The New Orleans Photo Alliance is accepting submissions for the 7th annual Clarence John Laughlin Award through July 31, 2016. The award grants one $5,000 prize to a fine art photographer whose work exhibits sustained artistic excellence and creative vision.
The Clarence John Laughlin Award was instituted by the New Orleans Photo Alliance (NOPA) in 2010 to support the work of photographers who use the medium as a means of creative expression. It honors the life and work of Clarence John Laughlin (1905-1985), a New Orleans photographer best known for his surrealist images of the American South. Finalists will be named by September 1, and the winner will be announced on October 15, 2016.
The award is open to emerging and established photographers who reside in the U.S. The online application process requires a portfolio of 10-20 photographs, a written statement, a bio or CV, and a $25 application fee. To learn more about the award and to apply, please visit: www.neworleansphotoalliance.org/clarence-guidelines-2016
The 2016 Clarence John Laughlin Award will be juried by Steven Albahari, Publisher of 21st Editions, a unique niche press that combines classic design, printing and photographic processes with the word, image, and artisan binding. Mr. Albahari earned a Master of Science Visual Studies degree from M.I.T., and a B.A. from Bennington.
21st Editions are purveyors of handmade and very limited edition book and print sets focusing on the word, photographic image and artisan bindings. The press primarily uses the classic photographic process of platinum, as well as gum over platinum, silver gelatin, cyanotype, kallitype, palladium and photogravure. Printed predominately letterpress, most with handmade and mold-made papers, while showcasing some of the finest poets and writers in the world, all within the context of bindings in leathers, silks, papers, cloths, and metals. The press has won three Lucie Awards, including a 2010 award for Listen: Herman Leonard and His World of Jazz.
Founder, President, Creative Director, and Chief Operating Motivator for 21st Editions, Steven Albahari oversees all aspects of their vertical company “while practicing the art of delegation, at the same time surrounding myself with people that know some of what I know and much of what I don’t know. I manage and operate with a theory of decisions by consensus, to a large extent. My team have varied backgrounds and tastes. When we are able to agree on something, that in itself better simulates the world we live in and demographic we market to. Our success and long-term relationships with each other and our collectors, both private and institutional, is built upon trust and respect for one another.”
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The New Orleans Photo Alliance is an artist-run 501(c)3 nonprofit organization comprised of a diverse group of photographers and enthusiasts. The mission of the organization is to encourage the understanding and appreciation of photography through exhibitions, artist opportunities and educational programming. The Alliance strives to be a hub of cultural stimulus fostering economic and artistic growth, while preserving the rich photographic culture of New Orleans and the South.
NOPA is supported by a grant from the Louisiana Division of the Arts, Office of Cultural Development, Department of Culture, Recreation and Tourism, in cooperation with the Louisiana State Arts Council. The grant is administered by the Arts Council of New Orleans.
