New Orleans Photo Alliance Presents

For Immediate Release
Media Contact:
David Armentor
504-920-8386
programming@neworleansphotoalliance.org

New Orleans, LA (December 18, 2012) - The New Orleans Photo Alliance (NOPA) is pleased to announce the first exhibition of 201, "Common Ground: New American Street Photography." The exhibition is curated by Stephen McLaren, who recently co-wrote Street Photography Now (Thames and Hudson, 2010); and will feature the work of 5 contemporary American photographers that are changing the nature of street photography and giving us yet another way to view the world...

The exhibition will be on view at the New Orleans Photo Alliance Gallery, 1111 St. Mary St., New Orleans, LA 70130, from January 26, 2013 through March 23, 2013 with an opening reception on Saturday, January 26th from 7-10. Gallery hours are Saturdays and Sundays 12-4pm and by appointment. For further information on the exhibition please contact David Armentor at programming@neworleansphotoalliance.org

Curator's Statement:

"Common Ground: New American Photography" is curated by Stephen McLaren. The exhibition will feature photography by highly-accomplished American street photographers Jack Simon, Bryan Formahls, Chuck Patch, Blake Andrews, and Richard Bram. Each of these photographers is currently working at a highly-creative level in cities as diverse as San Francisco, New York, Eugene, Los Angeles, and New Orleans. The impressive bodies of work they are accumulating show that street photography, as an energetic and highly-adaptable photographic genre, remains an integral force in American photographic culture.

Street Photography's "common ground" is the century-old tradition of using one's natural inquisitiveness and camera skills to show us new facets of life and reveal poetry within the world around us. Each of the featured photographers eschew models, props, and exotic locations and instead rely on their speed of thought and their ability to arrange fragments of time and space into beguiling images. The images featured in the exhibition at the New Orleans Photo Alliance Gallery demonstrate a wide range of styles and camera formats, but it is each photographer's highly-individual way of seeing the world and recording it which exemplifies how creative street photography can be when pursued by dedicated photographers. 

Robert Frank's famed photography book, "The Americans," greatly benefited from the images made in New Orleans. These seminal images are ingrained in the minds of many modern and contemporary street photographers including those featured in "Common Ground." They are very much aware of the significant relationship New Orleans has with street photography and are pleased to be showing work in this city. 

About the New Orleans Photo Alliance
The New Orleans Photo Alliance was formed by a diverse group of photographers in 2006 to foster community and opportunities for photographers in the Gulf South. It is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization whose mission is to encourage the understanding and appreciation of photography. NOPA currently serves more than 350 members from Louisiana and throughout the United States. Since its inception NOPA has sponsored numerous photographic exhibitions, workshops and educational programs, including PhotoNOLA, the annual photography festival held each December in New Orleans. In 2009, NOPA instituted the Michael P. Smith Fund for Documentary Photography, a $5,000 grant.

To learn more about the New Orleans Photo Alliance, please visit our website at www.neworleansphotoalliance.org