Gold Coast Arts Center Unveils ‘Storytelling Through the Lens’

Some photojournalists rely on technique.  Others combine technique with technology.  That is the case with the artists featured in an upcoming exhibit at the Gold Coast Arts Center.  The exhibit, called “Storytelling Through the Lens,” displays work by photojournalists around the world who use the internet, apps, and mobile devices to create images in a unique and powerful format.  

“Storytelling through the Lens” includes work by nine artists: Verónica G. Cárdenas, Deborah Feingold, Orestes Gonzalez, Audrey Gottlieb, George McClintock, William Riera, Karen Rubin, Deborah Sable, and Neil Tandy.  An opening reception, which is free, takes place on Sunday, September 30, 2018, at 4 p.m. at the Center, located at 113 Middle Neck Road, Great Neck, NY, 10021.

Approximately 100 works will be on display in the exhibit, which runs until December 15, 2018.

“The Internet and online applications, as well a myriad of mobile devices, have supplanted print media, resulting in the ability of photojournalists to reach audiences never before imagined,” says Jude Amsel, Gallery Director of the Gold Coast Arts Center.  “In doing so, their work has an immediate impact on society as they continue to write and record visual history and form collective memories.”

About the Artists

The artists come from diverse backgrounds, and their approaches are equally diverse.

Veronica Cardenas explores what it means to be a faceless immigrant, exposed to aggressive and dangerous legislation, vulnerable to exploitation, and left with virtually no opportunities.

Deborah Feingold’s inspiration comes from jazz musicians.  She studied how they used their instruments to come together, to explore, and then to return.

Orestes Gonzalez focuses on common, quiet stories of people whose lives are impacted and thus disrupted, by conflict, religion and social and economic forces beyond their control.

Audrey Gottlieb dedicates her photographs in the show to the memory of the thousands of innocent civilians and peacekeepers who died before, during and after her short stay in Somalia in 1993.  At the time, she was the official photographer for the United Nations Operation in Somalia. 

George McClintock has photographed an Ecuadoran couple, Segundo and Cecilia, who arrived in the United States several years ago in search of a better life.  

William Riera has created a series of photographs called “Chago Adentro” in which he explores nostalgia for his native town, the struggle of the Cuban people, and the loss of memories represented by the deterioration of places he visits. 

Karen Rubin strives to capture a moment in 1/200 of a second that which represents an idea, a situation, a crisis, an event — a visual that promotes understanding of the human condition.

Deborah Sable equates arts with activism.  As she explains, “Neither exists without the other.  To be successful, each must convey a message to an audience.”

Neil Tandy’s photography represents a brief moment in time, a sad time, in South Africa — a documentary of what he “perhaps cannot verbalize adequately.”

For more information about the artists or the exhibit, or to arrange school or docent-led tours, please visit www.goldcoastarts.org, or call 516-829-2570.