Eric T. Kunsman
Eric T. Kunsman is an American photographer, book artist, and educator. He is known for his photographic projects that engage with themes of history, documentary, technology, and human narrative.[1][2] His photographic work has been widely shown in both solo exhibitions and group shows in the United States and internationally.[3]
Kunsman lives and works in Rochester, New York where he owns and operates his fine art print studio, Booksmart Studio. He currently teaches at Rochester Institute of Technology as an assistant professor in the Visual Communications Studies Department at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf and as an adjunct professor for the School of Photographic Arts & Sciences.[4]
Biography
Kunsman was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1975.[5] In high school he decided to pursue a career as an artist and photographer, spurred, in part, by exposure to the work of Walker Evans.[6]
After graduating high school, Kunsman went on to study at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) where he earned a BFA in Photographic Illustration in 1999 and a BS in Biomedical Photography in 2000.[5] Kunsman continued his education receiving a MS in Electronic Publishing & Graphic Media Arts from RIT in 2001 and a MFA in Book Arts & Printmaking from The University of the Arts in 2005.[5]
In 2005 Kunsman returned to Rochester, NY where he began teaching at Rochester Institute of Technology and opened his bookmaking and fine art printing studio Booksmart Studio.[7]
Career
Kunsman's work is centered on societal awareness.[7] He is inspired by "objects left behind, especially those that hint at a unique human narrative, a story waiting to be told."[8][3] His photography focuses "on the often-neglected towns of the American southwest as well as the tensions of struggling rustbelt cities throughout the northeastern United States."[6][3] Kunsman attributes his development as an artist and educator to his teacher and mentor Lou Draper, a founding member of the Kamoinge Workshop.[6]
Kunsman photographs his projects using medium format film and prints them as black and white images.[9][1]
Felicific Calculus (2017)
In the body of work, "Felicific Calculus: Technology as a Social Marker of Race, Class, & Economics in Rochester, NY", named for the algorithm created by philosopher Jeremy Bentham, Kunsman has worked towards documenting all of the remaining payphones in and around Rochester, NY.[3][2] The project began in 2017 after Kunsman had moved his studio to a lower-income area in Rochester, a decision that drew comments from colleagues who implied that the area was unsafe, many of pointing towards the unusual number of payphones that were present in the area.[2][10] Motivated by these comments, Kunsman started researching the areas around his new studio, finding that neighborhoods with lower socioeconomic status tended to have the higher density of remaining payphones.[4] In an interview with Roula Seikaly from Humble Arts Foundation, Kunsman says, "...I tried to figure out why people were labeling it... If people weren't labeling it and mislabeling these people, I would've never started this project."[10]
Curator and photographic historian, Dr. Alison Nordström, said of the project:
"addresses urban landscapes and how we represent them, but it is also about technology and its changing uses and meanings, and about the dominating visuality of our current culture... [Felicious Calculus] support the kinds of analysis usually left to sociologists and geographers, and encourage the kinds of actions that matter at the level of individual lives."[11]
As of 2021 Kunsman estimates that he has photographed approximately 900 of the remaining 1,455 phones.[2]
Life-Lines Throughout the US (2018)
"Life-Lines Throughout the US" is a supporting body of work to Felicific Calculus. Unlike Felicific Calculus, the images of payphones from Life-Lines is not restricted to Rochester, NY, instead it is "an examination of various cities throughout the United States and the remaining payphones." This supporting project is meant to speak to the larger context of US cities where, like in Rochester, payphones still represent a valuable resource to individuals.[12]
Thou Art... Will Give... (2003 – 2015)
The series "Thou Art... Will Give..." examines the first penitentiary in the US, the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia.[1] Kunsman visited the penitentiary 362 times over the course of a decade, documenting the penitentiary as well as pages from the 1830s – 1840s warden's log books.[6] Archivist and photo historian Gary D. Saretzky, described Kunsman's images as containing the "story, energy, and sorrows of the jail when it was still active."[6]
Fake News Archive Project (2016 – 2021)
Kunsman's "Fake News Archive Project: A Historical Archive of the Donald J. Trump Presidency", was the artist reaction to the political environment surrounding the presidency of Donald J. Trump.[13] Struck by Donald J. Trump's use of the phrases, "fake news" and "alternative facts," Kunsman began taking screenshots of the news outlet CNN.[13] Eventually the project grew to encompass ABC News, Fox News, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and HuffPost.[14][13] Kunsman assembled the screen captures, in chronological order, into thirteen volumes, each measuring 12" x 18" x 4.5".[14] Kunsman stated that, "the books are intended to be an archive of the Donald J. Trump presidency which I hope will promote visual & media literacy."[13]
Private | Now Back Go : Go Back | Private (2012)
"Private | Now Back Go : Go Back | Private" is an ongoing, long term, project started by Kunsman in 2012.[1] According to Kunsman it is a "long-term story that will help me to document history and my life experience."[1] Similar to other projects by Kunsman, "Private Now Go Back" is an exploration of technological progress and the artist's personal life experiences.[1]
Awards & Honors
Kunsman has been the recipient of numerous awards and honors for both his photography and teaching.
"[Kunsman] was named one of 10 B&W photographers to watch of 2018 by BW Gallerist, B&W Best Photographers of the Year 2019 by Dodho Magazine, and won the Association of Photography (UK) Gold Award for Open Series in 2019, Finalist, Top 200 for Critical Mass in 2019, 2020, 2021, Top 15 Photographers for the Rust Belt Biennial."[5][3]
"[Kunsman] has held 39 solo exhibitions and counting. At this point, his work has been exhibited in over 250 galleries and museums and featured in Bloomberg Business Week, Dodho Magazine, Dek Unu, All About Photo, and LensWork."[3]
"He has been featured with online articles by Humble Arts Foundation, Analog Forever Magazine, Catalyst: Interview, and One Twelve Publishing. He is currently represented by HOTE Gallery in Los Angeles, CA."[5]
Books
Kunsman, Eric T. (2021). Felicific Calculus: Technology as a Social Marker of Race, Class, & Economics in Rochester, NY. ISBN 978-1-939026-16-3
Kunsman, Eric T. (2020). Fake News: A Historical Archive of the Donald J. Trump Presidency, Volume 5, (5/01/20 - 6/30/20), Rochester, NY: Booksmart Studio. ISBN 978-1-939026-05-7
Kunsman, Eric T. (2020). Fake News: A Historical Archive of the Donald J. Trump Presidency, Volume 4, (3/02/20 - 4/30/20), Rochester, NY: Booksmart Studio. ISBN 978-1-939026-04-0
Kunsman, Eric T. (2020). Fake News: A Historical Archive of the Donald J. Trump Presidency, Volume 3, (4/23/19 - 3/01/20), Rochester, NY: Booksmart Studio. ISBN 978-1-939026-03-3
Kunsman, Eric T. (2019). Fake News: A Historical Archive of the Donald J. Trump Presidency, Volume 2, (2/1/18 - 4/22/19), Rochester, NY: Booksmart Studio. ISBN 978-1-939026-25-5
Kunsman, Eric T. (2019). Fake News: A Historical Archive of the Donald J. Trump Presidency, Volume 1, (11/9/16 -1/31/18), Rochester, NY: Booksmart Studio.
Kunsman, Eric T. (2010). Thou Art... Will Give.... ISBN 978-1-939026-07-1
Kunsman, Eric T. (2005). Exposing Saints. ISBN 0-9765368-1-1
Kunsman, Eric T. (2004). Peripheral Visions. ISBN 0-9765368-2-X
External Link
Sources
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 1.5 Kirchoff, Michael. "Interview: Eric Kunsman - Historical Narrative." Analog Forever Magazine, Analog Forever Magazine, 26 Oct. 2021, https://www.analogforevermagazine.com/features-interviews/interview-eric-kunsman-historical-narrative.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 Dudley, David. "Documenting the Last Pay Phones in America." Bloomberg.com, Bloomberg, 21 Aug. 2021, https://www.bloomberg.com/news/features/2021-08-31/where-can-i-find-a-pay-phone-eric-kunsman-documents-america-s-last-phones.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 "Felicific Calculus." Dodho, Dodho Magazine, 12 Mar. 2021, https://www.dodho.com/gallery/eric-kunsman-gallery/.
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 Kirchoff, Michael. "Eric Kunsman - Catalyst: Interviews." Catalyst, Catalyst: Interviews, 6 Dec. 2020, https://www.catalystinterviews.com/interviews/2020/2/12/eric-kunsman.
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 All-About-Photo.com. "Eric Kunsman." All About Photo, https://www.all-about-photo.com/photographers/photographer/1051/eric-kunsman.
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 Saretzky, Gary D. "'Most Deeply Hardened': Eric T. Kunsman Photographs the Eastern State Penitentiary." Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies, vol. 88, no. 2, 1 Mar. 2021, pp. 235–245., https://doi.org/10.5325/pennhistory.88.2.0235.
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 "Member Spotlight: Eric Kunsman." Texas Photographic Society, Nov. 2019, https://texasphoto.org/member-spotlight-eric-kunsman.
- ↑ "Eric T. Kunsman: Felicific Calculus." Eastman Museum, George Eastman Museum, https://www.eastman.org/event/talks/eric-t-kunsman-felicific-calculus.
- ↑ "Portfolio 2020 Artist Spotlight: Eric Kunsman." Atlanta Photography Group, 10 July 2020, https://atlantaphotographygroup.org/2020/07/10/portfolio-2020-artist-spotlight-eric-kunsman/.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 Seikaly, Roula. "Photos of Public Payphones Mark Race, Class and Socioeconomic Status." Humble Arts Foundation, Humble Arts Foundation, 3 June 2021, http://hafny.org/blog/2021/6/photos-of-public-payphones-mark-race-class-and-socioeconomic-status.
- ↑ Kunsman, Eric T. Felicific Calculus: Technology As a Social Marker of Race, Class, & Economics in Rochester, NY. 2021.
- ↑ Kunsman, Eric T. "Life-Lines Throughout the US." Eric T. Kunsman, https://www.erickunsman.com/lifelines-throughout-the-us.
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 "Eric Kunsman - Fake News Archive." In The In-Between, In The In-Between: Journal of New and New Media Photography, 13 Jan. 2021, https://www.inthein-between.com/eric-kunsman/.
- ↑ 14.0 14.1 Aäsp, John. "Project Review: Eric Kunsman: Fake News Archive Project." Afterimage, vol. 48, no. 1, 2021, pp. 73–79., https://doi.org/10.1525/aft.2021.48.1.73.
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