Ample Space for Creators: Just Outside Chapel Hill

NGo to the organization’s website and you’ll find the phrase “a place of possibilities” above a grainy image of a barn-like structure. Head towards that structure deep in the forest and you’ll see people muttering words like “determination” and “balance”; Go any further and you’ll find yourself in a glowing, windowless, red room.

Is this a secret society? A religious cult from the 1970s?

No: This PHOTO FARMis a spacious new photography space founded by photographer Phyllis B. Dooney on the outskirts of Chapel Hill. It opened in September and offers artists studio space, workshops and a well-equipped darkroom. And if there is a common religion here, it is the documentary arts.

On this particular day, approximately 15 to 20 milling groups Photo Book MannequinsA monthly gathering hosted by photographer Ryan Helsel where photography enthusiasts gather to showcase their photo books.

Today’s gathering is organized around “portraits,” a broad theme represented in photography books that include William Eggleston’s color geometry and Mary Ellen Mark’s black-and-white counterculture; A book by Canadian photojournalist Donald Weber describes police interrogations in Ukraine.

One attendee wears a leather jacket with a photograph of Cindy Sherman on the back; someone comments “themed”.

Helsel kicks things off by removing Sarah Stolfa’s 2019 photo book regularsIt was taken by Stolfa at a Philadelphia dive where he worked as a bartender for a long time.

Spread out on the table, barside photographs – bright and dark like Guinness – tease an urban and mysterious pain that cannot be expressed in words but can be pointed out on film.

“I loved watching Cheers “As a child – literally as a child,” one participant said, reacting to the bar photos. “Even though I was eight years old, it made me feel nostalgic.”

This is Photobook Dummies’ first meeting at PHOTO FARM, but it’s the kind of group Dooney, who runs the space with operations and outreach coordinator Rachel Jessen, hopes to start.

“I don’t think I’m the only one who realizes that there is a group of creative people and photography enthusiasts in the Triangle, and most of us manage not to know each other,” Jessen says. “I hope PHOTO FARM will be a great place to connect.”

Dooney and Jessen met while pursuing MFAs in experimental documentary studies at Duke University, from which they graduated in 2018.

Dooney had long dreamed of opening a photography space and says a series of events, including the beginning of the pandemic, pushed him to take the leap.

“We’re all wondering, ‘Huh, what do I want to do with the rest of my life after this weird moment that I never expected?'” Dooney says of the pandemic. ” we thought. “There was a moment where I was like, ‘Damn, life, you know, it doesn’t last forever.’ ‘I’ve got to do what I’m going to do, I’m getting old and it’s time to start the next chapter.’”

The land on a tree farm just southwest of Southern Village proved to be the perfect place to begin the next chapter. Designed by Jose Lopez of Habanero Architecture, the 2,400-square-foot space is stylish and airy, featuring white oak millwork and engineered woods. The studio faces south; Today, the clear light of October filters through.

The Triangle has long had a rich documentary arts scene. Duke has the Center for Documentary Studies, founded in 1989, which includes disciplines such as photography as well as other overlapping forms of documentary art. It’s an annual CLICK! There is the Photo Festival and numerous museums and creative institutions. Cassilhaus, PEEL Gallery, Shadow Box StudioAnd Horse and Carriage Press offering books, exhibitions and programs.

Although the landscape was scattered and things were difficult for artists trying to build things due to high inflation and real estate, all this undoubtedly made the region the pole star of Southern photography. (Center for Documentary Studies also There was a rocky road In recent years.)

PHOTO FARM is an opportunity for the photography community, no matter how remote, to become a home base and grow in reputation.

“I’m excited about PHOTO FARM on so many levels.” Harrison Haynes, Chapel Hill artisthe writes via e-mail. “It is exciting to see Phyllis, a visual artist, making such an organized and forward-thinking investment in the local arts community.”

This fall’s program includes darkroom basics, binding techniques and a color pop-up; Open studio and portrait studio hours are sometimes held in the area.

Dooney says he is currently fundraising for scholarships to make programming more accessible. Southern Documentary Fund is the fiscal sponsor of PHOTO FARM, and Dooney, who also teaches photography like Jessen, emphasizes that he wants this to be an educational site where amateurs as well as professionals can participate.

Or as the website says: “We are all teachers and students for life. PHOTO FARM provides the space where both can happen.”

This value suggests that in photobook dating, the barrier to entry is no higher than an interest in visual and narrative, the analog, and the lost art of appreciating what goes into a compelling image.

“I think we’re meeting a need, and maybe some people don’t even know it’s a need,” Jessen says. “I hope people realize that this is a place for everyone.”

Follow Culture Editor Sarah Edwards excitement or email [email protected].

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