For over thirty years, the weekly New York Times Magazine has commissioned and published photographic work that has ranged from photojournalism to fashion to portraiture. Opening at the Hunter Museum of American Art on Thanksgiving weekend, the exhibit will explore this wide ranging selection through a number of installations which spotlight notable projects that have been presented in the Magazine.
"Focusing primarily on the last fifteen years, long-time New York Times Magazine Photo Editor Kathy Ryan provides a behind-the-scenes look at the collaborative, creative processes that have made this magazine the leading venue for photographic storytelling within contemporary news media," organizers said.
Using visual materials drawn from different stages of the commissioning process—storyboards, shot lists, work prints and contact sheets, videos, tear sheets and framed prints —the Magazine’s collaborative methodology is revealed from initial idea to the published page, and, in some cases, continues beyond magazine publication, when a subject that begun as an assignment has become a part of a photographer’s ongoing work.
Featured are 35 artists from across the globe, investigating the many concerns of contemporary life.
"Internationally renowned photographer Sebastião Salgado captures the devastation he encountered at the Kuwaiti oil fields while artist Gregory Crewdson delves into the enigmatic through his piece, Dream House. Ryan McGinley offers a fresh perspective on traditional sports photography with his inventive imagery of Olympic swimmers and skiers, alongside unique takes on the world of fashion by artists such as Lee Friedlander, Nan Goldin and Jeff Koons," officials stated.
As Mr. McGinley asserts, “Often the best creative work happens when there is crossover between different disciplines. A film is painterly. A photograph is sculptural. Likewise, the Magazine is often at its best when we bring photographers to projects that fall outside their usual borders. When a fine artist takes on a news story, or a documentary photographer embarks on a fashion shoot, sparks fly from the page.”
Exploring photography, community and American culture, this exhibit will have many programs to appeal to a diversity of interests. These begin with the Hunter’s holiday celebration which will also recognize the opening of the exhibit and run through major speaker programs scheduled for early 2015. In addition, there will be film events, a workshop on magazines and zines, programs on documentary photography and on faith in community. Individual pieces will be explored through Artful Yoga and Art + Issues series, and the Hunter Museum invites the entire community to experience the work of some of the nation’s greatest photographers as on view in the exhibit.
The exhibit will open to the public on Friday, Nov. 28 and will be on view through Mar. 22, 2015. General admission is $9.95 for adults and $4.95 for children over 3 years. A $5 rate is required for admission to view this exhibit on Free First Sundays. To learn more about this exhibit, visit huntermuseum.org.