Tag: retrospective

Michael Karibian A Retrospective

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Michael Karibian A Retrospective

July 5 to September 1, 2024

Art Hop Reception: July, 11 & August, 1 • 5 – 8 PM 

Reception: July 13, 2024 • 1 – 4 PM 

Friday Photography Live Presentation: Techniques of Traditional Darkroom Masters July 19, 2024 • 7 PM

Join us in a celebration of the work of distinguished artist, Michael Karibian, who contributed greatly to the fabric of our local arts community. Beloved and past member of Spectrum Art Gallery, Karibian was featured in exhibitions not only at Spectrum Art Gallery, but also the Fresno Art Museum, and Fig Tree Gallery. Although he has passed on, his amazing work continues to inspire with this retrospective exhibition featuring some of the highlights of his versatile career.

During his tour in Vietnam in 1969 he served as photographer for “Stars and Stripes.” With extensive Airforce training, he tackled everything from photographing generals shaking hands, troop movements in the field, to Agent Orange deployment and its results. While in Saigon, his camera turned to life in the streets and the souls he encountered. He came away with a mindset even more devoted to peace and tolerance. Coming from a heritage of those who escaped genocide, he listened, empathized, and later recorded Armenian elders’ stories accounting the horrors leading to the diaspora that enabled his generation precious opportunities to thrive in peace.

After military service with both a BA and MFA, he pursued a long and successful career as a professional photographer. To name a few, his clients ranged from California State University, Fresno, UC Merced, the Fresno Art Museum, major regional hospitals, The Big Fresno Fair, California Agricultural Industry, the Honor Flight for Veterans traveling to Washington D.C., to portraits of dignitaries, musicians, artists and their works.

As an avocation, he took great joy in listening and creating music with guitar and mandolin. Words and music were often integrated with his visuals in such ways that streams of consciousness could flow. Sketches, freeform poetry, memoirs, and Illustrated notebooks were developed as well as some very limited editions of custom-made books.

The visitors to this exhibition will have the opportunity to experience a cross-section of Michael Karibian’s unique life in photography through this collection of his finely crafted original artworks.

Join Steve Dzerigian’s Friday Photography Live on July 19th at 7PM for Techniques of Traditional Darkroom Masters.

Jeffrey D. Nicholas “Spotlight” Memorial Retrospective Exhibition

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Jeffrey D. Nicholas “Spotlight”

Memorial Retrospective Exhibition

Exhibit: August 4 – 28, 2022
Art Hop Reception: August 4, 2022 – 4PM to 8PM
Reception in Honor of the Artist: August 13, 2022 – 1PM to 4PM

Award-winning photographer Jeffrey David Nicholas first
became fascinated with the art of photography while studying architecture in the late-1960s. Following a year of traditional formal photographic education, which focused principally on black-and- white darkroom technique, he realized that color was his prime motivation. He cited Edward and Brett Weston, Minor White, Paul Caponigro, especially Harry Callahan – who worked brilliantly in both black and white and color – and (of course) Ansel Adams as early black & white influences. Eliot Glass, Brian Eno, Harold Budd and Arvo Part and, of course, Miles Davis, Dave Brubeck, and Bill Evans.

Nicholas’ imagery was awarded, published, exhibited, and
collected. In the mid-1980s he moved to Yosemite National Park to work at The Ansel Adams Gallery as book-buyer and curator of prints and exhibits. Later he co-founded Sierra Press with several other photographers to launch a line of color photography books celebrating the beauty of America’s National Parks. Ultimately, working with so many of America’s leading landscape photographers led him to question his own photographic intentions and aspirations. For most of the last 10 years he steadily moved away from his earlier style and subject matter: working instead to find his own voice. Nicholas pursued the muse of photography for more than four-and-a-half decades.

In 2013 Jeff had an exhibit titled “WINDOWS and WALLS.” The series included architectural imagery from Puerto Rico, New Orleans, New Mexico and, yes,
Fresno, California. This body of work, according to the artist, represents his intention to un-learn all the “rules” he mastered during the first 30 years of his photographic career. It is work that is not about what the photograph’s subject “is”, but rather “what else” it might be. This work is, arguably, most heavily influenced not by photographers but, rather, by the imagery of abstract expressionist and impressionist painters.

In 2016 Jeff exhibited a series titled “Essence.” In his exhibition statement Jeffrey noted: The aim of art is to represent not the outward appearance of things, but their inward significance. And Georgia O’Keeffe is quoted as having said:
     Nothing is less real than realism…
     It is only by selection, by elimination, by emphasis,
     That we get at the real meaning of things.
Finally, the artist/photographer Ralph Gibson was quoted as saying about his own imagery:
     I can tell you what it is,
     But I cannot tell you what it means.

All I can add to that is: “Ditto.”

We at Spectrum were deeply saddened to lose our long-time member, frequent exhibiting artist, generous donor, and dear friend, Jeff Nicholas. His wish was that any sales of his work benefit our non-profit mission to serve the community. Limited copies of Jeffrey D. Nicholas Memorial Retrospective Exhibition Catalogs will be available at the gallery. Additional copies are available to order.

A reception in honor of Jeffrey D. Nicholas will be held Saturday, August 13, 2022 from 1PM to 4PM. Sharing memories at 2PM.

Spectrum Art Gallery’s New Hours of Operation:
ArtHop (1st) Thursdays: 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Fridays: 4:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Saturdays and Sundays: 1:00 PM to 5:00 PM