by Andrea Blanch
I have been thinking about this letter; about the events and the people that have impacted my life. Yet most of
them are singular, personal. The Ancient Greeks called these moments kairos—critical turning points. There
are only so many “Where were you?” moments in life. The word “impact,” carries dual meanings: one of sud-
den collision of matter, as well as a transformative effect on society. William Klein’s 1954 image of a boy wield-
ing a gun illustrates archetypically the impression a photo leaves on the society it defines. With 29,655 gun
violence-related deaths in 2019 alone, Gun 1 continues to evoke a sense of fear in the physical realm while
simultaneously bringing to mind the mark gun violence has left on American society. With 17 featured artists, 6
spotlights and 24 emerging photographers, all these individuals were chosen for the visual and visceral impact
of their exceptional artwork. The sheer number of artists are too plentiful to mention, but here are a few.
Take James Nachtwey, the veteran photojournalist, whose photographs bear witness to the atrocities
humans are capable of. Unashamed of my dogged persistence, I will confess to you that for years I
have been trying to interview Nachtwey for Musée, until finally, he responded “yes.” Moved by a similar
affirmative of “why not,” is the poetic Sugimoto. His never-ending abstract projects dealing with the
concepts of time, vision, and belief through experimenting with the white light associated with religion.
There are Betty Tompkins’ Fuck Paintings, signaling the fleshy impact of bodies again and again...and
again. Another maverick is street photographer Philip-Lorca diCorcia. His landmark legal case gave
immunity to photographers, allowing them to capture images on the streets. For that, we thank New
York’s statute of limitations.
This year’s “master photographer,” who incidentally was my neighbor when I lived in Paris, is William
Klein. An icon of his generation and ours, he glorified visual noise to erect a new trajectory for pho-
tography. Among this community of trailblazers resides the father of the Polaroid camera. Edwin Land
trademarked instant gratification, at least beyond masturbation.
With the current state of our nation, the epigram “Give me liberty or give me death” teeters towards the lat-
ter in Guggenheim award-winner, Jeffrey Stockbridge. The former finds a champion in the artist collective
“For Freedoms.” Founded by artists Hank Willis Thomas and Eric Gottesman, massive billboards sprawl
across the country’s highways, serving as criticisms against institutionalized injustices. I interviewed “the
man” who made this radical project possible — Mr. Jack Shainman himself. In addition to being a gallerist
he also initiated an entire movement, giving artists of color the platform they long deserve.
Venturing into the literary-cinematic field, award-winning filmmaker Timothy Greenfield-Sanders’s film,
Pieces I Am. It captures Toni Morrison’s innate wit, refreshing candidness, and her enduring legacy
through testimonials from Angela Davis, Joel Grey, Mikalene Thomas, Charlie Rose, etc.
Everyone wants to have an impact. Everyone has a conscious desire to create an indelible mark on the
world. The same desire that drives everyone to scratch their initials into a tree and remind future genera-
tions that they were here. The litany of artworks featured in this issue is simply the physical manifestation
of this metaphorical signature, the raison d’etre.
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