It's Beginning to Look A Lot Like Christmas

Check out Danelle Manthey's Christmas USA at Jenkins Johnson Gallery opening tonight from 6-8pm. 

"A childhood family ritual served as inspiration for Danelle Manthey’s series of photographs entitled Christmas USA; every holiday season, her family loaded into the car and traveled around their South Dakota area, looking at houses covered in Christmas lights, much to the chagrin of Manthey, who would have preferred to be at home opening presents. When visiting her family as an adult, the renewed tradition sparked curiosity within the photographer, causing her to wonder about the people behind the lights. Manthey, who has twice been selected as Chashama’s Artist in Residence, began documenting the families of these decorated homes in front of their masterpieces in December of 2003, and continues to do so each year at Christmastime, shooting in South Dakota, upstate New York, New Orleans, Florida, and New York City, among others. As Manthey states, her “images are but a glimpse into the world of [her] subjects. Identity and the question of individuality are the themes”that are pervasive within the series”; her ultimate goal is to communicate something about the subject and have it understood through the portrait process."

Christmas USA will be on view until January 8th.

Jenkins Johnson Gallery

521 W. 26th St

5th FL.

Things and Time

CARIBBEAN IN AMERICA: THINGS AND TIME

Photographs by MADELEINE HUNT –EHRLICH

On view for a limited time at L.E.S. GALLERY AT THE CLEMENTE SOTO VELEZ CULTURAL & EDUCATIONAL CENTER 

107 Suffolk Street, New York, NY 10002  

A project made possible by THE LOWER MANHATTAN CULTURAL COUNCIL  

Opening Night Reception & Fundraiser to benefit the Lambi Fund of Haiti 

Friday, December 3rd 6:00-8:00pm

Join in for a special evening of music, food, dancing, and fundraising in celebration of Madeleine Hunt- Ehrlich’s photography exhibition, Caribbean in America: Things and Time. A series of related works will be on display, curated by Legacy Russell (CONTACTPROJECT.NET, Bruce High Quality Foundation), the infamous DJ Deadly Dragon Sound System will spin classic Reggae, Pastry Chef Hannah Sullivan (Baba Restaurant, Brooklyn) will be offering styled bites, and a set of limited-edition prints will be for sale. All profits will be donated to the Lambi Fund of Haiti, a Haitian-American non- profit working to rebuild the city of Port Au Prince. Event is free and open to the public.

A year ago, photographer Madeleine Hunt-Ehrlich began working in Little Haiti, the well-known Haitian-

American immigrant community in Miami, Florida. Soon after she began this work, an earthquake devastated

the city of Port au Prince in Haiti. Families were displaced, and one of the cultual capitols of the Caribbean was

left in ruin. The struggle to rebuild Port au Prince has been followed closely by people around the world, and

as we near the anniversary of this tragic event, there is still much work to be done.

Titled after the classic Reggae riddim, Caribbean in America: Things and Time considers cultural memory in Caribbean-American neighborhoods in New York and Miami. An excerpt of this project was published by the Studio Museum in Harlem, and the complete work will be on view at Clemente Soto Velez for a limited time. This project was funded by the Lower Manhattan Cultural Council.