CHICAGO, CBS – Chicago’s visual artists may already be familiar with the nonprofit organization LATITUDE Chicago.
It also has an accessible digital photo development and processing laboratory in West Town.
The organization celebrated its 10th anniversary in March. To celebrate, they’re hosting a photography exhibition at the Chicago Art Department, curated by Associate Curator at the Museum of Contemporary Photography, Asha Iman Veal.
Veal said, “Participating in that role involves not only doing shows or exhibitions at home but also visiting other locations around the city,”
“I’m sure” [Asha] Through the School of the Art Institute and Museum of Contemporary Photography connections. Latitude is a foundation with many photographic roots. Therefore, it makes sense to partner with a curator with photographic roots aswell,” Colleen Kienehm, executive director of LATITUDE Chicago.
Latitude has helped students, professionals, hobbyists, and amateurs print, scan, and record their work for the last ten years. Because of the accessibility to their resources and space, Latitude has been a central part of Chicago’s photography scene.
You can pay the annual membership fee and then sit down at the desk to use Adobe products. Scan film and family files with the scanners. The scanners can also be used to scan film or family archives. We have other equipment, such as printers as well as artwork documentation. Donations are what give us the ability to see this space. “So a lot the technology comes out of local schools,” stated Keihm.
It would be very costly to purchase a lot the technology here. Keihm explained that the technology featured here is expensive and that it was donated to someone who can fix it. This has allowed us to continue building over the past ten year.”
Latitude community was the focus of the show’s anniversary. Veal states that she tried to capture the spirit of every person who makes Latitude a special haven for artists at all levels.
“Does it make sense to have players who are in the game for more than 30 years and then have people there that only have five or ten years of experience? Guggenheim Award recipients are also available. Veal said that there are people shooting for Vogue magazine alongside those who have just graduated from undergrad and grad schools, as well as people coming in to shoot the magazine.
I think that curatorial projects and exhibitions can be varied, but this project was about LATITUDE. It was therefore less about thematic shows and more about showing off the people in the community. “So it helps people understand LATITUDE, the community. It’s not one location. But it is the whole of their city. We can hopefully kind of achieve that through arrangement of works,” Veal said.
You can find someone starting out in your career and not seeing it as a profession, but it could also be somebody who has a lot of passion. And I think that’s a microcosm of what LATITUDE does we want to make sure the tools are accessible to anybody who’s interested in making images, not only photography but graphic design– really anything,” said Keihm.
You don’t need to be a professional photographer to come to our event. Keihm stated that anyone with questions is welcome.
I find it fascinating that artist’s careers can often be self-propelled. There are not always all the resources available for everyone. They have to be sought out. Veal stated that LATITUDE provides the space not only in equipment but also for the community.
You can view the installation until December 8th at Chicago Art Department. For more information about their hours and other events in Chicago, you can also visit the Chicago Art Department’s website.