garnishes.

So….to seek and find the original beauty, I walked through halls of vintage clothing, only to find what was once old is brought to life again. The grandeur of rich fabrics, textures and colors left me with a taste of Spain and a gilded lady good as gold!

Credits:
Creative Director + Stylist: Sydney Ballesteros sydneyballesteros.com
Photography: Stacia Lugo
Model: Becca Hammen
Makeup: Tangie Duffey

Hair: Raul Mendoza
Wardrobe: Black Cat Vintage blackcatvintage.com

Life in Tucson – October 2012

October 3, 2012 |

Photos by Andrew Brown.

No Wave Punk

September 11, 2012 |

A few shots from the Arizona Underground Film Festival & MEOW meow Productions downtown block party. (Sept 8, 2012)

Life in Tucson – September 2012

September 2, 2012 |

Photos by Andrew Brown.

Summer 2012 Photos Submitted by Readers

September 2, 2012 |

Thanks to all who submitted photos via our Facebook call. We received a lot of great images. 20 of the best appear below and in the September 2012 issue of Zocalo.

 

Neon Nights

September 1, 2012 |

 

Toxic Teens and Day Glow Dreams.
What’s a pretty young girl to do past curfew?
Caught in her toxic teens with her parents out on the town she’s left alone to concoct an atomic cocktail all her own. Dreaming of neon nights and day glow days to come, she whiles away pool side in a fantasy of one.

Credits:
Creative Director + Photographer: Puspa Lohmeyer.
Stylist: Sydney Ballesteros.
Model: Jesseca Haag.
Hair: Raul Mendoza.
Makeup:Sydney Ballesteros.
Props: Ed Smith + Ariel Robinson.
Photo Assistant: Ariel Robinson.