Special Presentation: Quaker Meetinghouses of Massachusetts
By local photographer: Jean Schnell

I’m pleased to announce a special presentation of photographs of Quaker Meetinghouses by Jean Schnell on April 22.  Since 2014, Jean has photographed more than 20 of these meetinghouses across the state. Some are old buildings, some are new, some are still in use, and some are currently preserved as museums.

From a recent article about this project in Friends Journal:

It has become so much more than a photographic project for my mentorship program. It is a true calling and a labor of love. It has been a wow type of personal journey. I had a lot of fun photographing while on this artistic journey. I learned how to shape a collection of photographs in both style and subject as well as how to sift through a large number of photographs to pick a relative few. I learned many technical skills with the camera in order to get the pictures that I wanted, and after all of that, I learned some more! In order to write about my experiences, I needed to relearn a lot of Quaker history as well as discover facts related to meetinghouse locales. I needed to understand more about Quaker beliefs and practices in order to explain them to others. I reexamined my own relationship to my Quaker faith and practice.

Jean will present some prints from her final portfolio for this project, and will also share some related digital images.  She will share her goals for the project, the process she followed to photograph these sacred spaces, the laborious process of selecting the final portfolio from thousands of images, and her approach to showing and marketing these photographs.

These images were on display at the S&G Gallery (New Bedford) in September 2018, and in the Moakley Courthouse (Boston) from October through December.  This project has a Facebook page here, and is featured on Jean’s Web site.

Jean Schnell is a lifelong Quaker with roots in Valley Meeting in Wayne, PA. She is now a member of the Framingham (Mass.) Meeting. She is a retired nurse and health coach. She loves the contemplative process of viewing the world through a camera with delight, awe, and joy.

Today’s topic: Visit Danforth Museum

For our next outing please join me (Tom Doran) and other NELP members to visit to the newly relocated Danforth museum. The museum has been relocated to the campus of Framingham State. I have not seen the new facility so I’m curious to see it as well as the artwork. There is an exhibit and talk by the artist Lois Tarlow on Saturday, June 15. The talk by the artist begins at 3 pm.  I propose we meet at 2:00 to view the art before the presentation.

There’s also a photography exhibit (Armchair Travel: Work by Emily Belz, Rachel Loischild, and S. Billie Mandle) we can check out while we’re there. 

If there is any interest, we can have a beverage somewhere afterward as well. Because it is so close by I’m not going to suggest car pooling but if anyone needs a ride let me know at bassdocta@gmail.com.

Please join us for an enjoyable afternoon at the Danforth Museum.

For more information here are the listings on the Danforth Site:

Weekend Artist Talk with Lois Tarlow

Armchair Travel: Work by Emily Belz, Rachel Loischild, and S. Billie Mandle

Tonight’s topic:  Photography Goals

We’ve done this for the past several years, and have had a great discussion!  It is a great way to start the year.  (Credit for the original idea came from the Worcester Photography Meetup group)  The topic for our October Education Night will be a discussion about our individual artistic goals for the coming year.

I’m starting with the assumption that we all have our own ideas and our own pace.  We don’t all work the same way, and different approaches help each of us be productive.  That said, it is generally helpful to envision where you’d like to be in a year’s time and to express it in your own words.  This will be an open-ended discussion, including:

• What type of goals do you want to set for yourself?  Will you have succeeded if you produce a certain number of pieces, if you complete a specific project, or if you spend the desired number of hours each week.  How will you decide that your goal has been achieved?

• How much detail to you want and/or need?  Is it enough for you to just state your goal, or would it be helpful for you to identify some interim steps (milestones) in the direction of your goal?

• Would it help you to put your goals down in writing, or are you more comfortable just discussing them?  Would you be comfortable sharing your written goals with the group?  Would this help you?

• What can NELP do to support you and encourage you?  What can you do to support and encourage the rest of us?

• How often would you like to discuss progress towards your goals?  Annually?  Quarterly?  Monthly?

Please give a little thought to the above, and come prepared to discuss your goals (if you have any) for the coming year and how NELP can support you.  Please come even if you’re not sure what you want to set as goals (spectators welcome).  I’d like to have as many different perspectives represented at the meeting as possible.

Please let me know if you have any questions.

*** Note: New Location – Regular Restaurant is Closed ***

Our annual NELP Holiday Dinner will be Monday, December 9, 2019 at 6:30 pm, at Imperial China restaurant in Framingham (413 Worcester Road/Rt 9; 508-872-3939).  They don’t have a buffet, but we’ll each order a dish + a few appetizers and eat “family style”.  They have a great bar too, with a selection of delicious drinks.

If you can’t make it at 6:30, it is ok to arrive a bit later.  We’ll just add another dish for the table when you arrive.  If you’d like to join us, please let me know so I can reserve enough seats.  I’ll call in a final count on Monday morning, with a few extras for walk-ins.  Friends, spouses, etc. are welcome too.

See you then!

Special Guest:   Gail Fischer

Topic:   Images of Hope in the time of COVID-19

Note: Until further notice, our meetings will be via Zoom.

We have a special guest speaker, Gail Fischer, for our July 27 Education Night. She will be talking about her recent project “Images of Hope in the time of COVID-19”. 

Images of Hope is a series of ‘electric flowers’ created in my home for 90 plus days, while practicing social distancing measures here in Massachusetts. Each day, using pen lights,
plastic tubes, plexiglass shapes, color gels, glass vases and flashlights, I created flowers and spirals in complete darkness. The collection’s main goal was to reach those working on the front lines combating the virus. I printed several images and made greeting cards as an end product. The cards were taken to the Brigham’s ER staff. Many other cards were sent to friends and relatives.  I will be giving a talk about how the idea transpired, and how you can make  ‘electric flowers’ like these on your own.

Attached find an example of one of these ‘electric flowers’ images. 

If you are new to the group or have any questions, please let me know. We look forward to seeing you.

– David   {artphotos(at]davidlkahn[dot)com

Special Guest:   Jay Ball

Topic:   Sight Gags – A book of photographic humor!

Note: Until further notice, our meetings will be via Zoom.

We have a special guest speaker, Jay Ball, for our October 5 Education Night (rescheduled from September 28).  Jay will be talking about his recently published (with his son, Alan) book of photographs: Sight Gags.

Jay and Alan have a lot in common, including their love of photography and wordplay.  Some 25 years ago, they came up with a way to combine the two – a technique they call photopuns.  As seen in the example below, the title of each photograph and its subject are connected via creative wordplay.

Jay will be sharing with us the inspiration for this ongoing project, some of his creative techniques, and an assortment of images from the book.

From Jay: In these days of COVID-19, climate change, gerrymandering, election interference, massive unemployment, Roe v. Wade under siege, nuclear proliferation, world hunger, racism, overpopulation, marine pollution, social unrest and … what have we forgotten? … we thought you might like something to make you smile.  Hopefully, this will do the trick.

Jay got his first camera – a Brownie Reflex – as a gift on his 12th birthday. That was 73 years ago, and he’s been hooked on photography ever since.

If you are new to the group or have any questions, please let me know. We look forward to seeing you.

– David   {artphotos(at]davidlkahn[dot)com

Note: Until further notice, our meetings will be via Zoom.

As discussed at our November meeting, December 14 is our Virtual Holiday Dinner – on our regular meeting night (2nd Monday). In lieu of our usual image review, you can bring your dinner to the virtual meeting and we can discuss the impact of COVID-19 on our artistic lives and (as usual) anything else that tickles our fancy! If you have images you’d like to share, I’m sure we’ll have time for that too. Chinese food is traditional for our holiday dinners, but since we’re all isolated we can each bring whatever we’d like to eat.

I’m looking forward to a successful end to 2020, a swift roll-out of one or more safe and effective vaccines, and a return to a semblance of normal as early in 2021 as possible. My hope is that we can have our traditional restaurant Holiday Dinner in 2021, and that by then the stresses of 2020 will be a fading memory.

I look forward to seeing you on the 14th, and wish you a healthy and safe holiday season.

– David   {artphotos(at]davidlkahn[dot)com}

Optional theme:  Cocktail(s)

Note: Until further notice, our meetings will be via Zoom.

We usually have a holiday party in December instead of our Image Review meeting, but COVID rates are too high for some of us – so the holiday party will be held in the spring instead.  In recognition of this holiday season, you all are encouraged to bring your favorite takeout meal and your favorite beverage to the Image Review, and we can celebrate on Zoom while we review each others’ images! See you then.

Please join us for our monthly image review night. This is a great opportunity to share your work with other artists and receive useful feedback. Feel free to ask for our thoughts in specific areas, or to seek general impressions of your artwork. Some of our artists bring more than one variation of a piece, or several stages of a work-in-progress. Let us know what you’re seeking, and we’ll do our best to provide it.

The “optional theme” for each meeting is just that … optional. Some of our members enjoy finding or creating images that fit the theme, while other members have specific images or projects that they would like feedback on. Whatever works for you is fine.

Our general guideline is that each artist may bring up to 8 images for a typical review. Prints are encouraged, as this is the best way to see an artwork as its maker envisions it. Digital images are (of course) welcome, on USB memory sticks and a variety of other digital media. If you bring more than eight images, we’ll need to go through them quickly. If you want to spend more time discussing an image, just bring fewer. We want to make sure everyone has time to present their work.

Our digital display is 1920 x 1080 resolution. You may want to optimize your image for this size, though our display software will scale your image if it is larger or smaller. The JPG file format is preferred, to keep file size down and ensure compatibility with our software.

If you are new to the group or have any questions, please let me know. We look forward to seeing you and your photographs.

– David   {artphotos(at]davidlkahn[dot)com}

Hold the date … details TBD.  We will discuss options during the November meeting.

Holiday dinner @ Restaurant.
Virtual holiday dinner.
Regular image review.

I’m looking forward to a successful end to 2022, a look forward to getting together in person if we feel it will be safe to do so.

– David   {artphotos(at]davidlkahn[dot)com}

After several years without an in-person holiday party, we’re bringing back this annual tradition. It is great to meet you in person and to discuss photography over a good meal.

Please join us at 6:30 pm at Minado Restaurant in Natick for an all-you-can-eat buffet that includes sushi, cold entrees, salads and hot entrees. The cost for this dinner is $40/person (including tax and tip).

Please let me know if you plan to come, so I can make the necessary arrangements at Minado.

– David   {artphotos(at]davidlkahn[dot)com}