The Project Basho Gallery was packed with photography enthusiasts, and ONWARD artists who traveled from all over the country. Juror Todd Hido was here to announce the winners. They are as follows:

Juror Awards
Nigel Bennet [Roma, Italy]
Barbara Diener [Chicago, IL]

Honorable Mention
Lisa Adamucci [Rochester, NY]
Jessica Caisse [Oakland, CA]
Galina Kurlat [Houston, TX]
Emma Powell [Ames, IA]

West Collection Purchase Award
Lisa Adamucci [Rochester, NY]

Congratulations to the winners and all of the selected photographers once again. The two winners received a cash prize, GR DIGITAL IV or the GXR+S10 KIT from Ricoh, an invite to present at the ONWARD ’12 Summit, A Spyder4Elite & Spyder Cube from Datacolor, an 8 Million Dollar Home bag from Crumpler, portfolios printed by Sous Les Etoiles, as well as Standard Accounts from FotoVisura.

Big thanks to everyone that came out to the exhibition opening! We especially want to thank Asahi for providing beer for the reception and Christopher Company who provided the beautiful white frames for the exhibition, making it a truly cohesive show. Special thanks are also in order for all of the student volunteers that helped out from Drexel University’s photo program.

If you weren’t able to make it on Saturday to check out the opening of the show, don’t worry, you have until March 25th to stop in. Our regular gallery hours are Sunday-Thursday, 12-10pm; Friday 12-5pm; and CLOSED Saturdays.

Stay tuned for more info in the coming weeks…

Don’t forget, the opening reception will be held at Project Basho Gallery from 2-4pm with the Summit beginning at 5pm at the Crane Old School building.

Schedule for the day

Portfolio Reviews

• 11am-1pm (registration begins at 10:30am)
• Location: Crane Old School
• Registration required SOLD OUT

ONWARD Compé ’12 Exhibition Opening Reception

• 2-4pm
• Location: Project Basho Gallery
• FREE & open to the public
• Award recipients will be announced at 3pm

ONWARD Summit

• 5-10pm (registration begins at 4:30pm)
• Location: Crane Old School
• Tickets available in advance or at the door
• Schedule of the Summit (PDF)

Restaurants in the Area

Lite Bites


• Cafe La Maude – This French-inspired place serves really great sandwiches and has a great atmosphere.
• Taco Riendo – Great Mexican restaurant around the corner from Project Basho. They serve great tacos, burritos, and other authentic favorites.
• Quince- This quaint, cute place serves very healthy, honest food day in, day out. Also great to grab a cup of joe. Say hi to  the owner Nicole, she’s very lovely to chat with!
• Paesano’s – Simply put: the best Italian-inspired sandwiches you’ll find anywhere on Earth. They beat Bobby Flay in a Throwdown!
• The Foodery – If you are looking for good, fresh sandwiches, this is the spot to go. They also have a huge selection of take-out beers.
• Rustica – This is where we always go for pizza. They have tons of awesome experimental toppings.
• One Shot Coffee – A really awesome place to sit for a while and grab a cup of coffee or something small to eat.

Dinner and Drinks


• Bar Ferdinand – This Spanish tapas restaurant is first-rate.
• El Camino Real – Try their Tex-Mex BBQ. They have great margaritas as well.
• Tiffin – If you are looking for great Indian food, this is the place.
• North 3rd – Great selection of bar food.
• Standard Tap – One of the best selections of local beers.
• Johnny Brenda’s – Cool vibes and a great take on bar food, think falafel, burgers, and beer. Concerts almost every night.
• Frankford Hall – New German-style beer hall.

For the video interview, Todd was kind enough to show us the early stages of his upcoming book, Silver Meadows, which will be published in 2012.

Todd Hido is a keynote speaker at the inaugural ONWARD Summit on Saturday, February 11th. He will also be at the opening reception for the ONWARD Compé ’12 Exhibition that same day.  We hope you’ll be joining us!

When you come to the exhibition next week, you will see all of the beautifully framed photographs on the wall. The frames for the exhibition have been provided by Christopher Co. LTD, giving the entire show an even more cohesive feel. We hope you’ll be able to stop by!

ONWARD ’12 sponsors include:

• Ricoh will give the two Juror’s Award winners a choice of either a GR DIGITAL IV or the GXR+S10 KIT.
• Pictorico will give inkjet paper samples to Juror’s Award recipients and honorable mentions.
• This is the second year that The West Collection has will present the West Collection Purchase Award.
• Datacolor gave away three Spyder3Elites and Spyder Cubes throughout the open call. The two Juror’s Award winners will each receive a Spyder Cube and a Spyder4Elite.
• Crumpler will give all of the selected photographers an Industry Disgrace Photo Strap. The two winners will receive 8 Million Dollar Home photo laptop bags.
• Sous Les Etoiles will be printing a portfolio for the two winners.
• FotoVisura is giving the two winners FotoVisura Standard Accounts.
• Beverages for the opening and Summit will be generously provided by Asahi.
• Benrido, a collotype studio in Kyoto is providing beautifully printed collotype postcards of Hiroh Kikai’s image to all the Summit participants.

A special thanks also goes out to Zoomin as well as all of our media sponsors: fototazo, Daylight Magazine, SeeSaw Magazine, Flak Photo, PhotoArts, FotoVisura, Time Machine Magazine, F-Stop Magazine, and Ahorn Magazine.

Thank you again for all of the contributions to ONWARD ’12!

A special rate of $109 per night is available for rooms on February 10th and 11th, 2012. Book by February 1st to guarantee this special rate.

Simply click here to make your reservations. Group code: “onwonwa”. You may also call in your reservation: 1-800-321-2211.

From the hotel, both Project Basho and the location of the Summit is easily accessible via the Market-Frankford subway line.

Curated by guest juror, Todd Hido, the exhibition of ONWARD Compé ’12 features 57 images by 50 emerging photographers from across the globe. Mr. Hido will be in attendance at the opening reception and will announce the two Juror’s Award Winners as well as the West Collection Purchase Award winner. Refreshments at the reception generously provided by Asahi.

The exhibition and reception are free and open to the public. Tickets are required for the ONWARD Summit. Regular gallery hours are Sunday-Thursday, 12-10pm; Friday 12-5pm; CLOSED on Saturdays.

This year’s show features work by (in alphabetical order):
Lisa Adamucci [Rochester, NY] – “Be Good, Be Good”
Geoffrey Agrons [Kensington, CA] – “Big Big Love”
Linda Alterwitz [Las Vegas, NV] – “Untltled #24″ from the series Discarded Dreams
Alyssa Robb [Philadelphia, PA] – “Chair, Bear Island” & “Morning, MA”
Steve Barry [Lake Worth, FL] – “Untitled”
Patricia Bender [Somerset, NJ] – “Wild Wood”
Nigel Bennet [Roma, Italy] – “Piak” & “June” from the series Silence Has An Echo
Aaron Blum [Pittsburgh, PA] – “The Daughter of Morgan Morgan”
Mike Browna [Sinking Spring, PA] – “Avoiding Mid Day Heat, Kompong Phluk, Cambodia”
Franco Tadeo Inada [Tokyo, Japan] – “Buena Nueba”
Jessica Caisse [Oakland, CA] – “Beck”
Stefania Chiorean [Philadelphia, PA] – “Zapada (Snow)” & “Casa Strabunicilor (Great-grandparent’s House)”
Troy Colby [Beloit, KS] – “The Struggle”
Barbara Diener [Chicago, IL] – “Untitled” & “Untitled”
Delaney Dobson [Horsham, PA] – “Broken”
Hugo Fernandes [Astoria, NY] – “Jimmy, Miami, 2011, Craigslist.org”
Amy Fichter [Menomonie, WI] – “Deer, Tangled”
Inge Flinte [Escondido, CA] – “Untitled” from the series Home
Akihiro Furuta [Tokyo, Japan] – “Nude Life”
Carrie Gabella [Chagrin Falls, OH] – “Linden Hall”
Sarah Girner [New York, NY] – “Pink Room”
Chelsea Hamilton [Philadelphia, PA] – “Self-Portrait #7″
George Holroyd [Kaiserslautern, Germany] – “Sun Through The Blinds”
Anca Ivan [Portland, OR] – “She Dreams of Him, Again and Again”
Pia Johnson [Brunswick East, Australia] – “Finding Yourself at Home”
Ashley Kauschinger [Denton, TX] – “The State Line”
Kazunori Nishibiro [London, UK] – “Scratch”
David Keenan [Austin, TX] – “Bryce, NYC, 2010″
Mimi Ko [New York, NY] – “Untitled”
Julia Kozerski [Milwaukee, WI] – “Bare”
Steven Krutek [Missoula, MT] – “Hillview Way, Missoula”
Kevin Kunishi [Oakland, CA] – “Magsasaka”
Galina Kurlat [Houston, TX] – “Reclamation 8″ & “Reclamation 6″
Monika Merva [Brooklyn, NY] – “Doki’s Hand”
Herman Nicholson [London, UK] – “Erin”
Daphne Okcuoglu [West Chester, PA] – “Sasha & Juice”
Emma Powell [Ames, IA] – “Doubt” & “Slumber”
Ashlei Quinones [Westlake Village, CA] – “Brett, HIV+”
Shawn Rocco [Raleigh, NC] – “Birthday, Walnut Cove, NC”
Jim Rowalt [Covington, LA] – “Stoop Lunch”
Luca Sage [Brighton, UK] – “Jamestown #3″
Sarah Moore [Columbus, OH] – “Vast Nothing”
Lara Shipley [Tempe, AZ] – “Victor In His Room”
Marta Shumylo [Milwaukee, WI] – “The World Is Light – It’s Your Room That’s Dark”
Aiden Simon [Chicago, IL] – “Untitled 18″ from Twin Lakes
Jared Soares [Roanoke, VA] – “Domineek”
Igor Svibilsky [Lawrenceville, NJ] – “Lone Man” & “The House Where Jack Lived”
Takeshi Kishi [Tokyo, Japan] – “i #2″
Amanda Tinker [Philadelphia, PA] – “Michael’s Cut”
Alison Turner [Long Beach, CA] – “The Wedding Guest”

Project Basho is located at 1305 Germantown Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19122. Phone: 215-238-0928

On the surface, one would expect open-ended photography competitions like ONWARD to offer little in the way of thematic cohesion: the emphasis is first and foremost to treat each contestant individually. It is up to viewers to sort through a hodgepodge of imagery and draw up distinctions between this artist and that, picking out the photos that stand on their own and those that fall short, all in spite of the often overbearing influence of neighboring images.

In theory this is how I usually approach varied group photo shows, and although there is merit here, it is easy to overlook the importance in taking a step back and coming to terms with the show as a whole. Perhaps the most diverse selection yet, last year’s ONWARD competition, judged by Larry Fink, offered an ideal opportunity to take this step back and get a closer look at the state of photography today. And based on what I’ve seen of Todd Hido’s selections for the 2012 show, it will offer much to the same effect.

While the subject matter of the 2011 show ranged from posed imagery to more documentary-style work, and everywhere in between, the multitude of techniques utilized is what struck me most. Although I have always maintained that technicalities are by and large trivial – a means to an end at most – the broadening of ways to produce photographs is a dimension of the medium that is becoming harder to dismiss. This is not to say that a hierarchy championing some forms and ousting others should be introduced; only to acknowledge that photography has become so overwhelmingly varied that its place within the world as a whole often feels too diffuse to grasp.

Of course, the making of photos only comprises the front end of this overall trend. Image distribution is also becoming both varied and easy. Photo sharing websites like Flickr and publishing services such as Blurb have provided countless amateur photographers with an affordable (often free) way to share their work. The question then that begs to be asked: Is good work still being made? Sure, but not necessarily more than it was thirty years go. In fact, if one thing is for certain, it’s that “user-friendly” equals an onslaught of bad work.

But while the boon in digital technology has greatly impacted the popularity of photography, this should not be misconstrued, as it often is, as a sort of “digital-takeover.”  Although smaller in numbers than their DSLR and camera phone-wielding counterparts, proponents of analogue photography and alternative processes are as present as ever. If not in a state of revival, these techniques have certainly maintained a longevity among smaller but dedicated crowds.

From the ONWARD '11 Exhibition, Keliy Anderson-Staley, “Kaeley” - Wet Plate Collodion Tintype

In looking at photography today from both its conception to its consumption, it is hard to look past its parallel to the state of music. I for one listen to music on vinyl, CDs, streaming programs, iPods, smart phones, and even cassette tapes; and preceding my contact with it, the music itself has likely gone through a slew of different production workflows. The songs remain virtually the same across each device, but with so many options it is overwhelming to sort out the place each mode holds in my life. Much like photography, music has found its way into our lives in so many ways that it often feels cheapened. The ease with which it can be accessed feels a little too easy. The question that lingers is whether or not special interactions are now harder to have with photographs. And if so, then in what way should you approach these art forms after their cultural bombardment?

In the end, it’s hard to come up with a definitive answer, or if there is even one to be had. While it often feels as though something ineffable is slowly being drained from our visual experiences – I wonder whether I would cherish the few photo books I own more if not for the ease with which their imagery can be viewed online –  the idea of a limitless, democratic art form is remarkable in its own right. Art is about ideas after all. Should it even matter whether an image was tinkered with in a darkroom or printed from a low quality point and shoot camera? It’s a little bit too easy to fight against the state of culture today. Maybe the real value lies in embracing this big mess and forging a new vision of art, wherein lies an appeal and artistic usage in any and all forms. Maybe the idea of what’s good or bad – the idea of having “taste” essentially – should be thrown out the window too and instead replaced with an openness to all personal expressions, highbrow or low.

Scott Alberg, “Raytheon, Waltham, MA”

See more selected photographs by juror Peter Barberie from the ONWARD ’09 Gallery.

The ONWARD ’12 exhibition will take place at the Project Basho Gallery in Philadelphia from February 9th – March 25th, 2012. The opening reception will be 2-4pm on Saturday, February 11th. The two Juror’s Award Winners will be announced at the reception and also be invited to speak at the ONWARD Summit which is being held the same day, just a few blocks away from the ONWARD exhibition at Project Basho. The two winners, along with the selected photographers, will receive a slew of prizes and The West Collection will be making a purchase award of one of the pieces in the show.

The ONWARD Summit will take place at 5pm, directly following the opening reception and feature guest speakers, Todd Hido, Hiroh Kikai, Zoe Strauss, Peter Barberie, and the two ONWARD ’12 Juror’s Award Winners. It is a very special conference that will encourage new dialogues for this ever-changing medium we call photography. For more information and to purchase tickets, please visit the ONWARD Summit site.

See you in the new year!