''Subway Chicas On The Go'' A New Photography Series BY RNSM

''Jqueen'' 2012 NYC, From the series'' Subway Chicas On The Go''
.© Ruben Natal-San Miguel

My latest object of obsession is Women or, as I called them, ''Chicas'' as they circumnavigate or go ''sashaying'' their way through the NYC Subway System. I always wonder where they are heading, why some of them are so pensive, some getting ready while they ride it before coming out above ground, some are self involved in the latest gadgets, at times with  all of them at unison or simply traveling in groups together to a destination. Some seemed happy, some look sad, some are angry, some tired, some agitated and some so serene that, they are worth capturing all such moments aforementioned. There is something so contemporary, independent, fresh, liberating about it. I always admired of how strong, stylish, bold and unique NY women are. NYC is so heavily populated by women vs men in such disparate proportions ( almost 10 to 1 ratio) that want to explore the idea of how that puts pressure and makes them stand out and be stronger that most women in other cities. I am currently exploring the theme as some of you already know .'' Subway Chicas On The Go'' is my newest body of photography work series.

Two Way Lens Interview with Ruben Natal-San Miguel

Two Way Lens with new questions!

New interview with

Ruben Natal-San Miguel

February 2012

Subway Beauty, 2012 NYC. From the "Subway Chicas On The GO" series

© copyright by Ruben Natal-San Miguel

Read the interview here

Two Way Lens with new questions!!

Hello everyone,

I am very excited to let you know that another interview has been added to the "Two Way Lens" project.

Since I brought Two Way Lens to life in June 2008 the main focus lay on aspects like finding audiences and other ways of promoting work.

With the new questions I want to focus more on professional practice, such as process of editing, planning and inspiration.

I hope you will benefit from the new direction and the contributions that follow.

Thanks so much to all the artists and photographers who made Two Way Lens to a ressource for everyone interested in contemporary photography. Deborah Hamon, Richard Renaldi, Andrew Phelps, Tim Hailand, Lori Nix, Zoe Strauss, William Greiner, Alec Soth, Amy Stein, Ron Jude, Martin Parr, Jessica Todd Harper, Terri Weifenbach, Susan Wides, James Friedman, Oliver Weber, Tony Mendoza, David Hilliard, Tierney Gearon, Scott Pasfield, Russ Martin, Tema Stauffer, Stefan Heyne, Aline Smithson, Hiroshi Watanabe, Sandra Dyas, Amy Elkins, Palmer Davis, Michael Kirchoff, Ken Rosenthal, Jess T. Dugan, Charlie Grosso, Jane Fulton Alt, Doug DuBois, Simon Roberts, Orville Robertson, Joni Sternbach, Susan Burnstine, Yael Ben-Zion, Nick Turpin, Tom Griggs, David Simonton, Ellen Jantzen and John Arsenault.

Let's welcome the new direction with the very interesting and insightful contribution by Ruben Natal-San Miguel.

Make sure you visit the project and read Ruben's answers and keep an eye out for the next series of insights from fantastic photographers who are currently preparing their contributions.


Thanks as always for your ongoing support and interest,

best wishes


Michael Werner

http://www.2waylens.blogspot.com/

EN FOCO-Artistic & Professional Development Workshops-Editing your Portfolio – February 28, 2012 - Register today!

Artistic & Professional Development Workshops
Editing your Portfolio – February 28, 2012

En Foco’s Editing Your Portfolio Workshop offers a two hour long seminar filled with tips on how to build a strong, cohesive body of work, followed by an interactive group critique and discussion of sample portfolios. Participants are encouraged to bring a work-in-progress portfolio, some prints, their CV and artist statement.

Topics covered include: the importance of image quality and consistency of images, tips on how to write a strong artist statement, and portfolio presentation.

ADVANCE REGISTRATION IS REQUIRED (along with current En Foco Membership): email info@enfoco.org if you have questions. First come, first served (as long as membership is in effect; everyone is welcome to join or renew). The course is limited to 15 participants so each person gets the most benefit.


Location: Dwyer Cultural Center
258 St. Nicholas Avenue, New York 10027
(Entrance on 123rd Street between St. Nicholas Ave & Fredrick Douglass Blvd)
New York, NY 10027
Date: Tuesday, February 28, 2012, 6–8pm
Cost:
$20 for En Foco members
$70 for non–members (includes a $50 level Photographers Membership)

Need to check out the membership benefits? CLICK HERE

Options:


Cancellation
Policy/Refunds:
Reimbursements (minus a $5 processing fee) can be provided up to 10 days before event.

Bio:
Dee Campos received a Bachelors degree in Political Science from Humboldt State University in 2008, and a Master of Fine Arts in photography at Pratt Institute in 2010. She worked at First Street Gallery in Eureka, CA, assisting in curating and installing exhibitions, and has also interned with En Foco's exhibition programs since 2008. As the Programs Associate, Dee works on developing workshops for En Foco in addition to curatorial responsibilities with En Foco's Touring Gallery program. Dee has also been a Teaching Assistant for Undergraduate and Graduate level photography courses at Humboldt State University and Pratt Institute.

Hilary Thorsen received a Bachelors degree in art history and Spanish from Cornell University, New York in 2007, a Masters degree in Photography History and Criticism from Sotheby’s Institute of Art in London in 2009, and is currently pursuing a second Masters degree in Library & Information Science at Pratt Institute. She studied Latin American photography and art during a year abroad in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Previously she interned at the Aperture Foundation in the exhibitions department, at Sotheby’s London in the magazine department, and for British fashion photographer Jim Lee. Hilary became En Foco's Program Associate in July 2010, and her responsibilities include coordinating En Foco's Permanent Collection and New Works.

Ruben Natal-San Miguel-The "Most Powerful Person in the Art World" award at the Art Fag City Rob Pruitt Awards! 2nd year in a row!

For the Second Year in a row Ruben Natal-San Miguel has taken home and won The "Most Powerful Person in the Art World" award at the Art Fag City Rob Pruitt Awards! Thanks to Paddy Johnson of AFC! Hilarious ! Ha ha! Sorry that could not attend!http://www.artfagcity.com/2012/02/03/come-to-the-art-fag-city-rob-pruitt-art-awards-and-auction-february-23rd/

High Museum of Art names artist Rashid Johnson as 2012 recipient of the David C. Driskell Prize

High Museum of Art names artist Rashid Johnson as 2012 recipient of the David C. Driskell Prize

American war reporter Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik killed in Syria

American war reporter Marie Colvin and French photographer Remi Ochlik killed in Syria

Terry Richardson-Terrywood

ADORAMA-Leap Year Print Sale! 20x30 Poster Prints Only $10!

Leap Year Print Sale! 20x30 Poster Prints Only $10!

Leading photographers donate celebrity portraits for NSPCC auction at Bonhams

Leading photographers donate celebrity portraits for NSPCC auction at Bonhams

Rarely seen photographs by Ansel Adams on view at drkrm Gallery in Los Angeles

Rarely seen photographs by Ansel Adams on view at drkrm Gallery in Los Angeles

Slideshow: Juergen Teller and a Naked Vivienne Westwood at the Lehmann Maupin Gallery

Slideshow: Juergen Teller and a Naked Vivienne Westwood at the Lehmann Maupin Gallery

BRONX MASQUERADE- Curated by Yulia Tikahonova @ Bronx Library Center, NYPB - 3/10-4/10/12

Ruben Natal- San Miguel 2012 Bronx, NYC- From the ''Nocturnal / Activo  De Noche''  Series

                BRONX MASQUERADE

 

                  Curated by Yulia Tikhonova  

Exhibition

March 10

through

April 10, 2012

Opening reception Saturday, March 10^th

from 2:30-4:30 pm

Artists talk from 3:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Admission: Free

Bronx Library Center

310 East Kingsbridge Road  Bronx, NY 10458

Tel: 718-579-4244

BRONX MASQUERADE *BRONX MASQUERADE* brings together ten emerging Bronx artists who reveal the true stories of young people in the Bronx. The exhibition Bronx Masquerade borrows its title from the book of the same name by Nikki Grimes. It presents a montage of artistic voices concerned with the uncertain position of youth. Their work focuses on today’s youth and their struggle to define their own identity, and to find a place where they truly belong, as part of a generation confronted by the challenging realities of our economy. Like the high school students/protagonists of the book, the artists in

this exhibit express the emotions concealed by fashion and style -  beneath the skin, behind the eyes, beyond the masquerade. The artists communicate what lay hidden by the mask of everyday life, – this generation's sincerity, drive and passion. Like the poetry recitals that tae place in the book during  “Open Mike Friday”, the artwork in the exhibition exemplifies the desire and need to relate individual experience to those things that we share in common.  The artists explore a wide range of energies, dreams and fears; their photographs, paintings, and works on paper convincingly convey the depth of these emotions.

Artists in the exhibition: Melissa A Calderon, Xavier Figueroa, Isabel Figueroa, Edwin Gonzalez, Glendalys Medina, Amy Pryor, Elle Perez, Tiana Markova-Gold, Lisa Napier, Ruben Natal-San Miguel, Jay Paavonpera

BRONX MASQUERADE is the part of the series Boro to Boro: Artists in Libraries that has been curated by Yulia Tikhonova, Brooklyn House of Kulture in conjunction with the New York Public Library network.

Brooklyn House of Kulture www.brooklynhouseofkulture.org

1685 Ocean Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11230 Tel: 646 5961283

Rem Koolhaas to Build Marina Abramovic’s New Museum of Performance Art

Rem Koolhaas to Build Marina Abramovic’s New Museum of Performance Art

Emerging Chinese photographer Zhang Xiao's award-winning series Coastline at Blindspot Gallery

Emerging Chinese photographer Zhang Xiao's award-winning series Coastline at Blindspot Gallery

Corcoran Gallery of Art presents Tim Hetherington: Sleeping Soldiers

Corcoran Gallery of Art presents Tim Hetherington: Sleeping Soldiers

VIP 2.0 creates active online marketplace, 73,000 register for seven day event

VIP 2.0 creates active online marketplace, 73,000 register for seven day event

Watch | Videos from Whitney Houston's Debut Album - WNYC Culture

Watch | Videos from Whitney Houston's Debut Album - WNYC Culture

RIP Whitney Houston- The voice-Jennifer Hudson - "I Will Always Love You" - 2010 - (Live)

World Trade Center cost rises to $14.8B; projected cost has risen $3.8 billion since 2008

World Trade Center cost rises to $14.8B; projected cost has risen $3.8 billion since 2008

So long ART Chicago...Hasta La Vista!

Winds of Change

Adios Art Chicago!

Art Chicago is no more. Held at the Merchandise Mart and re-branded Next Art Chicago, the show closed with little warning yesterday. No one is happy to hear that the large corporate entity, who "had the resources to survive the economic swings in the art market" has left the Midwestern art market for good. All eyes turn towards Exposition Chicago (interview link), but there is still a wistfulness that we couldn't even have one calendar year with more than one major art fair. Not to mention the fact that when a large corporation crunches the numbers and subsequently throws up its hands and abandons our visual art scene, it's slightly depressing. So is the fact that we're going to stop updating Chicago Art Map due to lack of advertiser support.

"We are now a large Cleveland," on commenter said.
http://www.artchicago.com/

The Boogie Bronx

'Bodega'' 2012 Bronx, NYC. From The '' Nocturnal / Activo De Noche '' Series© Ruben Natal- San Miguel

I had been exploring in The Bronx by now for a bit more of a week almost on a daily basis for about 3-4 hours (sundown to early evening). Had already stopped in almost every single subway stop in all the lines 1,2, 4,5,6, B & D and explored around walking miles and miles on foot. I had found some interesting scenery but, still waiting for that wow factor. This might not happen since the Bronx like most, metropolitan areas in NYC had gone through a fast gentrification and modernization with a final effect in the storefronts of businesses, bodegas,auto, barber shops, beauty salons, Laundromats, restaurants, bars and even record stores that is almost too uniform and standard. You cannot tell them apart from one area to the next one. It saddens me, the pattern is so obvious that, they all look like a version of a Starbucks cookie cutter  storefront patterns from one community to the next one.

Yes, some are gritty looking but, they had lost that Old New York flavor and a look that, I aspire to see, find and capture.

In terms of people, had to be honest, the further up you go to the Bronx, people turn out to be more plain looking
( nothing wrong with that ), simple and almost like a blank facade. it almost feels like a suburb where everybody looks and dresses alike. The closer you get to the Manhattan boundaries people, have more of an edge, interesting look. Once you hit 125 St in Harlem. ( called it bias) every other person on the street has a '' look'' and are great subjects for photographs to be made of.

I still need to go during daytime and things might be a bit different. I just could not believe it!

As for now, will start in Brooklyn tomorrow with great hope to find more of that Old New York that keeps eluding me and disappearing right in front of my eyes by the minute...