The Fort Wayne Museum of Art is pleased to announce the third installment of its contemporary photography major exhibition series with The National: Best Contemporary Photography 2018.

The exhibition is a hybrid invitational and juried exhibition, anchored by established photography standouts Michelle Andonian, Clint Baclawski, Natalie Christensen, Alan Bur Johnson, and Jessica Todd Harper. Thirty-one artists from across the country were selected by jury to exhibit work that pushes the boundaries of the medium with adventurous techniques and original subject matter.

“In terms of aesthetic quality, technical innovation, and cultural relevance, contemporary photography has increasingly proven its dominance as a 21st Century art form. The artists in this exhibition each express vastly different concepts, many through traditional methods and others with innovative techniques, and even more who infuse their work with both. Differences aside, all these talented artists share certain common traits: discontent with the status quo, a hunger for excellent craft, and a vision for truly thought-provoking and culturally relevant work that contributes to the national discussion on contemporary photography,” said Charles Shepard, FWMoA CEO and chief curator.

A number of engaging experiences are planned in conjunction with this exhibition:

April 20, 7pm: Spring Party, $8 Members / $15 non-members. Includes appetizers, live music, museum admission, and a sophisticated but casual social atmosphere celebrating this and all spring exhibits. At 6:30pm, artists Alan Bur Johnson and Clint Baclawski will lead gallery talks and discuss their work.

April 21, 10:30am: Artist Talk with Natalie Christensen, free with museum admission. Christensen, invited to exhibit in The National, will lead an engaging discussion on her work, which links abstract, color-field photography with her career as a psychotherapist.

May 3, 12:15pm: Curator’s Tour, Free with museum admission.

June 7, 6:30pm: Artist Talk with Michelle Andonian, free with museum admission. Andonian is known for telling the stories of Armenian Genocide survivors as well as the 1988 earthquake. She’s been telling powerful stories for more than 30 years through her award-winning documentary work.