July 7th Exhibition
WE:AMEricans
Opening July 7th from 6 pm to 9 pm and on view to August 7th, 2016
What is to be an American and who is an American? Who has the rights and true
values to be considered an American? Does one's skin color, social strata, wealth,
power, religious or political views make one more American or not?
Since the election of President Barrack Obama in 2008 up to this current political
climate our vales and true identity as Americans has been put under scrutiny
and the political discourse has become harsher.
WE:AMEricans explores who we truly are as Americans and will feature people and
places from all walks of life from this great nation currently challenged by a climate
of racism, anger, political tensions, the highest income and social inequality,
xenophobia, homophobia, misogyny, police brutality and terrorism.
WE:AMEricans shows how artists are examining and documenting the country
and it's people at this time of dramatic transformation and upheaval.
Natal-San Miguel has invited the following well known photographers/artists to anchor
the WE:AMEricans exhibition:
Amy Arbus, John Arsenault -Swaider, Nina Berman, Michael Buhler-Rose, Amy Elkins,
Jon Feinstein, Thomas Holton, Dave Jordano, Dina Kantor, Gillian Laub, Miles Ladin,
Shane Lavalette, Ruben Natal-San Miguel , Catherine Opie , Mark Peterson ,
Justine Reyes, Alec Soth, Zoe Strauss and Betty Tompkins.
We are delighted to announce the juried photographers selected for WE:AMEricans:
Lewis Ableidinger, Luis Alves Collage, Susan Anthony, Anita Arliss, Zsolt Bátori,
Chris Bentley, BIBIANA, Christopher Borrok, Joan Lobis Brown, Travis Brown,
Ruthie Brownfield, Daphne Chan, Michelle Cheikin, Tomato Davis, Devin Delano,
Robert DeRosa, Leah DeVun, Virgil DiBiase, Nina Weinberg Doran, Melissa Eder,
Shāna Einhorn, Lola Flash, Laura Glabman, Orestes Gonzalez, Lauren Grabelle,
Anna Grevenitis, Lori Grinker, Stephan Jahanshahi, Susan Rosenberg Jones,
Mark Kalan, Danielle Kelly, Rita Koehler, Honey Lazar, Beth Maier, Sean Mankiw, Marc McAndrews,
Maggie Meiners, Ned&ShivaProductions, Nancy Oliveri, Lissa Rivera, Valery Rizzo,
Russ Rowland, Adriana C. Sánchez, Luis Sanchez, John Sanderson, Matthew Schenning,
Nancy Seisel, Ken Shung, Savannah Spirit, Allison Stewart, David Sweet, Marilyn Szabo,
Susan May Tell, Larry Torno, Ian Trask, Cindy Trinh, Sandra Chen Weinstein, Lauren Welles,
Wendy Whitesell and Charlyn Zlotnik.
Natal-San Miguel dedicates the WE:AMEricans exhibition to the memory of his neighbor, friend, community leader and fellow photographer Michael Lancaster who lived in Harlem for sixty years. Michael was born in 1954 and passed away this year in 2016. It was a great honor to know him and he was a true American.
Curator Bios:
Ruben Natal-San Miguel - Photographer, Curator and Consultant
Ruben Natal-San Miguel is an American photographer, writer, photography
specialist, critic, consultant and curator. His work has been shown nationally and internationally at Asya Geisberg Gallery, New York; Finch & Ada, New York; Kris Graves Projects, Hous Projects,
New York and Los Angeles, University of Washington, Seattle; Art in FLUX Harlem, Picture Black
Friday 2009 and 2011, A Decade of Photographs 2000-2011, The New York Public Library 2010 -2014,
Karyn Mannix Contemporary, SCOPE NYC, Agua Art Fair During Miami Art Basel,
PULSE NYC,Art Chicago,Zona MAco, Mexico City, Photo LA, Phillips Auction House,
SoHo Photo Gallery, Castell Photo Gallery, EnFoCo, Athens Photo Festival, Rush
Arts Foundation Gallery and The First Triennial of Photography at Alice Austen Museum House.
His photography and curated shows has been published in several publications among
New York Magazine, The Huffington Post, L Magazine, ARTnet, American Suburb X,
The Bushwick Daily, Time OUT NY, The Atlantic, Aperture Foundation, Daily News,
Wink Magazine, Urban Italy Magazine, The New York Times, Daily Mail UK, Slate Magazine,
Flavorwire, L'Oeil de la Photograhie, Elizabeth Avedon Blog, Humble Arts Foundation, DNA info,
Feature Shoot, Lenscratch, NPR, MTV.com, Ebony.com, La Remezcla, Paddle 8, Artsy,
French Photo and The New Yorker. In 2011, he won the
Photo District News Magazine Portrait competition.
Ruben Natal-San Miguel holds a Bachelor and Master Degree in Architecture from
Boston Architectural College and Finance and Business Administration from Boston
University. He works and lives in Manhattan where after 23 years he continues to
live "La Vida Loca."
Leah Oates - Founder and Gallery Director of Station Independent Projects Gallery
Leah Oates is the founder of Station Independent Projects, a Lower East Side gallery
in NYC that opened in September 2012.
Prior to opening Station Independent Projects, Oates curated exhibitions in the New
York City area with The Pulse Art Fair, The Scope Art Fair, The Bridge Art Fair, The
Center for Photography at Woodstock, Asya Geisberg Gallery, Chashama, Artists
Space, Nurture Art and The Kauffman Arcade Gallery and in the Chicago area at
Randolph Street Gallery, The Peace Museum and The Noyes Cultural Arts Center.
Projects organized by Station Independent Projects have been written about in Fanzine,
WNYC, The Brooklyn Rail, Crain's NYC, The Village Voice, NY Arts Magazine, Artefuse,
Chromogram, Heart as Arena, Tribeca Tribune, New Art Examiner, The Chicago Tribune,
New City, Blouin Art Info, Artforum, Collector Daily, Bedford and Bowery, Lid Magazine,
French Photo, I-Ref Magazine, Sleek Magazine, Musee Magazine, Slate, Photo
District News, Women's Wear Daily, The Tory Burch Culture Blog
and Le Journal de Photographie.
Oates received a B.F.A. from The Rhode Island School of Design and an M.F.A.
from The School of the Art Institute of Chicago. She was awarded a Fulbright
Fellowship for Post- Graduate study at Edinburgh College of Art in Scotland.
Oates has had numerous solo and group shows of her work in NYC, nationally
and internationally.