Olivia Arnone's Posts

Among the dilapidated buildings of a decaying city, artists are beginning to adapt to their environment in new and creative ways. A recent article in the New York Times about Detroit summarizes a new wave of local artists and cultural organizations that are embracing the demise of their city with a frontier-like perspective.

Andrew Moore, one of the artists featured in our upcoming auction, has also done this. He has been exploring the architectural vestiges of Detroit in recent years, and his findings have become the topic of his latest photographic project Detroit Disassembled. Check him out in this video climbing through hollowed buildings and mounds of concrete and steel, like a photographic pioneer. Peacock Alley, one of my favorite images from this series, pays homage to the wreckage, and inspires me to think about how much spirit one place can hold onto, even when crumbling to pieces.

The catalog production is in full swing, almost all of the donations are in, and we are gearing up for the big event in October!

Now that I have a chance to take step back and look at everything around me, I can tell you that donations have arrived from supporters of the auction from 6 continents and over 20 countries, including Japan, Germany, Israel, Australia, the Netherlands, Canada, Mexico, South Africa, as well as from our hometown of Rochester, New York.

Our auction is going to feature over 300 hundred objects including photographs that represent significant historic, modern and contemporary artists and aesthetic movements, collectible cameras as well as rare photographic books and albums. We are also going to be offering unique “experiences” such as a private photo session with a notable contemporary photographer, and a walk on the set of major current television series!

In the meantime,  for your viewing pleasure, here is a beautiful cibachrome print featured in our auction that I bring to you, inspired by the lush flora of Rochester summers.

Christopher Burkett, Green Veratrum # 168, 1993, Courtesy of Susan Spiritus Gallery

I will be sure to let you know when previews of our online auction are available to view on iGavel, and when you can take a peek at the items in our live auction onwww.eastmanhouse.org/auction.. Stay tuned!

As we head into the holiday weekend, here are some selections from our upcoming auction that remind me of 4^th of July and summertime!

Talk to you again soon,

- Olivia

David Plowden, The Western House, Springville, NY, 1992

Ben Fernandez, Dr. King addresses the crowd outside the United Nations, April 15, 1967, Countdown to Eternity, 1967-68, Limited edition portfolio

Jacques- Henri Lartigue , Vera Bibi, Arlette, Cannes, May 1927

Do you recognize this guy?

Recently, in an event I can think of no better way to describe than serendipitous, I was opening a parcel from M + B Gallery for the upcoming George Eastman House auction which contained this very photograph. As I uncovered the print, President Obama’s voice came through my office computer speakers in an address to the nation on NPR. Instant goosebumps! Who would have thought back in 1980 that this young charismatic man hamming it up for the camera would become president?

The photographer, Lisa Jack, is now a psychologist who never imagined that these images would see the light of day. Who knew? Lesson learned: you never know when you could be capturing the likes of a future president, so save your photographs!

And in case you haven’t seen it yet, take a minute and check out M + B Gallery’s collection of the entire Barack Obama, Occidental College, 1980 photo session here: http://www.mbart.com/artists/_Lisa%20Jack/_other%20works/.

I’ll be posting my next auction blog soon… let’s see what will cross my desk by then!

When I graduated from the Museum’s Photographic Preservation and Collections Management program in 2007, I never imagined I would be back in Rochester working at the Eastman House.

Since January, I have been involved in the upcoming auction, and every day has been an enlightening experience as I continually gain insight into the TREMENDOUS effort that goes into organizing a benefit auction of this magnitude. There are still about 5 months to go before the main event and the online portion go live, and I can say that I am already overwhelmed by the response we have received from so many people we’ve reached out to.

Since I have the fortunate experience of working at a job where every day is like Christmas (and I get to  unwrap yet another fantastic donation), without further ado I introduce you to a donation that tickles me with delight every time I lay eyes on it. It’s one of two works we have by Cornell Capa, and it is titled Female Human Cannonball (1947)— a most fitting image as I embark on this new and adventurous fundraising extravaganza!

But this blog won’t just serve as an outlet for bragging rights about all of the fantastic works that have been donated. I’ll be giving you my take on some of the auction’s featured highlights, bringing you up-to-date information about the event, taking you behind-the-scenes, and keeping you all in the loop of the exciting announcements yet to come— because new things happen here every day!

Talk to you again soon….