MCAD Scholarship Fundrasier Auction

I volunteered last week at a fancy auction event at the college where I recieved my master's degree: the Minneapolis College of Art and Design (MCAD). I first helped out at last year's event, and I was asked back this year. Here are a few photos I made throughout the night:

These first 5 photos are all from the main gallery space.






I sent this portrait of Danny Trejo to my wife saying it would look lovely above our fireplace.




I was going to be stationed in this back hallway, which was actually where the guests would be
entering the main gallery space to look at the art before heading out under the large tent in the yard.


A Karen Wirth piece!

Behind me in that last photo were 4 large pieces, and those 4 were going to be part of the "main event" and auctioned off live later that night. Everything else was a silent auction that could be bid on through your phone or the iPads stationed next to the work.

An hour after we got all trained in, the space started filling up with guests:

Karen talking to someone in front of her piece.


I had to ask people to keep moving at times because it was so packed!


Back in the main gallery.

I didn't stick around when my "shift" was over, but I heard one of the 4 live auction pieces got sold in a bidding war, and it ended up going for $30,000! (I also didn't get any photos of the big tent in the yard, but it looked very similar to last year's set up only with a different piece by Aaron Dysart in the middle.) Thanks to all the bidders for helping to raise money for the student scholarship fund!!

My badge I wore all night.

American Gothic Selfie

Two Acknowledgments in 'Inside Hamline'

News about my 4 a.m. exhibition has been showing up on Hamline University's "Inside Hamline" page. First was the announcement of the exhibition about 2 months ago:

[click the images for a larger view]

Second-to-the-bottom here, along with news about the sculpture professor 2 stories above me!

As the exhibition came down, I was featured again, and they noted the recap of the exhibition that I'm doing on Instagram at @PhotoStenzel. Here's where I appear on "Inside Hamline" and then also on the "Accomplishments" page:

On the "News" page.


On the "Accomplishments" page.

Old College of Visual Arts Darkroom Stations

My boys and I had to meet at friend at Concordia University recently, and we ended up down in their darkroom space. I was SO HAPPY to see a handful of John Marshall's homemade darkroom stations still being used down there! He build dividers, countertops, shelves, and drawers for each enlarger when the College of Visual Arts re-did their labs in 2011. And then when CVA closed a few years later, many of them went to Concorida. Seeing these made me smile:

And my boys pretended that their LARGE darkroom door was a time machine back to 1989. :)

Every Photograph from my Exhibition on Instagram

For the past 34 days (and for the next 10 days), I've been sharing one image each day from around my solo exhibition that recently came down from the Concordia Gallery. With each image, I also share a little "behind the scenes" info as well. Check it out by searching PhotoStenzel on Instagram!

Follow me here on Instagram.

'Directorial Mode' Images

My Digital Photography II class has some work hung in the hallway outside of our classroom. It's from the "Directorial Mode" project. Here's the text that's hanging along with the prints:

For this assignment, students created 4 final images that lend themselves to the idea of what A.D. Coleman calls the “Directorial Mode.” In his essay he writes: “The work of every photographer describes a unique, personalized version of the universe shaped by that photographer's sensibility and intentions. In the imagery of those who choose to function directorially, this shaping is more aggressively done...”

So these students “aggressively” shaped their images, controlling all aspects of what appears on the print.

More from Coleman: “The directorial mode challenges our long cherished assumptions about the transparency of the photograph, its purported neutrality, its presumed objectivity; insistently undermining the credibility of the photograph, it puts the image in question.”

Students “put their image in question” and created 4 highly controlled photographs. They printed one of their 4 final images on 17” roll paper, and those are the images displayed here.

And here are some photos of their work.

[click each image for a larger version]

And here are a few of their individual images:

A. Stromdahl did seperate compositions about 4 different musical artists.


M. Randall composed this image in her bathroom.


These next two are cut paper illustraions by A. Lindner where
she Photoshopped herself into the 4 seasons. This is summer...


... and this is spring.


K. Hart showed herself doing everyday things along side her dog. Here's eating lunch...


... and working on homework.


L. Bernardy spoofed the over-the-top nature of Peta advertisements
with anti-vegan instead of anti-meat propaganda as seen in these 3 images.






And finally, here's A. Yang's project showing little still lifes with different Funco Pop figures.






This was a striking image printed 17x22" as seen in the opening images above!

If you are around campus, stop by the lower level of the Bush Student Center to see these prints for the next week or so!

Exhibition Photos from "4 a.m."

Here are some photos of my "4 a.m." exhibition that came down last month at Concordia University:

[click each image to enlarge]

Related Links:
- Announcing the exhibition
- My image on the college's mailer
- Hanging work
- The opening reception
- The gallery's photos from the opening

And click on the "Solo Exhibition" tag to see many more posts about the "4 a.m." exhibition.