Leigh Anne Langwell of Albuquerque, NM has been selected as the winner of the 2007 Santa Fe Prize for Photography. The Santa Fe Prize recognizes a gifted and committed photographer who has completed, or is near completion of, a meaningful body of work. “Marvelous and wonderful are words that a serious critic tends to shy away from…. Besides, how often does work actually evoke marvels or provoke wonder these days? Leigh Anne Langwell’s does.” commented Vince Aletti.

ANNOUNCING THE WINNER OF THE SANTA FE PRIZE FOR PHOTOGRAPHY, 2007

THE WINNER
Center is pleased to announce that Leigh Anne Langwell of Albuquerque, NM has been selected as the winner of the 2007 Santa Fe Prize for Photography by Vince Aletti, photography critic and regular contributor to Aperture and The New Yorker, The Santa Fe Prize recognizes a gifted and committed photographer who has completed, or is near completion of, a meaningful body of work. In Aletti’s eyes, to describe Langwell’s work as meaningful would be an understatement. Aletti writes, “Marvelous and wonderful are words that a serious critic tends to shy away from…. Besides, how often does work actually evoke marvels or provoke wonder these days? Leigh Anne Langwell’s does.”

THE WORK
Langwell provokes wonder using the most elemental of all the photographic processes, the photogram. But, her process of creating photograms is far from simple; using translucent materials she builds elaborate three-dimensional sculptures and exposes them with a variety of light sources. The resulting images leave the viewer with the impression that they have discovered another world. It is unclear if this world is as large as a galaxy or so small it would be invisible to the naked eye. Langwell writes, “My research for these images began with my employment as a medical photographer over seventeen years ago, and is rooted in the history and visual conventions of medical and scientific imaging.” For Langwell the images “serve as codes that I use to understand by metaphor and comparison, the workings of science and the culture, poetry and beauty that are literally reflected in the cells, structures and chemical memories of the body.”

THE AWARD
This Santa Fe Prize was initiated to bring new work to light; influential curators, editors, publishers and educators are asked to anonymously nominate a photographer deserving of wider recognition. As a result the content of the work submitted is impressive and varied. Vince Aletti also selected five outstanding projects as finalists and the entire list of nominees can be viewed on our website.

First Prize: Leigh Anne Langwell of Albuquerque, NM for her photograms
$5,000 cash award, Complimentary participation in Review Santa Fe

Finalists (5):
Kristen Ashburn of New York, NY for Bloodline - AIDS and Family
Jessica Dimmock of Brooklyn NY for The Ninth Floor
Chad Kleitsch of Rhinebeck, NY for White Box
Brian Lesteberg, of Minneapolis, MN for Raised to Hunt
Mikhael Subotzky of Cape Town, South Africa for Marginalisation and Risk in Beaufort West

ABOUT CENTER
Center is a 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that honors, supports and provides opportunity to gifted and committed photographers. The programs offered by Center bring exposure to worthy photographic projects and series, and create fellowship among photographers and members of the photographic community.

For additional information call 505.984.8353 or go to www.visitcenter.org

© Leigh Anne Langwell, Winner, 2007 Santa Fe Prize for Photography

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