New Photography Shows, Call for Entries and Books: October 2009

SLIDELUCK POTSHOW XIV is scheduled for Friday, November 13, 2009 at the Aperture Foundation in Chelsea and will be co-curated by Lesley Martin, Aperture's book publisher. The theme of the 14th show in New York City is INSIDE OUT and the submission deadline has been extended to Wednesday, November 4th.

The Indo-American Arts Council seeks submissions from artists who identify themselves as having origins in the Indian Subcontinent for the Erasing Borders Exhibition of Contemporary Indian Art of the Diaspora 2010. The exhibition will be curated by Vijay Kumar and will travel to several key galleries and museums in North America from February through December each year.

The Magenta Foundation Flash Forward Festival and Competition All photographers in Canada, the UK and the US, 34 years of age and under, may submit. Submissions open on Monday, October 12, 2009 and close on Thursday, December 31, 2009.

Open Call: 31 under 31: Young Women in Art Photography II
Humble Arts Foundation is currently accepting submissions for 31 under 31 (women photographers born after March 1, 1979), curated by Charlotte Cotton and Jon Feinstein.

31 Under 31 Submission Deadlines
Early: Friday, November 20, 2009, 12 am ET
Late: Friday, December 18, 2009, 12 am ET

And finally... PDN's Darren Ching recommends 18 Photography Exhibits to See in New York City. Also from PDN is this must-read article, PDN Stories of Hope featuring United Nations, Olympus Visionary photographer John Isaac.

One of Issac's students had this to say about him: "He told us about times when he hadn't taken a picture because he didn't want to exploit someone. He always puts his ethics and morals first. I wish everyone could be like him."

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Darine Stern: First Black Woman to Grace Playboy Cover in 1971

Feeling compelled to post this as an homage to Darine Stern - the first African American woman to pose on the cover of Playboy in 1971.

Apparently the folks at Playboy used this image of Darine as inspiration for their latest issue with "The Simpsons" cartoon character Marge on the cover. This CNN article quotes the magazine's editorial director Jimmy Jellinick, "Marge's sexy blue beehive immediately made us think of Darine Stern, whose beautiful, voluminous hairdo was front and center on the October 1971 cover."

A cartoon character's "sexy" blue beehive = '70s black power afro? Don't quite get that connection and I'm not a fan of this "gentleman's" magazine, but I do love the original image of Darine. The back lighting on her hair is quite angelic.

According to Black Beauty of the Day, Stern died of breast cancer at age 46. Ironically, October is Breast Cancer Awareness month - perhaps this is the real moral of this story.

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11 Free MFA Programs to Study Photography

The decision to pursue higher education is always one fraught with anxiety over whether or not you can afford it.

After student loans for college, mortgages, plus credit card debt that most Americans have, who can even think about taking on another expense? For those who truly want to pursue higher education in photography, this post will list eleven free MFA programs within the United States that can help you do it debt free.

Baffled by the exorbitant costs for higher education in this country, one day I thought, is there such a thing as "free tuition"? Using Google I combed through comments left on forums and found graduate schools in the U.S. that offer fellowships and "tuition waivers", a form of financial assistance in which the school charges little or no tuition.

Some observations from my search:

• Only 1 of these programs listed below specifically offer an MFA in Photography, the others offer an MFA in Studio Art with the ability to specialize in photo - the benefit of studio art programs is that if interested, you can often take classes in other art forms
  
  
• Very few are located on the East or West coasts.
  
  
• Some schools also offer (teaching-assistantship) stipends for related or personal expenses.
  
  
• Admission prerequisites typically require a BFA in Art or Studio Art (including courses in art or art history) but some exceptions can be made, for example if you have a BA/BS in Studio Art - check each school's website for details.
  
  
• There are few slots available, less than 10 in most cases - so it's no surprise that competition is fierce.
  
  
• Application fees seem lower (compared to MFA Photo programs) and in some cases you may be able to get it waived too.
  

Here's a list of 11 free MFA programs you should check out, in no priority order. I've provided links to their websites for details and recommend you do your own research and verify their commitments to providing tuition waivers and fellowships if/before you apply.

1. Tulane University
   
   
2. University of New Orleans
   
   
3. University of Delaware
   
   
4. University of Illinios, Urbana Champagne
   
   
5. University of Connecticut
   
   
6. University of Albany, NY
   
   
7. University of Notre Dame - South Bend, Indiana
   
   
8. University of South Florida, Tampa
   
   
9. University of Arizona, Tuscon
   
   
10. University of Nevada, Las Vegas
    
    
11. Ohio State University, Columbus

Do you know of other free MFA programs with concentrations in photography? Please list them below in the comments!

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Get updates on new photographer interviews plus news on contests, art shows and informed commentary on what's happening with diversity in photography. Subscribe to Dodge & Burn Photography Blog: Diversity in Photography by Email

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