THE ANNEX

During the Fall 2011 semester, the University of Michigan Museum of Art (UMMA) hosted the Face of Our Time Student Photography Competition in conjunction with the Face of Our Time exhibition, on view at UMMA November 12, 2011 through February 5, 2012.

The exhibition Face of Our Time examines more than 100 works by five photographers - Jacob Aue Sobol, Jim Goldberg, Zanele Muholi, Daniel Schwartz, and Richard Misrach - who operate within what Walker Evans referred to as the “documentary style.” They are photographers interested in looking reflectively at contemporary culture and recording history as it is experienced; from the migration of illegal immigrants from Africa to Europe to the aftermath of the Hurricane Katrina tragedy in New Orleans.

The exhibition title references the German photographer August Sander’s first book, Face of Our Time (1929), a survey of the German people and a typology of the class structure in his country in that eventful year. “Nothing seemed to me more appropriate than to project an image of our time with absolute fidelity to nature by means of photography… Let me speak the truth in all honesty about our age and the people of our age.” - August Sander

This competition offered students the opportunity to have their photograph featured in a digital slide-show on display in the gallery along with the exhibit. The slide-show is comprised of 20 finalists selected by UMMA’s Student Programming and Advisory Council.

The deadline for entries was Tuesday, November 1, 2011. Finalists were announced on this blog on Friday, November 11, 2011. Three winners were selected by:

• Sandra S. Phillips, Senior Curator of Photography, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art and Curator of Face of Our Time
  
• Joseph Rosa, Director, UMMA
• Carole McNamara, Senior Curator of Western Art, UMMA
• Lauren Rossi Harroun, Education Program Coordinator for Public Programs and Student Engagement, UMMA

Winners were announced at the UMMA Dialogue with Sandra Phillips and Joseph Rosa on Sunday, Dec. 4, 2011 at UMMA. 1^st, 2^nd and 3^rd place winners received an UMMA membership and a photography book by one of the artists featured in the exhibition; 1^st place winner also received $200.

Through this competition UMMA hopes to inspire students and educate them about the importance of photography as a means not just to capture a moment, but to represent a moment in history.

Questions? e-mail umma-studentphotocompetition@umich.edu

Face of Our Time: Jacob Aue Sobol, Jim Goldberg, Zanele Muholi, Daniel Schwartz, Richard Misrach is organized by the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Generous support is provided by Pro Helvetia, Swiss Arts Council.

Face of Our Time at UMMA is made possible in part by the Lois Zenkel Photographic Exhibitions Fund, the University of Michigan Health System, and the University of Michigan Office of the Provost and CEW Frances and Sydney Lewis Visiting Leaders Fund.

Click here for more information about the exhibition.

Richard Misrach, Untitled [New Orleans and the Gulf Coast], 2005, printed 2010; inkjet print; 10 7/8 in. x 14 1/2 in. (27.62 cm x 36.83 cm); Collection SFMOMA, gift of the artist and Fraenkel Gallery, San Francisco; © Richard Misrach

Image at top of page: Zanele Muholi, Nomonde Mbusi, Berea, Johannesburg, 2007; gelatin silver print; 23 13/16 in.  x 34 1/16 in. (60.48 cm x 86.52 cm); Collection of the artist, courtesy Michael Stevenson Gallery; © Zanele Muholi