"There is no hiding that this call for entry was emotional and tremendously personal. I am grateful for everyone who submitted and reached out along the way… I thank you for sharing your images and stories, I know it's not easy. Spending time with the entries, it is clear that grief has each of us in its grasp, finding us individually and giving us a new voice, whether we choose to embrace it is our own decision. 

 

I’m reminded of the feeling of not picking up the phone at the right time. Not asking for help when you need it most. Grief is a hard thing to talk about; “It sucks,” has been a go-to response for me and yes, that is true, but we can share art while we manage this ongoing and ever-changing pain. These entries exemplify timelines. Each narrative illustrates another lesson learned, unveils experience that work to define our histories. 

 

The selections are meant to encompass a range of experience with grieving. I recognize the responsibility of being entrusted with these personal images from each individual photographer. I’m grateful to Laurie Freitag for encouraging me to explore this topic as a call for entry and providing an exhibition that will share each entrant’s photographs, because each image is important. 

 

We have communities within our beloved medium and being able to engage in visual conversation with over seventy artists is encouraging to keep this conversation open and available."

 

 

“What cannot be said will be wept.” ― Sappho

Jakubek says, "Our hearts can break in many different ways. We expect mourning to end but oftentimes it manifests in other actions. We learn to restructure our lives and identify our worst thoughts as an avenue for growth. Maybe it leads to art making. Maybe we photographed this seemingly impossible event. We create photographs for different reasons, whether personal, political, for the purpose of change or a combination of these motivations.

This call is for images made anywhere along the path of the grieving process. We can be dealing with feelings of premonition, fear, and anxiety. Anticipation can lead us to act out in despair, in defense, to find avenues to re-direct anger. Then perhaps we can focus on care-taking, healing, rebuilding, and surviving. Every day may feel different and reactions can vary within a moment. The ability to fully experience emotions is a gift and it can translate in so many ways. The goal for this exhibition is to open a dialogue about understanding how we all cope and respond with our individual difficulties and how different they could possibly be, and most times, how similar."

Frances Jakubek is the Head of Exhibitions at Bruce Silverstein Gallery in New York City and past Associate Curator of the Griffin Museum of Photography in Massachusetts. Jakubek has been a guest writer for Don’t Take Pictures, Diffusion Magazine and for artist and gallery publications. She was a panelist for the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Photography fellowships, speaker for The Photo Brigade and juror for international exhibitions including ‘The Fence’ and PDN’s ‘The Curator Awards’. For her personal work, (though it’s all personal), recent exhibitions include The Griffin Museum of Photography, Boston, MA; Filter Photo Space, Chicago, IL; The Southern Contemporary Art Gallery in Charleston, SC; Camera Commons in Dover, NH; The Hess Gallery at Pine Manor College, MA; Plates to Pixels Online Gallery; and the Dorchester Art Project, MA.

20% of artist fees go to charity. 10% to the curator's charity and 10% to the first place winner's charity.

Jakubek has chosen Facing Addiction as her charity. www.facingaddiction.org
Facing Addiction is bringing hope and help to the 1 in 3 households impacted by addiction, and all those who might be in the future. By opening hearts and minds by ending the stigma, shame, and misinformation around addiction, and helping loved ones currently suffering get the support they need to lead full lives in recovery. Facing Addiction is implementing prevention programs that work; more effective treatment; and to end the criminal justice response.

10% will go to Yasmeen Melius' charity MayTree - a sanctuary for the suicidal.