FotoWeek flyers in Washington, D.C.
Photograph by Sebastian John
A few weeks ago I went to Georgetown and met the FotoWeek inner circle, who have been cooking up a major citywide photo festival set to premiere in Washington, D.C., on November 15 and run through November 22. This is FotoWeek's first year, but already more than 60 galleries, museums, universities, and embassies are involved with this exuberant celebration of photography, which is spilling over into Maryland and Virginia. Among the two dozen or so people gathered in the loft-like space at Zone Zero was a definite grassroots "Let's get together and put on a show!" energy, channeled by founder Theo Adamstein, owner of Chrome Imaging. In addition to exhibitions, FotoWeek activities will include photo contests (for children as well as adults), portfolio reviews, lectures, outdoor projections, a tech pavilion, book signings, workshops, and a closing gala at the National Geographic Society.
And most of this is free! How remarkable is that? FotoWeek's Web site does a great job of mapping out the abundant options for the photo obsessed. I can already see several future traffic jams on the calendar as I scheme to keep up with all the openings and talks popping up in the course of the week. (Just look at Friday night, when both Ed Kashi and Joyce Tenneson are speaking. What an agonizing choice.)
Girl with Umbrella, Okrika, Nigeria 2006
Photograph by Ed Kashi
Theo Adamstein is convinced that the only reason the festival came together so quickly (barely a year between conception and launch) is because there was no business plan. As he remembers, it was much easier to spread excitement in one-on-one meetings and then simply refuse to take no for an answer. He also credits the fortuitous convergence of the right volunteers at the right time. Theo is proud of the fact that FotoWeek is inclusive--encompassing not just photojournalism, not just fine art, but the broadest spectrum of visual approaches. (George Hemphill, who is guiding the gallery and museum participation, expresses a similar enthusiasm for FotoWeek's egalitarianism, which embraces the most informal collective as well as prestigious heavyweights.) Theo is also proud of the festival's philanthropic ambitions to donate cameras to schools. The festival is meant to be for all ages and not just for photographers, but for anyone who appreciates photography. You and me, in other words.
Theo Adamstein, George Hemphill
Photographs by Paul Fetters
So I hope you'll come along as I try to hit as many events as I can during FotoWeek. National Geographic alone will host seven exhibits and six events, but I'm planning to visit a multitude of other venues as well. It should be a whirlwind--definitely a test of stamina, if nothing else! In my next post I'll take you behind the scenes of an exhibit I helped curate for FotoWeek.
Baby Nile Crocodile, Louanga, Gabon
Photograph by Michael Nichols
