First awarded in 2006, the PhotoVision Award honors those making outstanding contributions to the field of photography. Past recipients include internationally recognized artists Mary Ellen Mark and Keith Carter. Presentation of the Award also serves as an annual opportunity for members of the community to gather and celebrate the art form, and achievements this year.

Alec Soth Chosen by representatives from PCNW’s faculty, staff, student body and board of directors, Alec Soth was chosen for his contributions to fine art photography especially in his exquisite use of color.

He is the recipient of several major fellowships from the McKnight and Jerome Foundations and was awarded the2003 Santa Fe Prize for Photography. His work is represented in major public and private collections, including the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and the Walker Art Center in Minneapolis. Mr. Soth's photographs have been featured in numerous national and international exhibitions, including the 2004 Whitney and São Paulo Biennials. His first monograph, Sleeping by the Mississippi, was published by Steidl in 2004 to critical acclaim. Since then Soth has published NIAGARA (2006), Fashion Magazine (2007), and Dog Days, Bogotá (2007). Soth is represented by Gagosian Gallery in New York, Weinstein Gallery in Minneapolis and is a photographer with Magnum Photos.

Soth captures the extraordinary with a mindful eye and keen curiosity. Whether exploring myths of modern love in Niagara Falls or the beauty of hard streets of Bogotá, Colombia, he distinctively creates his own worlds within. These worlds, populated by disarming portraits and the cinematic details of carefully composed scenes, both confront and quietly engage. They are melancholic with a twist of irony and humor; beautifully and utterly human.

We are inspired by his work and honored to be able to present him with the 2008 PhotoVision Award.

In addition to attending our awards dinner on Saturday night, Mr. Soth will be presenting a special lecture at the Seattle Art Museum on Sunday, September 28.

Lecture

Creatively Speaking: An Afternoon with Alec Soth

Sunday, September 28, 2008, 2:00 p.m.

Co-sponsored by Seattle Art Museum

Location: SAM, Plestcheeff Auditorium

1300 First Avenue, Seattle, WA