When Executive Director Linda Benedict-Jones came aboard in 1999,
Silver Eye Center for Photography was in debt, in dire need of large- scale renovation and lacking staff.
Today this small cultural jewel located on East Carson St. on Pittsburgh’s South Side, thrives with a national reputation and a strong local following.
“Fortunately we are in a city with fabulous foundations that really care about organizations large and small… If we were in a different city, I really don’t know if we would have made it,” says Jones-Benedict. She cites the generosity of the local photographic and philanthropic communities as essential – The Heinz Endowments, The Pittsburgh Foundation and The Grable Foundation in particular.
Established as a non-profit in1985 when Blatant Image Gallery merged with Silver Eye Workshops, Silver Eye Center for Photography is one of a kind.
Some would say the same of Jones, whose photography experience is four decades long, and includes recognition in Portugal, Paris, Amsterdam and London for her work. But it was during her tenure as curator of the Polaroid Collection (when Polaroid was a Fortune 500 on the cutting-edge of the art photography world) that she established close ties with the nation’s leading centers of photographic excellence – the ranks of which Silver Eye has joined under her leadership.
“Silver Eye’s visibility on the national scene is the result of Linda’s involvement with the broader photographic community and her deep
understanding of what photography has been, is now, and could be in the future,” says Joe Seamans, filmmaker and president of the Silver Eye board. “Silver Eye really benefits from her credibility and expertise.”
The only organization of its kind in Western Pennsylvania, Silver Eye promotes the practice and understanding of photography as an art form. It's evident in the display of quality artistic works as well as in the range of complementary educational programs.
The bottom line: It showcases regional, national and international talent that the Pittsburgh region wouldn’t otherwise see.
Art That's AccessibleDespite its lofty national rep, Silver Eye isn’t about ‘high art.’ It operates on the idea that photography is universal: “It’s an art form that is truly accessible to a lot of people. Pretty much everyone you and I know has used a camera so it’s very democratic in that sense, " says Benedict-Jones. 'It’s not going to alienate you."
She thinks of the center’s location, at 1015 East Carson Street, as part of “the South Side’s Cultural District” forming a geographic triangle with fellow artistic centers
WYEP and the
City Theatre.
Free and quick to tour, the Silver Eye environment is warm and welcoming, particularly due to the recent completion of its multi-year renovation project, the results of which are understated yet as aesthetically pleasing as the work it presents.
“We have members, supporters and visitors who range from professionals to beginners and also to those who have no interest in getting behind a camera but just enjoy the art form,” says Education Coordinator Sylvia Ehler. Programs run the gamut from lectures and discussions about current exhibitions; to interactive tours for groups like the Girl Scouts and
Urban Mommies; to workshops that help participants figure
out their digital cameras.
World-famous photographer Duane Michaels, “the Andy Warhol of photography” according to Benedict-Jones, says “Silver Eye should be called the Silver Heart… it has a warmth about it, a clubhouse attitude, that encourages people to exchange ideas and to share there. Lots of cities don’t have this. Even in New York City with so many great galleries, none of them have the emotional identity of Silver Eye.” Michaels, a McKeesport, Pa., native who spent much of his childhood in Pittsburgh proper, is an ardent supporter of Silver Eye and the region in general.
His work is among those donated for Silver Eye’s primary fundraiser – its biannual Auction Benefit, coming up on May 10. Michaels’ piece about his local roots, “The View from my Window,” joins other available gems including a portrait of Jack Kerouac by photographer John Cohen.
Silver Eye presents four to five contemporary and historical exhibitions annually in its Main Gallery. Meanwhile, it showcases 48 emerging and mid-career artists a year in its smaller New Works Gallery (in the rear of the facility) and Online New Works Gallery.
“I think of Silver Eye as a super-dynamic local institution with a real national profile and relevance… that covers both the rich history of the medium as well as the tremendous variety of work being made by contemporary artists. I find their mix of shows to be really engaging,” says Katherine Ware, curator of photographs at the Philadelphia Museum of Art.
Ware was the juror of the Center’s annual Fellowship competition in 2007 – which received 200 submissions from 32 states. The winning photographer receives $5,000 and a show in the Main Gallery while runners-up earn consideration for display in the New Works. Eligibility
requires only a $70 Silver Eye membership. However, for those of us who simply want to look, enjoy, and receive event invites and program discounts, annual membership is just $35.
The most recent exhibit was “In Search of America” by acclaimed photographer David Graham who chronicled his tireless exploration of the colorful and sometimes bizarre facets of the thoroughly American cultural landscape. “I include a number of portraits of celebrity and historic impersonators who are [publicly] expressing their passionate private devotion to their chosen hero… It sounds corny, but I think [my photos] are joyous,” says Graham.
“Come here before you go shopping or to a play or a concert, and just expand your world a little bit,” invites Benedict-Jones. “Enjoy something that is not necessarily part of your every day vocabulary already but that might stretch you to think in a different way… That’s the power of photography.”
Abby Sadowsky – Pittsburgh enthusiast, Friendship resident, art lover, marketing communicator and freelancer writer – is thrilled to be contributing her first article to Pop City.
Main image: the Silver Eye Team. Left to right: Sylvia Ehler, Linda Benedict-Jones, Amanda Bloomfield.
All photographs copyright Brian Cohen