On newsstands in China, the June 2022 issue of National Geographic Traveler with a selection of 11 photographs from The Unchosen Ones project. Thank you to Freya Zhang for inviting me to be apart of this feature.
Featured Work
Shangtuf Photography TV Photo Talk (China)
Shangtuf Creative Photo Talk hosted by Guo Jing, streamed May 2nd, 2022, with Michael Pritchard, Leslie Sheryll, and Owen Harvey. (Mandarin Chinese translated)
This video is edited from a recording of the Shangtuf Creative Photo Talk streamed on May 2nd, 2022. In this episode, a panel of expert and photographers share their experience on International Photography Exhibition by Royal Photographic Society, including Dr. Michael Pritchard, Programms Director of the Royal Photographic Society, R. J. Kern, a photo artist from the United States, Leslie Sheryll, a visual artist from the United States, and Owen Harvey, a photo artist from the United Kingdom.
Meet the Artist and Book Signing Event
Join me at Burnet Fine Art on Thursday, June 16th from 6-8pm to view the exhibition and chat. I will have the three editions of my newest book, The Unchosen Ones, on display and available for purchase and signing.
Burnet Fine Art, 775 Lake St. E, Wayzata, MN 55391
"Minnesota sheep and goats 'graze' in the center of Palencia”
Exhibition review by Victor Vela in El Norte de Castilla, the newspaper of Palencia, Spain on May 2. Special thank you to Anne Morin for supporting this project.
R. J. Kern’s exhibition review by Victor Vela in El Norte de Castilla, the newspaper of Palencia, Spain on May 2, 2022.
Artist talk with Alison Nordström and R. J. Kern
As part of the International Photography Festival of Castilla y León (Palencia, Spain). Alison Nordström and I shared in a virtual conversation in April 2022. We spoke about The Unchosen Ones project, my roots as a photographer, and what’s next for the creative project. Special thank you to Anne Morin for her support, as well as the Century Foundation for Tourism and the Arts of Castile and León. More information: www.fifcyl.com/en
Float photo magazine review’s R. J. Kern’s monograph, The Unchosen Ones (MW Editions, 2021).
Float photo magazine (book review)
"In the end, when we look at these images, we are faced with both the feeling of disappointment, but we are also able to share the joy that these youth brought for taking care of their animals in preparation for this show,” writes Float photo magazine’s Dana Stirling in her book review, published April 24, 2022. The book, “deals with the notions of failure, disappointment, childhood, aging and in a way this is also a story of American history, culture and future.” Stirling considers Richard Avedon and Myoung Ho Lee in consideration of the formal use of the backdrop, “a powerful statement and it breaks the fourth wall that photography often creates.”
The Candid Frame podcast interview
A special thank you to Ibarionex Perello for his podcast interview on The Candid Frame, Episode 581, released on March 22, 2022. You can download the latest episode by clicking here >>
BookEnds Online Edition - Wadena County Historical Society
On March 12, join me for BookEnds Online Edition, a book talk sponsored by the Wadena County Historical Society in collaboration with the New York Mills Cultural and Historical Center and the Five Wings Art Council. The goal: a monthly literary event connecting readers and writers. I enjoyed the Q&A engagement with those who joined us. Special thank you to Lina Belar for inviting me to be apart of this wonderful group supporting my creative practice. We enjoyed an hour-long conversation, and you may listen in to our conversation, available below.
BookEnds Online Edition, a virtual book talk recording with R. J. Kern, The Unchosen Ones book, Wadena County Historical Society in collaboration with the New York Mills Cultural and Historical Center and the Five Wings Art Council. Recorded: March 12, 2022.
Book review of The Unchosen Ones (MW Editions, 2021) by W. Scott Olsen in Frames magazine, published February 21, 2022.
Frames (book review)
Writes W. Scott Olsen in Frames magazine:
"We have all been there. Hope. Ambition. Dreams. Hard Work. The Moment. And then, disappointment. For whatever reason, sometimes justly and sometimes not, we did not get selected, recognized, rewarded. We didn’t do anything wrong. We simply did not do something right enough.There is nothing tragic in these moments. They are necessary for growing up, for developing humility and empathy, for becoming humane. But that does not mean they are easy. For photographer R. J. Kern, these are moments of compassion and sympathy. Revisited four years later, they are moments of illumination.”
"Kern’s book, The Unchosen Ones, is a collection of compassionate, insightful, beautiful portraits. And the book is made even more striking because of a second look.”
"The images in this book are pairings. And if one image opens a window, the pairing walks us outside. Two insightful images, and the implied/perceived distance between them, make this, frankly, an important book.”
…
Thank you, W. Scott Olsen, for your insight and thoughtful words. I’m appreciative we connected last September at Concordia College. Always nice to see interdisciplinary writing and photography talents merge in the photo book world.
Trees, Community Art Installation
“To find the wealth of information trees have to share,” writes paleoclimatologist Dr. Valerie Trouet in Tree Story, “we must simply learn how to look.”
From February 5 – July 23, 2022, the Center for Creative Photography (CCP) and the Laboratory of Tree-Ring Research (LTRR) will stage installations together that follow historical, cultural, and scientific narratives inspired by trees.
With more than 75 images and objects assembled from CCP and LTRR’s collections, trees stir in their leaves creates a multilayered experience with photography and dendrochronology (the study of annual rings in trees) in CCP’s Alice Chaiten Baker Interdisciplinary Gallery.
My work from Truffle Dogs will be installed along with works by Ansel Adams, Lola Álvarez Bravo, Barbara Crane, Kozo Miyoshi, Doug and Mike Starn, Aaron Siskind, Rosalind Solomon, John Yang and more.
Trees, Community Art Installation, Alice Chaiten Baker Interdisciplinary Gallery, Center for Creative Photography, Tuscon, AZ
Detail of blind embossing on cover of R. J. Kern, The Unchosen Ones: Portraits of an American Pastoral.
PhotoBook Journal (book review)
“This coming-of-age process, set in the rural environment of Minnesota, is effectively and elegantly narrated in this photobook by R. J. Kern. One is also reminded of similarly noble and historically valuable rural documentation projects by Disfarmer and others…. A spellbinding presentation.”
— Gerhard Clausing, Associate Editor of the PhotoBook Journal
The Guardian feature
"That's pretty cool," said Gus, hearing the news that his portrait (among others) were published in The Guardian (UK) today. What joy sharing the news! Thank you, Sarah Gilbert, for the photo feature, a lovely outcome from the Format portfolio review last March.
R. J. Kern published on December 23, 2021 in the Culture section of The Guardian (UK).
Luminous Landscape feature
When I began my research into the technical realms of medium format photography and advanced lighting tools a decade ago, I leaned into the resources on the website, Luminous Landscape. The forums were filled with people who loved to share and help with all things technical. Most of the enthusiasts are highly skilled engineers, executive professionals passionate about photography. Often, I’d need a PhD to understand the answers to my questions, but this is where I learned what I know today.
I was excited when Josh Reichmann offered to share my work on the very platform that inspired me in early 2010. It’s full circle, sharing more about the “why to” and less on the “how to.” Since, I had a lovely experience working with Abby Ferguson, we collaborated again to share a deeper story.
Lenscratch feature
Thank you to my friend Aline Smithson for her interview and kind words about my newest book on Lenscratch. Read Article >>
©R. J. Kern, Book cover of The Chosen Ones, published by MW Editions
Minnesota Live {TV Spot}
I'm excited to share this segment from Minnesota Live / KSTP to promote the new book, The Unchosen Ones. Original air date, December 1, 2021.
“New Book Looks At Those Who Miss Out On Blue Ribbons" {TV Spot}
Special thanks to Jason DeRusha and Heather Brown from CBS Minnesota / WCCO MidMorning featuring this TV spot. Original Air Date: Fri., Nov. 26.
R. J. Kern spent years traveling across the entire state, traveling from fair to fair, and finding the children who didn't take home the title of grand champion.
Star Tribune feature
“Chins up, heads high, The Unchosen Ones faced the camera again,” wrote Jennifer Brooks in her article, “New book celebrates Minnesota kids who didn't win at the county fair” in the Star Tribune on November 27, 2021. She quoted several of the kids from the project, offering lessons on resillence. Thank you, Jennifer, for spending time sharing the project!
Kol and Annabell at the 2016 Anoka County Fair. From the upcoming book, “The Unchosen Ones,” by R. J. Kern.
Agweek feature and podcast interview
I enjoyed my conversation with Noah Fish at Agweek in his article, “New photo book highlights humanity of Minnesota's 4-H members,” published on November 27, 2021.
Photographer R.J. Kerns in 2020 visited Minnesota 4-H members who he previously had photographed in 2016 after their animals were not chosen at winners at county fairs.
5 Tips for Emerging Fine Art Photographers
Finding success in a single area of the photography industry is no small task. I sat down with writer Abby Ferguson one afternoon to share my five tips for emerging fine art photographers. A rising tide raises all ships, and this is my way I like to help other photographers succeed. READ IT HERE >>
ACP 2021 "Ones to Watch" Exhibition
Atlanta celebrates photography! “What We Known: ACP 2021 Ones to Watch,” exhibition at MINT gallery, curated by Mary Stanley in conjunction with the 2021 Atlanta Celebrates Photography Festival. Exhibition runs through November 6, 2021. Works for sale.
Special thanks to the gregarious, every loving Mary Stanley for the invitation to be apart of this experience.
