FOLIOby Bonnie Thomas
Something cool is happening in photography, and it’s about time! The 2nd Annual PhotoJax 2013, a celebration of photography, will return this January to Downtown and CoRK Arts District in Jacksonville. PhotoJax 2013 will bring a diversity of photography-related exhibitions, gallery openings, video installations, a community response Instagram projection project, parties, and more. The festival brings together photographers, photography enthusiasts, collectors, educators, galleries, museums and the general public to explore all aspects of the medium of photography as a distinct visual art form. This year’s theme is “It’s About Time?”
“We are thrilled to announce the second installment of PhotoJax,” says Missy Hager, director of PhotoJax 2013, which is a not-for-profit organization of dedicated volunteers affiliated with MOCA. “Last year’s event exceeded our expectations, and we are excited about our new exhibit venue in the CoRK Arts District. [This festival] will offer Jacksonville and it’s surrounding communities an opportunity to experience contemporary and unconventional ways of exploring photography.”
Florida Mining Gallery will kick off the festival with an opening reception on Thursday, January 24th from 6 to 9 pm. Their show, Manifest: Select Photographs, will feature artists Bobby Davidson, Jessica Yatrofsky, Chang Kyun Kim, Allen Frame and Emma Wilcox.
On Friday, January 25th, the #photojax500 Instagram projection project will be presented downtown in Hemming Plaza, coinciding with the opening exhibition of Slow: Marking Time in Photography and Film at MOCA from 8 to 10 pm. A members’ preview begins at 7 pm.
On Saturday, January 26th, head to Riverside, because PhotoJax featured exhibitions will open at CoRK Arts District at 12 pm. The artists on display at CoRK are Abra Anderson, Daryl Bunn, Dennis Ho, Jensen Hande, Jen Morgan, David Montgomery, Kedgar Volta and Edison William. There is also a show called Territory of Light, which presents work by UNF photography students. The party and reception for the exhibiting photographers at CoRK begins at 6 pm that evening. There are also panel discussions at 2 pm at MOCA.
The first annual PhotoJax dinner EXPOSURE: An Interactive Public Art Dining Experience will be held as a closing for the festival on Sunday, January 27th from 4-7 pm. Tickets are $75 and seating is limited. Please call 904-762-8826 for more information about this more-than-gastronomic dinner.
To learn more about PhotoJax 2013 and upcoming events please visit www.photojax.org or like PhotoJax on Facebook for the latest updates.
#PHOTOJAX500: CALL FOR ENTRIES!
Love Instagram? Don’t we all. PhotoJax 2013 and The Art in Public Places Program present a chance for your Instagrammed images to get big, literally. First Coast residents eight and older may submit their favorite phone photos for inclusion in the #photojax500 project. 500 images will be selected and projected for 5 seconds each onto three large screens in Hemming Plaza, Downtown on the 25th at 8 pm. These images will then be made into a giant Polaroid installation as part of the PhotoJax exhibits the following evening at CoRK Arts District.
To enter, access Instagram through your mobile app and follow these steps:
a) Take a photo showcasing your best work.
b) Upload the image to Instagram and Twitter.
c) Hashtag the image with #photojax500.
d) Remember that your account must be set to ‘public‘.
e) All submissions will be vetted for appropriateness.
The deadline for submissions is January 14 at 5 pm.
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