"Journey" Accepted Into Permanent Collection

I'm excited to report that another one of my Holga toy camera images has been accepted into a museum's permanent collection. The Polk Museum of Art in Lakeland, Florida just recently notified me that the donation has been approved by the Collection's Committee.

Journey, 1998

Image size: 6" x 6", Paper size: 11" x 14", Framed size: 20"h x 19" w

Edition size: 15, B/W toned silver print, Forte Polygrade V paper

Collections: Tampa Museum of Art, Tampa

(In Honor of Fred E. Larson)

Polk Museum of Art, Lakeland

(In Honor of Daniel E. Stetson)

I wanted to offer one of my iconic toy camera images (the one that started it all for me--my first body of work entitled Environmental Portraits) in honor of the outgoing director Daniel E. Stetson whom will be moving on to another museum, the Hunter Museum of American Art in Chattanooga, TN.

Dan is a wonderful, passionate art-loving person that has a wealth of knowledge of ART and the ART WORLD and can hold you captivated with personal stories of his personal connections and interactions to many contemporary artists that we all know. I'll never forget the opportunities we've had being invited to the Museum's after party dinners because he thought it would be someone we would either enjoy or should get to know (as he would put it). Artist we've had the pleasure of meeting: Radcliffe Bailey, Herman Leonard, Joyce J. Scott, David Handschuh, Donald Sultan, Clyde Butcher, Joshua Mann Pailet, Bernice Steinbaum and a few others. So many times I would just pinch myself at those dinners where often we would get to converse with the artists, curators or gallery owners on a personal level. It was insightful, educational and inspirational for us and I'm so thankful for those evening hanging out with Dan and Todd Behrens (his curator at the time).

So with that said, I want to say thank you Dan for all the good times at the Polk Museum of Art and I'm glad I can honor your tenure with this donation. Good luck Dan and we hope we stay in touch!

Radcliffe Bailey, Artist

(c) Matt Larson, 2009, iPhone, Camera Bag, Lomo

Had the opportunity to meet and hear Radcliffe Bailey speak
tonight at the Polk Museum of Art. It's a must see exhibition if you're in or around the Lakeland area ... check that, make it in or around Florida!
Thank you Radcliffe for a great evening of art and conversation!
Thank you Todd Behrens, Curator of Art, for the invite!

Karsh, Leonard, and Bagert: A Photographic Legacy

From the Polk Museum's website ... LAKELAND, FL. - Starting Saturday, May 24, Polk Museum of Art will be hosting an exhibition of photographs by three "generations" of artists. Karsh, Leonard, and Bagert: A Photographic Legacy will demonstrate the way photographic traditions are passed down from mentor to student.

I have to say the opening was last night and what a night it was ... fantastic! Seeing and hearing Leonard and Bagert speak on their work and the exhibition as a whole was very special. It's why we keep going back to this museum (time and time again) and it's what sets the Polk Museum above all other local museums. It's always the complete package ... solid vision, planning, curating, opening, and most often a curator or director talk, artist lecture and/or an appearance by a major dealer or gallery representative that makes the whole experience memorable.

Duke Ellington, Paris 1959, by Herman Leonard
iPhone photo by (c) Matt Larson, 2008

While at the podium, Herman Leonard spoke about the photograph above, he says, "When you're in a room with Duke Ellington, you felt his presence."