E5: Rangefinder

June 28 - August 2, 2008

Featuring new works by Kristina Bilonick, Michael Matason, Jillian Pichocki, and Bryan Whitson, this year’s Exercises program highlights experimental uses of photography. 

E5: Rangefinder presents works created through a variety of photographic processes including screen printing, light painting, multiple exposure Polaroid’s, and photographic renderings, which these artists developed over a several month process of peer critique and mentorship organized by Transformer and guest curator Lisa McCarty.

ABOUT THE EXHIBITION & PROGRAM

Launched in March 2004, The Exercises for Emerging Artists was created to support artists at critical points or crossroads in their professional growth and development. Consisting of a series of gatherings at Transformer, the program is designed to stimulate and encourage participating artists as they create new work. In addition to several peer critique sessions, the artists receive mentorship and feedback from area gallerists, more established artists, professors, and curators. This year's mentors included visual artist Jason Zimmerman, photographer Frank Day, Transformer's Executive & Artistic Director Victoria Reis, curator, art critic, and the Corcoran College of Art + Design’s Administrative Chair of Photography Andy Grundberg, independent curator and gallerist Andrea Pollan of Curator’s Office, and E5: Rangefinder guest curator Lisa McCarty.

Seeking to build this year’s Exercises to include discipline specific leadership that would further benefit the participating artists’ overall experience, Victoria Reis approached Lisa McCarty to guest curate the E5 program.

Lisa McCarty, a visual artist, photographer, and independent curator states:

“I am interested in the use of images as source material or a departure point within an artists’ practice; images as ideas to build upon and fuse into a larger concept. Artists who work in this way also seem to be incorporating photographic processes into new techniques, or developing their own hybrid systems of image creation. For this program I sought to give a forum to these artist who approach the medium of photography as a means, but not always the end.”

Beginning in April through to June 2008, the artists participated in facilitated bi-weekly meetings discussing the challenges they face as artists, the inspiration that helps propel them forward, as well as their artistic intentions and goals. E5: Rangefinder opens up the program, presenting the results of these artists’ Exercises experience to the public for interaction and feedback.