NEW YORK PHOTO FESTIVAL 2009 (May 14­­­­–24, 2009)

The Second Annual International Photography Festival in New York City

Curated by William A. Ewing, Jody Quon & Jon Levy

“It’s a celebration of photography. The most important thing about the New York Photo Festival is that it fosters a dialogue with the viewer. It’s absolutely non-commercial and therefore it’s about intellectual rigor and having fun!” —Kathy Ryan, Curator, NYPH’08

Following up on its successful debut in May 2008, the New York Photo Festival is pleased to announce the exhibition dates for 2009 and its Festival Curators.

The inaugural event in May 2008 was a surprise hit, and it delivered on the promise of presenting the “Future of Contemporary Photography” through the efforts of world-class curators and selected artists. The NYPH08 Festival Curators, Kathy Ryan, Martin Parr, Lesley A. Martin and Tim Barber, delivered four stunning exhibitions dealing with everything from the ubiquity of imagery to typologies to artistic expression in photography. The New York Photo Festival has successfully filled the need for a large-scale, international cultural event in New York City dedicated to contemporary photography.

In an effort to make the event more accessible and accommodate the increase in expected attendance, the New York Photo Festival 2009 (NYPH’09) has been expanded to 11 days, beginning May 14, 2009 and ending May 24. As a result, there will be significantly more daytime and evening programming, including photographer presentations, panel discussions, educational activities, evening events, film screenings, receptions, parties, and award ceremonies.

As part of its commitment to pushing the boundaries of contemporary photography, the festival organizers have selected the following Festival Curators for NYPH’09: William A. Ewing, Jody Quon, and Jon Levy.

These world-renowned curators all bring their personal visions of the newest and most important trends in contemporary photography to the main pavilions of the New York Photo Festival 2009. “The NYPH’09 Festival Curators were selected for their decisive and innovative approaches to curating, editing, sequencing, and showcasing the varied work of the medium in ways that continually surprise and inspire those of us in the photography industry and the creative cultural public at large,” say New York Photo Festival Founders and Co-Chairmen Frank Evers and Daniel Power.

William A. Ewing, Director of the Musée de l’Elysée, Lausanne, Switzerland, will explore the themes of discovery, memory and technology in. Ewing has curated exhibitions for the Museum of Modern Art, New York; the Centre Pompidou, Paris; the Hayward Gallery, London; the International Center of Photography, New York; Culturgest, Lisbon; the Montreal Museum of Fine Arts; the Fashion Institute, New York; and many other institutions. His most recent publications include: Ray K. Metzker: Light Lines (2008); Worldview: Leonard Freed (2007); Edward Steichen; Lives in Photography (2007); Edward Steichen: In High Fashion: The Condé Nast Years, 1923–1937 (2008); reGeneration: 50 Photographers of Tomorrow (2005); and Face: The New Photographic Portrait (2006). Ewing founded Optica Center for Contemporary Art in Montreal in 1972. He was Director of Exhibitions at the International Center of Photography, New York, between 1977 and 1984.

Jody Quon will present an exhibition that explores the theme of women through the eyes of an international selection of photographers. Quon is Photography Director at New York magazine. Prior to that she was Deputy Photo Editor at The New York Times Magazine.

Jon Levy will present Brave New World, a fresh look at photojournalism and social documentary photography today. Levy is the director of Foto8, the London-based photography publishing company responsible for 8 Magazine and Foto8.com. The founder of HOST Gallery, Levy has forged alliances with photographers and editors and engaged an ever-growing audience for photojournalism. The work of Foto8, online, in print, and on display, has brought about its own forum of discussion that explores the realms of photography that exist at the intersection of art and journalism. 2008 marks the 10th anniversary of Foto8.

In addition to the curated pavilions, the festival will offer visitors an extensive range of activities that will generate dialogue and buzz among photo professionals, amateurs, students, and aficionados of art and culture, including seminars, slide shows, book signings, photographic workshops, live performances and events, and a gallery row. The New York Photo Festival will be headquartered in DUMBO, Brooklyn, NY.