The 2017 Filter Photo Festival kicked off on Thursday, September 21st. The events continue through Sunday, September 24th; with workshops, portfolio reviews, artist talks and exhibitions all coordinated throughout the four days of the festival.

The festival includes a number of events and talks that are free and open to the public at several locations in the loop area and local galleries. The full schedule is available at Filter Photo’s site: http://filterphoto.org/filter-festival/

Thursday’s events were capped off with exhibition openings. Filter Photo held its first Members’ Exhibition, Prime.  Juror, Kat Kiernan, Director of Panopticon Gallery and Editor-in-Chief of Don’t Take Pictures magazine, chose five artists for an installation at Fogelson Studio.  All of the submitted work can be seen in the online exhibition, which represents the quality and breadth of work being produced by Filter Photo Members.

Juror, Jennifer Keats, Director of The Donut Shop, chose a compelling assortment of small works for the show at Filter Space Gallery, we like small things. Keats invited 30 artists who created the small and unique works in we like small things, each motivated to create artwork of the highest standards both in its materiality and its meaning. The history of photographic prints and the attitude toward their size has been an ever-changing one. People have much more cognitive over-load than ever before, and that can take a toll. In a world in which viewers are increasingly assaulted with imagery, artworks in small scales allow us a sense of control, a space to retreat, when we are able to fit it into the palm of our hands.

The third exhibit opening was Deception. The show’s juror, Brian Paul Clamp, Director, ClampArt, wrote this about the exhibition, “Deception and deceit typically are perceived as dark and ominous. But one can also fall victim to less treacherous duplicity—trickery more playful in nature. My inclusions in the exhibition include both formal and conceptual deceptions. And while some of the strong work in the show naturally might feel sinister and at times even frightening, there is an equal amount of lighthearted mischievousness and fun—representing balance and parity rather than a single-sided interpretation of the theme”.

Events continue throughout the weekend – For more information about the Filter Photo Festival, including schedule of events, workshops, portfolio review sessions, and contact information – please visit the Filter Photo website: www.filterphoto.org