Valentines Day Portrait Studio!

Feb.14 marks the return of the Valentines Day Portrait Studio! Always wanted a reason to drag your significant other out for a quality portrait, but dread the standard Sears backdrops and same-old-same-old mannequin poses? Of course you do! So make your way to AS220 this Valentines Day for the perfect mix of classy photos and cutesy props. Shots are $20 each, and you can come back to the darkroom and develop them with loving guidance from our hopelessly devoted volunteer members. Or, if you want that hand made quality and care delivered straight to your door (minus the cupid costume and the singing telegram), it's a mere $30 a shot. That's 1-4pm folks, in the performance space at 115 Empire Street.

But maybe all that hearts and flowers stuff isn't for you. If you prefer straight up science and the stark solidarity of the darkroom, maybe you'd prefer to sign up for a class instead. Master the 35mm camera or head straight to print in one of our ever popular Intro classes. Time is running out on these ones kids, so sign up now at www.as220.org/shop. Intro to the 35mm camera starts NEXT WEEK!! Go on, sign up already! I promise, those pesky heart shaped arrows cannot penetrate the walls of the Paul Krot Community Darkroom, so if you're looking for a place to hide, take comfort in the warm red glow of photo safe-lights. Truly something for everyone, so grab your camera and show that Cupid character who's got the goods this Valentine's Day! See you in the Darkroom...

Because we know you've all been waiting, and because of the overwhelming demand in the fall, we are pleased to announce the return of intro courses in the AS220 darkroom! As the last days of winter fade away, make the darkness last a little longer in our fully equip darkroom learning the ins and outs of 35mm film developing and traditional photo printing. Our Intro to the 35mm Camera and Intro to the Black and White Darkroom classes offer a solid foundation in the art of black and white photography and could also serve as a refresher course for those of you who may have let your 35mm gather dust while you persue the glitz and glamour of digital photography. So, get back to your roots, or plant some new ones as the winter thaw starts to wear off. We'll be posting new classes for the Spring soon, but spots are open in the intro classes now! Intro to 35mm Camera runs from 7pm-10pm on Feb. 10 & 17 and costs only $50!! Intro to the Black and White Darkroom runs from 7-10pm on Feb. 24, Mar.3 & 10 and is only $75. Reserve your spot here or contact krystal@as220.org for more info. See you in the Darkroom!!

Nothing says shameless overindulgence like John Waters in a Santa hat, eh? Shake off the post-holiday fatigue with a night of photo geekery, tasty snackery and tasteless film viewery this Monday at the AS220 Darkroom Open House Movie Nite Holiday Party Extravaganza! At 7:00 pm, we will sit back and prepare to be thoroughly and simultaneously creeped out and overjoyed by the work of Mr. Waters in "Pecker," the oddly heartwarming tale of an eager young photographer who gains fame and notoriety through his snapshots of everyday Baltimore, which would naturally include strippers, shoplifting and a ventriloquist Virgin Mary, oh my!
This has been quite a year for the darkroom, and we want to share the spirit of the season with you, dear photo friends, in the best way we know how...through tacky yet heartwarming films about fledgling photographers...and free treats! Join us at 7 p.m. in the Youth Resource Center, right outside the darkroom for what's destined to be a night of photo-tom-foolery AS220 style!

Courtney Mitchell's Photo of a South Providence statue graces the month of February in the AS220 Photographic Memory 2010 Calendar. Courtney has been with Photographic Memory for several years now. During this time she has consistently worked on her personal portfolio, assisted on several commercial shoots and worked very hard to make this calendar a success. Soon Courtney will be leaving RI for art school in Pittsburgh Pa, with help from the portfolio she made in Photographic Memory. Purchasing this Calendar for $15 gives the viewer an important way to support Photographic Memory and enjoy the work of all these talented photographers for the upcoming year..... or longer! Please visit our online shop at www.as220.org/shop to order your calendar(s) today!

Meet Anthony Villavicencio, holding the Photographic Memory 2010 Calendar opened to his photograph for the month of September. Photographic Memory, AS220's youth photography and training program, proudly presents a culmination of their collective work in this beautiful 2010 calendar. In the Photographic Memory program young people gain technical training in photography and develop a personal portfolio documenting their own lives as only they can. Our classes held in the RI Training School and at AS220 in downtown Providence engage students who have little or no arts education in their school experience. Photo Mem also offers professional practice by offering committed students the opportunity to assist professional photographers on commercial jobs and the chance to show their fine art photography in gallery settings. For students seeking a college education, these portfolios have been used to gain admittance to RISD, Pratt, Chicago Art Institute and Hampshire College. Purchasing this Calendar for $15 gives the viewer an important way to support Photographic Memory and enjoy the work of these talented photographers for the upcoming year.... or longer! Check out our online store at www.as220.org/shop.

Escape the pending winter gloom and doom this weekend with a very special Darkroom event at AS220! Stewart Martin, master printer, photographer extrordinaire and friend of AS220 will be giving an Artist Talk to accompany his current exibit, "Personal Favorites:1975-2000," on display through Dec.27 at the AS220 Main Gallery at 115 Empire St. Martin, shown above in his meticulous and magical studio, has printed for photo greats Bruce Davidson and Sid Kaplan, and has an equally stunning collection of his own. His stark, journalistic style is everything great photography should be; honest, compelling and completely real. Martin's photo-retrospective covers scenes from San Fransisco Halloween Parades to small town Vermont with the same understated eye that provokes a thoughtful reflection on their subjects and pure amazement in his technical skill for beautiful archival printing. But before we delve into decades of photo-grandeure, students from AS220's Photographic Memory program will set the stage with a presentation about the creation of the new 2010 calendar. In PhotoMem, young people gain technical training in photography and develop a personal portfolio documenting their own lives as only they can. Our classes held in the RI Training School and at AS220 in downtown Providence engage students who have little or no arts education in their school experience. Photo Mem also offers professional practice by offering committed students the opportunity to assist professional photographers on commercial jobs and the chance to show their fine art photography in gallery settings. This calendar represents a year's worth of work from these very talented young artists who will be speaking Saturday afternoon about their involvement with PhotoMem and AS220's Broad Street Studio. These calendars, which are on sale for $15 each, will help support PhotoMem and AS220 Photo programming. Calendars will be available for sale during the presentation, and are also sold locally at Cellar Stories, Craftland, Cafe LaFrance and online.
This event is FREE and open to all with a healthy interest in the creation of great works of photography, from master printers to fledgling film rollers. Come bask in the glow of photo glory at AS220! 1-4pm this Saturday. Hope to see you there!

Like what you see? Then come to AS220 this Sunday from 4-7 for the opening of Master Printer and Photographer Stewart Martin's career retrospective "Personal Favorites- 1975-2000." We in the Darkroom are thrilled to have Stewart, our friend and ally, present this incredible collection to the public. Want to see more? Then you're in luck, because during this very special show, you will also have the opportunity to see the AS220 Darkroom in one of two tours, given by Darkroom members and staff. This is just the beginning of a two week feast of photographic delights, as Mr.Martin will host an artist talk, joined by students in our Photographic Memory program. But if you ever wondered just what it is that makes photography so special and exactly how this stuff happens, this is the time to find out! This event is FREE and open to the public. Hope to see you there!

"Fresh to Death" was how Anjel Newman ( Broad St Studio Vista and active student since she was 13!) described the 2010 Photographic Memory calendar. Photographic Memory or PhotoMem, is a unique program in which Rhode Island's underserved youth learn the craft of photography while gaining real world experience by working as apprentices to professional photographers. This calendar is the culmination of one year of intensive training and creative discovery. Photo Mem students not only learn the technical complexities of black and white photography, but also how to give voice to their own unique stories. This collection of photos explores a year's worth of themes central to the lives of these students while showing a clear development of practical skills and professional form. The photos were printed in the Paul Krot Community Darkroom in AS220, the only publicly accessible darkroom in Rhode Island. Sales from this calendar will help sustain programming for both Photographic Memory and ensure that the Darkroom at AS220 will remain stocked, open and available for future generations of photographers. Check out this direct link to AS220's easy to use online store!

www.as220.org/shop

Please help us raise needed funds for the AS220 Paul Krot Community Darkroom by contributing to AS220's 25th Anniversary Fund Drive, taking place thru Dec. 31 with a goal of $50,000.

Please donate now at www.as220.org! Specify that your donation is intended to support the Paul Krot Community Darkroom, and you will receive an AS220 Photographic Memory 2010 Calendar for every $15 donated.

This Calendar, in all it's black and white photo glory, is now also for sale online at www.as220.org/shop. The thirteen photos selected for the calendar were chosen from hundreds taken by our youth photographers. By photographing their own experience, our students give voice to their own lives as only they can. These images are rare glimpses into lives rarely seen, but now easily accessible with the purchase of the Photographic Memory 2010 calendar.

The funds we raise will be used in the darkroom to purchase a new digital camera, a new computer and a larger scanner, which will let us scan a backlog of large negatives and start to execute large-scale artwork for public display.

AS220's Paul Krot Community Darkrooms are the only black-and-white photography facilities in Rhode Island that provide affordable public access to photographers at every level. Photographic Memory, or Photo Mem, is a unique program in which Rhode Island's underserved youth learn the craft of photography while gaining real-world experience by working as an apprentice to a professional photographer. For students seeking a college education, portfolios created in Photo Mem have been used to gain admittance to RISD, Pratt, Chicago Art Institute and Hampshire College.

WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT TO ENSURE THE CONTINUATION OF THESE PROGRAMS. Each year we rely on contributions from individuals like yourself to help us balance our budget. That support is crucial; we couldn't survive without it.

$10, $50, $100, $1000 OR MORE. Any gift you can make is much appreciated, and is absolutely needed to help AS220 continue to serve as Providence, Rhode Island's only unjuried, uncensored forum for the arts.

If you prefer, please send your check payable to: AS220 Attn: annual fund drive 95 Mathewson Street Providence, RI 02903

Your contribution is tax deductible. All of us at AS220 thank you!!!

We've got a host of new classes to whet your photographic pallet this winter in the Paul Krot Community Darkroom. This winter, we've let our talented darkroom members take the reigns to come up with a curriculum to meet all kinds of interests. Take a gander at what we have to offer. Click here to sign up!

Alternative Printing Workshops
Dec.9th 7p-10p $50 Cyanotype
Dec.16th 7p-10p $50 Van Dyke Brown
Jan.6th 7p-10p $50 Gum Bichromate
Learn the secrets of these antique and alternative methods and create truly unique photos for you personal collection! RISD Grad and Darkroom Member Danny Floyd will take students through the printing process in these one day workshops.

Darkroom to Digital Theory
Jan. 16, 23 12p-4p $35
Now that you finally have a shiny new digital camera, what are you gonna do with it? In this two week course, SBI Camera Expert and Darkroom Member Phylis Ollari will show you how to use all those crazy settings to create beautiful, print worthy digital images.

Large Format Photography
Feb.6, 20 1p-5p, Feb 11, 18 7p-10p $125
In four weeks, you'll get a hands on introduction to large format photography. Using AS220's collection of cameras from our Camera Rental Program, Darkroom Member and Large Format Master Scott Alario will take students through the entire large format process, from operating the cameras and learning their settings, to developing 4x5 film and making prints. A real steal for a class of this calibur!

All supplies are included in these classes (except the digital class. You gotta bring your own for that one, but no chemicals or computers are required). If you want to make extra prints, or have a preference of papers, feel free to bring your own. For more information on classes, contact Krystal Grow at 401-831-9327x112 or krystal@as220.org