"Night News" - an occasional missive from the darkness
Vol.3 No.4
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"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times . . .
It was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness."

- A Tale of Two Cities (1859), by Charles Dickens
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"A very Merry Xmas
And a happy New Year
Let's hope it's a good one
Without any fear
War is over, if you want it
War is over.
Now."

-"Happy Xmas (War is Over)"
by John and Yoko (December 1, 1971)
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(George Harrison
February 25, 1943 - November 29, 2001)

(The Friends of Photography
January 1, 1967 - October 31, 2001)
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IN RELATED NEWS
Season of loss, continued . . . We had all heard the rumors, but I don't think any of us we're ready for the announcement that the Friends of Photography closed their doors on October 31, 2001. This fixture of West Coast Photography (founded by Ansel Adams!) - we thought it would always be there, in some form or another. If not in Carmel, then SOMA, whatever. Now it appears it's gone for good. "All things must pass," indeed.

So, as not to let another fixture of West Coast and Bay Area Photography disappear, we urge you to visit the Photo Metro Web site - www.photometro.com - and complete a survey they have included there. Photo Metro Magazine, as they say, is on a publishing hiatus, and they need your help - in the form of subscriptions, new ideas, feedback, anything, really - just contact them.

Now.

Michael Kenna lectured, as part of the UCSC Extension Artist Lecture Series, on October 12, 2001 at the Triton Museum of Art in Santa Clara.

Troy Paiva's work (some from the Salton Sea) is about to grace the new Stan Ridgeway (Wall of Voodoo) CD, the title of which is a mystery to us, but it is due for release in January. Troy is a big fan of Ridgeway (some of his lyrics are quoted on Troy's Nocturnes page - http://www.thenocturnes.com/troypaiva.htm - so this is quite a coup for him. What do you say, Troy - are you going to throw a CD release party for Bay Area Nocturnes?


EXHIBITS
We hope that you can all visit our latest exhibit of Night Photography, "Presidio Nocturnes," at the Presidio Alliance, 563 Ruger Street (just inside the Lombard Gate), in the Presidio of San Francisco, our newest National Park. The show runs thru January 31, 2002. Twenty artists, sixty prints - it's quite a show - best summed up by part of Tim's Curatorial statement: "The transformative potential of Night Photography (to which these photographers are no strangers) has enabled them to present this engaging portrait of a complex landscape, a local treasure. A precious resource that, in this, our season of loss, reminds us what is truly valuable, and what (and how) it is to be truly valued. More information about the show is online at http://www.thenocturnes.com/exhibits.htm including a roster of artists.

Tim will be curating another show, this one from the UC class, to be held at U.C. Berkeley Extension from April 9 - May 2, 2002 in the Galleria. Check our Web site, closer to the opening date, for announcement of the Artists' Reception.

We encourage you to answer the Call for Entries for our latest online exhibit, "The Color of Night" (TcoN). Have a look at the online prospectus - http://www.thenocturnes.com/entryform.htm - and think about what you might submit. The jurors for this show are Larrie Thomson (Canada) - www.nightphotographer.com - and our own Troy Paiva, neither of them strangers to color or the night. The deadline for submissions has been extended to January 21, 2002. The show will run thru the Vernal Equinox and will later be archived on The Nocturnes Web site.

Good news! Our latest, favorite print by Tim - "Calling Mr. Harper" (an homage to Steve Harper, a pioneer of West Coast Night Photography) will be part of the Annual Member's Showcase at the Berkeley Art Center - http://www.berkeleyartcenter.org - 1275 Walnut Street, Berkeley.

The Exhibit, "Venetia Obscura: Venice at night" by Luca Campigotto continues at the Museo ItaloAmericano at Fort Mason center thru January 7, 2002. Beautiful black and white work, some done in large format - you must see it! The museum is open Wed-Sun, Noon-5pm, and is located in Building 'C.'

Resident Nocturne Bill Schwab - http://www.thenocturnes.com/billschwab.htm - will be having an exhibition of his work at the Barry Singer Gallery, in Petaluma in conjunction with a show of Walker Evans' work (not bad company!) starting this February 2nd and running through the 16th of March. There is an Opening Reception being held on Saturday, February 2, 2002 from 5:00 -7:00 pm. Let's try to get together a contingent of western Nocturnes and go up to greet Bill, what do you say? Barry Singer Gallery, 7 Western Avenue, Petaluma, CA 94952

Nocturne Stu Jenks - http://www.thenocturnes.com/stujenks.htm - will be having an installation of photography, Christmas lights in a circle of hay, and a CD-R loop of ambient music, at the Museum of Contemporary Art, Hazmat Gallery in Tucson running from March 3rd to April 13th.

And Todd Hido is busy this New Year, with two solo shows coming up in January - one at the Carrie Secrist Gallery, Chicago, Illinois; and another right here, SOMA, at 3A Garage Architecture Gallery, 27 South Park, San Francisco.


MUSICAL NOTES
First of all, Tim is back from his annual Christmas Day retreat to Dogtown (out in West Marin County at the edge of the Point Reyes National Seashore) with Tegwen, the Golden Retriever. His report from the day trip speaks of a grey, moody day, listening to a CD (I Could Read the Sky) by Iarla O Lionaird: "If I could read this particular sky, I'm sure it would say that the track 'In England,' with it's trance-like, theme from 'Midnight Cowboy' meets Led Zeppelin's 'Dazed and Confused' grove, is destined to become a post-modern emigration song classic. Bleak, grey lyrics - 'There's no way back . . . I'm in England, now.' Great stuff!"

Recent Acquisitions: Siol/Seed, various artists. Agherbaun Records #OPP CD2
I Could Read the Sky by Iarla O Lionaird. Real World # CDP7243-8-48815-2-8
Ten New Songs by Leonard Cohen. Columbia #CK 85953
Celtic Mouth Music, various artists. Ellipsis Arts #CD4070
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This concludes the second part of this special year-end edition of "Night News" - if you missed the first part, it can be viewed at the archive URL below.

As always, this and past issues of "Night News" are accessible at http://www.thenocturnes.com/nitenews.htm

On these grey, bleak winter nights, just remember, "if you could read the sky" it would probably say: "... lets just be careful out there."

Susan Nichols
nichols@thenocturnes.com

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"It's been ages since you last visited . . . "

The Nocturnes family of Web sites:
http://www.thenocturnes.com
http://www.timbaskerville.com
http://www.meersfamily.org