"Living history" right around the corner...

Last weekend, Guildess hosted a Zine Workshop at Foxglove Gallery in honor of International Women's Day. Participates were encouraged to create a portrait of a woman who has influenced their lives and write a short blurb about why. During the workshop, I was informed of a local project that caught my attention. QZAP, the Queer Zine Archive Project, is headquartered in Riverwest and aims to build an archive of all queer zines.

"The mission of the Queer Zine Archive Project (QZAP) is to establish a "living history" archive of past and present queer zines and to encourage current and emerging zine publishers to continue to create. In curating such a unique aspect of culture, we value a collectivist approach that respects the diversity of experiences that fall under the heading "queer."

The primary function of QZAP is to provide a free on-line searchable database of the collection with links allowing users to download electronic copies of zines. By providing access to the historical canon of queer zines we hope to make them more accessible to diverse communities and reach wider audiences."

While waiting for Guildess's zine to make its way to Foxglove Gallery this week, check out QZAP's website and see what they are all about!

The Living Photo Booth Project at Jackpot Gallery

This Saturday (March 12th), The Living Photo Booth Project will make an appearance at Jackpot Gallery during an exhibition opening (6-10pm). We will be taking a classic approach to the traditional photo booth and featuring a few new props inspired by photography itself.

HoverCraft - Dec. 2010

The exhibition, "Fabled", features nine local tableau photographers that explore a variety of topics with a narrative approach. Artists include: Amber Schwalenberg, Lindsey Mueller, Michael Goelzer, Amber Blanchard, Ally Santiago, Jessica Farrell, Jean Yang, Cassandra Hansen and Brian Slawson.

Jessica Farrell, Discovery, 2010

Michael Goelzer

Come enjoy photography on the walls and in your hands. Browse for a bit and then step inside The Living Photo Booth for a printed image to take home.

Vivian Maier: An Untold Story

Self Portrait

Francis Ford, a local portrait photographer, brought Vivian Maier's photography to my attention a few weeks ago. For those who do not know, Maier was an American street photographer during the 1950's and 60's. She worked as a nanny for 40 years, and on her days off she would wonder the streets of Chicago with her Rolleiflex twin-lens reflex camera. Apparently, she did not show her photographs to others, and often neglected them, herself. She left hundreds of rolls undeveloped when she passed away. 

In 2007, a Chicago historian, John Maloof, discovered Maier's 100,000 negatives, 600 undeveloped rolls of color film, and several hundred undeveloped rolls of black and white film when they were for sale at a local auction.

As her story continues to unfold, Maloof maintains a blog of Maier's wonderful street photography. Some 90,000 negatives are still waiting to be scanned.

Currently, Maier is being honored with a one-woman show at the Chicago Cultural Center. "Finding Vivian Maier: Chicago Street Photographer," is on display until April 3, 2011.

*Images courtesy of http://vivianmaier.blogspot.com/