International Center of Photography
The International Center of Photography is a photography museum, school, and research center located in Midtown Manhattan in New York City (United States). The center was founded in 1974.
It is the host of the Infinity Awards, which were inaugurated in 1985 "to bring public attention to outstanding achievements in photography by honoring individuals with distinguished careers in the field and by identifying future luminaries."
History
Since its founding in 1974 by Cornell Capa in the historic Willard Straight House, on Fifth Avenue's Museum Mile, ICP has presented over 500 exhibitions, bringing the work of more than 3,000 photographers and other artists to the public in one-person and group exhibitions and provided thousands of classes and workshops that have enriched tens of thousands of students. ICP was founded as an institution to keep the legacy of 'Concerned Photography' alive. After the untimely deaths of his brother Robert Capa and his colleagues Werner Bischof, David "Chim" Seymour, and Dan Weiner in the 1950s, Capa saw the need to keep their humanitarian documentary work relevant and visible to the public eye. In 1966 he founded the International Fund for Concerned Photography. By 1974 it was obvious the Fund needed a home, and the International Center of Photography was created.
Since its earliest days ICP has seen enormous growth in its exhibitions, collections, education programs, and staff. In 1985, a satellite facility, ICP Midtown, was created to help accommodate this growth. Over the years, as ICP continued to develop, it became clear that further expansion wasn’t possible in the Fifth Avenue location, and plans were made for the major redesign and reconstruction of the Midtown location to meet the challenges of the flourishing museum, educational and community programs.
Redesign & Reconstruction
In 1999, the headquarters building at 1130 Fifth Avenue was sold. The expanded galleries, at 1133 Avenue of the Americas at 43rd Street, were designed by Gwathmey Siegel & Associates Architects for the display of photography and new media with state-of-the-art lighting, climate control systems, and digital presentation systems. The reopening of the 17,000-square-foot (1,600 m2) site, previousely used as a photo gallery for Kodak[1], in the fall of 2000 provided in one location the same gallery space as the two previous sites combined and became the headquarters of ICP's public exhibitions programs. The new ICP also provided an expanded store and a café.
The expansion of the School of the International Center of Photography in the fall of 2001 created a Midtown campus diagonally across from the Museum in the Grace Building at 1114 Avenue of the Americas. Designed by the architecture firm Gensler, the new, 27,000-square-foot (2,500 m2) school facility doubled ICP’s teaching space and allowed ICP to expand both its programming and community outreach.
The ICP School
Located in midtown Manhattan, the ICP School is one of the world's most extensive and best-equipped schools of photography. ICP serves more than 5,000 students each year, offering 400 courses in a curriculum that ranges from darkroom classes to certificate and master's degree programs. Other educational programming includes a lecture series, seminars, symposia, and complementary activities.
Opened in 2001, the School is a 27,000-square-foot (2,500 m2) facility located at 1114 Avenue of the Americas, diagonally across the street from the ICP Museum. The facility features state-of-the-art classroom and black-and-white and color lab spaces; digital labs with resources for multimedia, digital photography, video editing and production; and a professional shooting studio. Designed by Gensler, a distinguished New York-based architectural firm, the School includes a library, a student lounge, and a student and community exhibition gallery. Among the building's architectural highlights is a striking glass pavilion entrance on the building's plaza.
ICP's educational initiatives are divided into three areas: the School, Public Programs, and Community Programs.
The School
The School offers:
- A year-round selection of Continuing Education classes
- Two One-Year Certificate Programs:
- General Studies
- Documentary Photography & Photojournalism
- The ICP-Bard Program in Advanced Photographic Studies, a two-year graduate program leading to a master of fine arts degree
Public Programs
Public Programs address issues in photography and its relationship to art and culture and promote the interpretation of ICP's exhibitions and collections. The Photographers Lecture Series invites prominent and emerging photographers to present their work while sharing ideas and concerns about the medium. Other seminars, symposia, and panel discussions feature distinguished artists, critics, scholars, and historians.
Community Programs
Community Programs provide an enhanced experience of the exhibitions and an understanding of the possibilities of photography to individuals who might otherwise not have access to ICP's cultural resources. Programs include docent-led interactive tours, family day events, teachers' workshops, workshops for students of all ages, long-term photography programs in four New York City public schools, summer photography programs in community centers, and a high school internship program designed to promote youth leadership.
Permanent Collection
The Permanent Collection at ICP contains more than 100,000 photographs. Since its opening in 1974, ICP has acquired important historical and contemporary images through an Acquisitions Committee and through donations and bequests from photographers and collectors. The collection spans the history of the photographic medium, from daguerrotypes to gelatin silver and digital chromogenic prints.
The collection is strongest in its holdings of American and European documentary photography of the 1930s to the 1990s. It comprises large bodies of work by W. Eugene Smith, Henri Cartier-Bresson, Robert Capa, and Farm Security Administration photographers Alfred Eisenstadt, Lisette Model, Gordon Parks, James VanDerZee, and Garry Winogrand. Recent purchases have included work by contemporary photographers such as Carrie Mae Weems, Justine Kurland, Katy Grannan, Vik Muniz, Tomoko Sawada, and Susan Meiselas.
Another component of the collection is a significant group of photographically illustrated magazines, particularly those published between World War I and II, such as Vu, Regards, Picture Post, Lilliput, Berliner Illustrirte Zeitung, Arbeiter Illustrierte Zeitung, and LIFE.
Publications
In 2003 the International Center of Photography joined with Steidl Publishers of Göttingen, Germany to launch the innovative photography imprint ICP/Steidl, a unique partnership between photography's leading museum and a renowned art book publisher. ICP/Steidl books combine the exceptional publishing history of world-renowned Steidl Publishers, serving here as both publisher and printer, with the strength of ICP's collections, exhibitions, and curatorial staff-to create original photography books available to a worldwide audience.
ICP/Steidl Publications
| Year | Title | Format | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 | Archive Fever: Uses of the Document in Contemporary Art by Okwui Enwezor (Contributor) | Book | |
| 2008 | The Collections of Barbara Bloom by Barbara Bloom | Book | |
| 2007 | This Is War! Robert Capa at Work by Richard Whelan/Robert Capa | Book | |
| 2007 | Gerda Taro by Gerda Taro | Book | |
| 2007 | Amelia Earhart: Image and Icon by Kristen Lubben (Ed.) | Book | |
| 2007 | Martin Munkacsi by Martin Munkacsi | Book | |
| 2006 | Ecotopia: The Second ICP Triennial of Photography and Video | Book | |
| 2006 | Atta Kim: On Air by Atta Kim | Book | Deutsche Börse Prize: Best Photo Book of the Year |
| 2006 | Unknown Weegee by Weegee | Book | College Art Association: Best Book Design, Honorable Mention |
| 2006 | Snap Judgments: New Positions in Contemporary African Photography by Okwui Enwezor (Ed.) | Book | Photo España: Best International Photography Book of the Year |
| 2005 | African American Vernacular Photography: Selections from the Daniel Cowin Collection | Book | |
| 2005 | Modernist Photography: Selections from the Daniel Cowin Collection by Christopher Phillips (Ed.) and Vanessa Rocco (Ed.) | Book | |
| 2005 | The Body at Risk: Photography of Disorder, Illness, and Healing by Carol Squiers (Ed.) | Book | |
| 2005 | Young America: The Daguerreotypes of Southworth and Hawes by Grant Romer (Ed.) and Brian Wallis (Ed.) | Book | New England Historical Society: Best Book of the Year
Kraszna-Krausz Book Award: Honorable Mention |
| 2004 | JFK For President: Photographs by Cornell Capa by Cornell Capa | Book | |
| 2004 | Ralph Eugene Meatyard by Ralph Eugene Meatyard | Book | |
| 2004 | The Chinese by Liu Zheng | Book | |
| 2004 | Between Past and Future: New Photography and Video From China | Book | |
| 2004 | Klutsis and Kulagina: Photography and Montage After Constructivism by Gustav Klutsis and Valentina Kulagina | Book | |
| 2003 | Only Skin Deep: Changing Visions of the American Self by Coco Fusco (Ed.) and Brian Wallis (Ed.) | Book | |
| 2003 | Encounters with the Dani by Susan Meiselas | Book | |
| 2003 | Strangers: The First ICP Triennial of Photography and Video by Edward Earle, Christopher Phillips, Carol Squiers, and Brian Wallis (Eds.) | Book |
Other ICP Publications
| Year | Title | Format | Awards |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2007 | The Decisive Moment by Henri Cartier-Bresson | DVD | |
| 2006 | SHIFT (Student Publication) | Book | |
| 2001 | Behind Closed Doors: The Art of Hans Bellmer by Hans Bellmer and Therese Lichtenstein | Book | |
| 2001 | Telling Tales by Kiki Smith | Book | |
| 1999 | Reflections in a Glass Eye by Ellen Handy (Ed.) (ICP/Little, Brown & Co.) | Book | |
| 1994 | A Singular Elegance by Adolph de Meyer (ICP/Chronicle) | Book |
The ICP Library
The Library of the International Center of Photography, serving more than 6,000 visitors a year, is New York City's only library dedicated to the practice of photography. The information and bibliographic resources it provides are used by ICP staff, patrons, and scholars from around the world. As of 2008, the Library receives 75 periodicals and serials, and its collection of approximately 15,000 volumes and 2,000 files is available for on-site perusal.
The GEH-ICP Alliance
The George Eastman House (GEH) was founded in Rochester, New York in 1949 and is the world’s oldest photography museum. Its collections of photography from the nineteenth and twentieth centuries are among the most extensive anywhere, and GEH is renowned for its leadership in the care and presentation of photography. The International Center of Photography, founded in 1974, is the world’s most active photography museum. Its program of changing exhibitions and the scale of its education programs are leading examples of their kind that draw visitors and students from around the globe.
In the year 2000, in an effort to build on their complementary strengths and to promote their shared goals, these two institutions launched the GEH - ICP Alliance. The fundamental aim of the Alliance is to enhance public understanding and appreciation of photography, through exhibitions, publications, research, scholarship, collection sharing, and the joint website Photomuse.org.
In this ongoing collaboration, the staffs of the International Center of Photography and George Eastman House share resources, pool their expertise, and dovetail their collections for a series of exhibitions called “New Histories of Photography.”
See also
References
External links
- Official website
- Infinity Awards
- Photomuse.org (Joint website with George Eastman House)
- ICP Library Catalog