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A Requiem: tribute to the spiritual space at Auschwitz
REAL / UNREAL: urban landscapes of the 1980's
Early Work
<span class="text"><font color="#eeeeee" class="text"> <p>I am truly excited that <em>Requiem</em>, my photographic tribute to the spiritual space at Auschwitz, was exhibited in 2009 at the<span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);"> </span><a href="http://www.griffinmuseum.org/exhibitions_main_gallery.htm" target="_blank"><span style="color: rgb(255, 255, 255);">Griffin Museum of Photography</span></a>.</p> <p>In 2009, too, I was thrilled to have been awarded First Place in Photowork '09 by Malcolm Daniel, Curator of Photographs, Metropolitan Museum of Art, for an exhibition he juried for the Barrett Art Center.</p> <p>My journey into photography began, however, a long time ago.<br /> <br /> Note: On this page my Biography is first, followed by my Resume.</p> <p><span style="font-family: Arial;"><strong><span style="font-size: medium;"><font color="#996633"><img width="113" height="28" src="/users/SusanMayTell9033/docs/Imagebiog.jpg" alt="" /><br /> </font></span></strong></span></p> <p><img width="250" height="188" src="/users/SusanMayTell9033/docs/Imagesusanmaytell.jpg" alt="" /></p> <p> </p> <p>At five-years-old played piano at Carnegie Recital Hall; in high school and college performed in dance and theatre productions; tried poetry, drawing, sculpting.<br /> <br /> Best class as an undergrad was a graduate seminar with poet Philip Booth. Six of us, his small basement office, him wearing a kind of lumber jack shirt, pipe in mouth, feet up on the desk. We read imagist poets Stanley Kunitz, William Carlos Williams and Wallace Stevens, influences to this day.</p> <p> </p> <p><img width="250" height="168" src="/users/SusanMayTell9033/docs/Imagesusanpoems.jpg" alt="" /><br /> <br /> Finally decided to buy a camera and knew, just knew, even before buying it that photography would be my life.<br /> <br /> Lilo Raymond, looking at my work, suggested going to my local paper, The Villager. Photographed Friday nights and Saturdays, developed film and made prints on Sundays, sliding them under The Villager's door on the way to my 'real' job Monday mornings. $6 for each published photo. Six weeks later my exhibition "People Alone" opened at the Camera Club of NY. With prints from that plus the 6 weeks of tearsheets from the Villager, I went to the NY Times and met John Durniak and Paul Hosefros. 2 days later they gave me my 1st assignment. To photograph cracks in the sidewalk. (A landmark violations thing.)<br /> <br /> Ended up quitting the 'real' job and became a full-time photographer.<br /> <br /> A year and 1/2 later went to Cairo as the Middle-East Photographer for Picture Group, and then Marcel Saba's new agency. Many wild and wacky experiences - especially if you include being escorted to police stations in most of the 20-odd countries I worked in. Freedom of the press was generally not a priority in the region - Iraq, Syria, Iran, Saudia Arabia, Kuwait, Sudan, etc.<br /> <br /> Some highlights include LIFE Magazine's Peter Howe sending me to photograph the women fighters of the EPLF (Eritrean People's Liberation Front); riots in Algeria; Iraqi Kurdish refugees in Turkey escaping being gassed by Saddam's regime.</p> <p> </p> <p><img width="250" height="163" alt="" src="/users/SusanMayTell9033/docs/Imagesusanhug.jpg" /><br /> <br /> Some of the wackiness:<br /> <br /> -Islamic Summit in Kuwait, a 'real' Kuwaiti, mid 20's, wearing traditiional white dishdasha, who had attended college in Colorado, leans into me and whispers "Susan, what I really could use now is a joint."<br /> -Iranian Mission in Dubai, picking up the visa for Iran, the representative of the Revolutionary Guards asks for passport photo after passport photo to put on different forms. Asks for one more and then to sign the back. I do. He kisses it, puts it in his shirt pocket, says "I love you. How do I get a visa to America?"<br /> -Baghdad, bar in the Méridien Hotel, drinking Johnny Walker Black -- with markings showing it had been smuggled in from ... Iran ... during the time the countries were at war.<br /> <br /> After 4 years, relocated to Paris, still with Saba. The work was mostly feature -- film actors, wine, food, hot air ballooning, tourism. 3-star restaurants. 5-star hotels. Did I say wine? A welcome relief. Immigration stories were a constant, too.<br /> <br /> After 4 years, it was back to Manhattan, where I was born. Back to the directness of in-your-face New Yorkers. Freelanced full time for the most in-your-face daily, the NY Post, until becoming staff about 18-months later. Murders, car accidents, perp walks, stake-outs. Victims. Heroes. Always liking new challenges, I started shooting sports. Major stories included: A week looking for Dr. Kevorkian in Detroit. A week in the UK after Princess Di died -- with Post reporters Bill Hoffmann (now with Page Six) and the inimitable Steve Dunleavy. Ireland for the referendum. The NBA Finals in Los Angeles and San Antonio when the Nets were in it. Somewhere along the way, I also became the weekend night photo editor. More variety.<br /> <br /> Two years ago, after being staff for 10 years, and even though I had the best job ever, I quit.<br /> <br /> The first one-person exhibition of my fine art photography had appeared in San Francsco in 1982. In 2005 my exhibition "Requiem" was shown at the Museum of Art / Fort Lauderdale and reviewed by ARTnews. In 2009, “Requiem” was exhibited at the Griffin Museum of Photography. Inexorably and irresistibly, I have been drawn back to photography as fine art. <br /> <br /> Vintage, archival, gelatin silver prints are available of my portfolios "Early Work' and "REAL / UNREAL: urban landscapes of the 1980's." They were printed by fine art B&W printer Kathy Kennedy in the studio she had on W. 23rd Street from 1979 - 1995. Please contact me to view them.</p> <hr /> <p><strong><img width="96" height="24" src="/users/SusanMayTell9033/docs/Imageresume.jpg" alt="" /></strong><span style="font-size: large;"><strong><span style="font-family: Arial;"><font color="#996633"><br /> </font></span></strong></span></p> <p>ONE-PERSON EXHIBITIONS OF "A REQUIEM: tribute to the spiritual space at Auschwitz":<br /> Griffin Museum of Photography, September - November 2009.<br /> Museum of Art / Fort Lauderdale, April 8 - October 30, 2005. Reviewed by ARTnews.<br /> Virtual Museum, Center for Holocaust & Genocide Studies, University of Minnesota, 2004 - present<br /> <br /> EXHIBITIONS, ONE-PERSON AND GROUP, INCLUDE:<br /> Museum of Art / Fort Lauderdale (2); Monmouth Museum; Hudson River Museum; Barrett Art Center (2); National Arts Club; Forbes Gallery; New Orleans Photo Alliance Gallery; Avenue B Gallery; New York University East Galleries; Galleria, University of California, San Francisco; Camera Club of New York.<br /> <br /> AWARDS INCLUDE:<br /> First Place, awarded by Malcolm Daniel, Curator of Photographs, Metropolitan Museum of Art, at Photowork '09, Barrett Art Center: 2009; Prix de la Photographie: 2009 (water), 2008, 2007; International Color Awards: 2009, 2007, 2006; International Photography Awards (the Lucies): 2009, 2008, 2005; London Creative: 2009; New York Press Photographers: 2002, 2001, 1999, 1998; World Press Photo: 1987.<br /> <br /> ARTIST LECTURES/PRESENTATIONS INCLUDE:<br /> PhotoGroup Salon: 2008; Museum of Art / Fort Lauderdale: 2005; NOVA Southeastern University: 2005; International Center of Photography: 1989; Parsons School of Design: 1988.<br /> <br /> PUBLICATIONS INCLUDE:<br /> ARTnews: Time; Newsweek; US News & World Report, The New York Times Magazine, New York Times, New York Magazine, New York Post, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Liberation, L'Express, VSD, Interview, Economist, Sunday Times of London, Business Week, Forbes.<br /> <br /> EDUCATION INCLUDES: <br /> Most especially, the many priceless hours spent with André Kertész poring through boxes of his prints.</p> <p><img alt="" style="width: 143px; height: 217px;" src="/users/SusanMayTell9033/docs/Imagekertesz_02(1).jpg" /> <img alt="" style="width: 95px; height: 215px;" src="/users/SusanMayTell9033/docs/Imageandre 1b.jpg" /><br /> <span style="font-size: smaller;">André K</span><span style="font-size: smaller;">e</span><span style="font-size: smaller;">rt</span><span style="font-size: smaller;">é</span><span style="font-size: smaller;">sz. The photo, rt, is a photograph of 2 polaroids he gave me, framed with a birthday note he wrote.</span><br /> <br /> Photography Workshops with Roy DeCarava, Helen Gee, and Garry Winogrand.</p> <p><img width="250" height="169" alt="" src="/users/SusanMayTell9033/docs/ImageHelen Gee.jpg" /><br /> <span style="font-size: smaller;">Helen Gee</span><br /> <br /> M.A. in Counseling Psychology, Columbia University.<br /> B.A. in American Literature, Syracuse University.<br /> <br /> PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS INCLUDE:<br /> ASMP/NY (Board Member and Fine Art Chair), EP, SAA, ASPP.</p> <p> </p> </font></span><br>
All Images are © Susan May Tell. All Rights Reserved. No reproduction without written authorization of Susan May Tell.
