This article, the first in a series of columns written for the Village Voice between 1968 and 1973, appeared exactly 50 years ago, in the June 20, 1968 issue of that alt-weekly newspaper, which had already become the model for the emerging national and, indeed, international “alternative press.” With it I hung out my shingle as a photography critic, a rubric that I thereby inaugurated and under which flag I still sail. […]
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What Coleman did for us, and certainly for myself as a future photo educator and curator, was to instruct us by example never to ignore the forces that propel the visibility and inclusion of certain photographers over others. […] Silloray’s work thus becomes the first book published since our research project began to reflect an awareness of the fruits of our labor. If our efforts can have that effect on a book intended for the general public, the demolition of the Capa D-Day myth has begun, and more serious, scholarly works will surely follow suit. […] Since being impressive to a non-knowledgeable audience is a natural consequence of her choice of style, tone, stance, and pace, one can presume that to be Sontag’s intent. Similarly, since to anyone with a background in photography Sontag’s grasp of the medium’s morphology is (to be charitable) shaky, and her ideas almost entirely received, one can equally presume that — except as an aggressive act — the book is not meant to be taken seriously by an audience versed in photography, visual art, or visual communication. […] |
 SPJ Research Award 2014 |