This n' That: Yesterday, Today, and Tomorrow
Deana Lawson, Chief, 2019. © Deana Lawson, courtesy of Sikkema Jenkins & Co., New York; and David Kordansky Gallery, Los Angelas
New York born artist Deana Lawson is the first photographer to win the 2020 Hugo Boss Prize.
The Guggenheim announced that Photographer Deana Lawson, born in 1979 in Rochester New York, is the recipient of the 2020 Hugo Boss Prize. The New York-based artist is the first photographer ever to be awarded the prize.
Lawson is known for staging complex and intimate tableaux that focus on scenes of Black life, venerating the commonplace and celebrating her subjects. She carefully stages the lighting and position of her subjects, working in collaboration with them to create what she describes as a “mirror of everyday life”.
“Lawson is the first artist working in photography to be recognized with the award in its history,” Richard Armstrong, director of the Guggenheim Museum and Foundation said in a statement, “and her contribution to the medium and the larger cultural landscape is indelible.”
Frédéric Jousset. Courtesy of Art Explora.
A French Tech Entrepreneur has given $119 Million Investment Fund for Startups Expanding Access to Culture
French businessman and publisher Frédéric Jousset launched a new €100 million ($119 million) impact investment fund geared specifically toward supporting upstart arts and culture projects.
The fund, ArtNova, will give money toward entrepreneurial efforts that, according to the announcement, “benefit the entire cultural ecosystem and produce a measurable social impact.”
The new fund has two branches. One, ArtNova Capital, will serve as an umbrella for the outfit’s venture and private equity investments in high-growth companies, with a focus on the sectors of media, services, and technology. The second, ArtNova Patrimoine, will put money towards cultural heritage projects.
© Truepic
A Camera App that Is Designed to Fight Fake News
With the technology boom came a number of issues including how to prove the validity of images, when and where they were taken and if indeed some of the images we see floating around the internet are what they appear to be. One Company is attempting to find ways to clear up these issues.
A prototype app from San Diego startup Truepic aims to make smartphone photos and video more trustworthy. Truepic worked with mobile chipmaker Qualcomm to add a new mode to a smartphone’s camera that securely tags imagery with the time and location it was captured, allowing others to check an image or video’s bona fides
Arts Administrators Met With New York Lawmakers About Much-needed Pandemic Funding
According to Elie Dvorkin of Center for an Urban Future, “New York State has lost 32,000 — approximately 50% — of its performing arts jobs in the past year, and “more than 4,400 jobs in museums.”
In a virtual table talk, New York lawmakers heard grim reports and urgent pleas for funding from leaders of arts organizations across the state. The meeting, held by the NY Senate Standing Committee on Cultural Affairs, Tourism, Parks and Recreation on Wednesday, October 21, spoke about the devastating effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the arts with testimonies by more than a dozen experts from the cultural sector.
