John Sanderson (photographer)
John Sanderson is an American photographer and artist. Photographing natural and built environments, Sanderson's landscapes have been said to find beauty "in ostensibly unattractive subject matter".[1]
John Sanderson | |
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Sanderson in 2014 | |
Born | New York City | November 28, 1983
Occupation | Photographer |
Website | http://www.john-sanderson.com |
Early life and education
Born in New York City, Sanderson's earliest memories were road trips his family would take to see the steam railroads in northeastern Pennsylvania. Describing his earliest visual memories as "looking out the window and feeling fascinated by the landscapes going by..."[2] much of his work reflects on the value of landscapes as something independent of their intended use. Having received a degree in Political Science, his work is rooted in a cultural geography framework.[3] Sanderson was twice awarded a docent scholarship from the Center for Railroad Photography and Art.[4] His Railroad Landscapes were the subject of a solo exhibition at the New York Transit Museum from September 2014 – April 2016. He has photographed broadly since that time, including seven months in Carbon County, Wyoming during 2017.
Photographs
Sanderson is best known for his boldly printed color photographs made from large format film. While his early work was in black & white, a shift to color printing occurred after he began to photograph exclusively with the large format camera. He feels many of the subjects he works with demand color to bring them to life.[5] Transitioning to the large format camera enhanced his photographic process on many levels.[6] The subjects in his photographs range from the urban landscapes of New York City to the High Plains of Wyoming. Underpinning his work is a passion for architectural design.[7]
Sanderson's photographs are captured outdoors, where he feels most creative.[8] His early photographs documented the industrial landscapes across his native Northeastern United States.[9] Sanderson began to expand his photographic investigation into the broader American landscape in 2009. It was during this trip through the American Midwest when he made the pivotal photograph Steel Mill and Houses, Lackawanna, New York. This work began to the explore a counterpoint between the documentary and poetic mode within a single photograph. Sanderson began photographing the American West in 2015 and returned to Wyoming in 2017 where he spent seven months photographing the Carbon County project.
- John Sanderson, Steel Mill and Houses, Lackawanna, New York (2009)
Publications
- Carbon County Folio Box and Booklet, Zatara Press, 2019
- After Promontory: 150 Years of Transcontinental Railroading, Indiana University Press, 2019
- Issue 4 – John Sanderson: National Character Monograph, Subjectively, Objective, 2018
Exhibitions
SOLO EXHIBITIONS
- April 30 – July 25, 2020 (forthcoming) John Sanderson – The Master Gallery, New York, NY
- January 30, 2017 – February 24, 2017 – American Traditions – Orange Coast College, Costa Mesa, CA
- September 13, 2014 – April 29, 2016 – Railroad Landscapes – New York Transit Museum, Brooklyn, NY
- April 8–10, 2016 – CRPA Exhibition: Railroad Landscapes, Glen Rowan House, Lake Forest, IL
- September 15 – October 22, 2011 – The High Iron: Northeast Railroad Landscapes – Ten43 Gallery, New York, NY
GROUP EXHIBITIONS
2019
- Rust Belt Biennial, Sordoni Gallery, Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, 2019
- After Promontory: 150 Years of Transcontinental Railroading, BYU Art Museum, Provo, Utah, 2019
2018
- Built in the Hudson Valley, Calvert Vaux Preservation Alliance at Morton Memorial Library, Rhinecliff, NY, 2018
- Negative Space III Exhibition, Brooklyn Grain, New York City, 2018
- The Vernacular of Landscape Exhibition, Usagi Gallery, Brooklyn, NY, 2018
- So Far Exhibition, Landskrona Festival, 2018
- American Splendour: New Photography, Ilon Art Gallery, 2018
2017
- LifeFramer Awards Touring Exhibitions
- ●NYC – ClampArt, April 4–7
- ●Tokyo – RPS Gallery, May 1–9
- ●Rome – Officine Fotografiche, May 18–31
- New York Transit Museum – 7 Line Subway Exhibition (forthcoming – Summer 2017)
- Royal Photographic Society Touring Exhibition, United Kingdom
- Red: SE Center for Photography, Greenville, SC, February 3–28
2016
- Royal Photographic Society Touring Exhibition, United Kingdom
- Structures: LoosenArt LAB-A Gallery, 52 Cagliari, Italy, October 1–10
- Man in the Landscape: PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, VT, October 5–28
- Tell Me a Story, The B Complex Gallery, Atlanta, GA, October 5–18
- WE: AMEricans: Station Independent Projects, New York, NY, July 7 – August 7
- Imagined Realities: PhotoPlace Gallery, Middlebury, VT, July 6 – August 5
- Dada Lives!: University of Cincinnati Blue Ash Gallery, Blue Ash, OH, April 25 – June 36
- Art Now 2016: Photography 2016 – Ann Arbor Art Center, Ann Arbor, MI, April 1 – May 14
2008 – 2015
- All Aboard! Railroads & The Historic Landscapes They Travel – Monmouth Museum, Lincroft NJ
- Joy Wai Gallery Art Talks (curated by Joy Wai and Montgomery Taylor) – United Nations Plaza, New York, NY
- Annual RxArt Auction, Milk Studios, New York, NY
- Hope, Change, Progress: Art Focus for America, New York, NY
Selected Press
- PDN Magazine: Why Large Format Film is Essential to my Work
- Lenscratch Photography Daily: Carbon County by John Sanderson
- Float Magazine: Interview with John Sanderson
- Trackside Photographer: Interview with John Sanderson
- BBC News, In Pictures: Empty Railroads of America
- Oxford American – Eyes on the South: The Counterpoint
- LoosenArt Interview & Gallery
- Humble Arts Foundation; group show 50: ‘Roid Rage
- NBC News Interview; Railroad Landscapes Exhibition at New York Transit Museum
- Wall Street Journal – The Urban Gardner – Riding the Rails, Without Seeing a Train
- Il Post – Un treno chiamato desiderio – Il mito e i panorami delle ferrovie americane raccontate nelle immagini di un fotografo di New York
- Stars & Stripes: The American Flag in Contemporary Art, E. Ashley Rooney & Stephanie Standish
- SLATE Magazine Behold – The Hidden Beauty of American Train Travel
- Feature Shoot Recommends: Top 10 Photo Events in New York
- TransitTransit News; Railroad Landscapes Exhibition at New York Transit Museum
- Gizmodo REFRAME – Beautiful Lonely Railroads Winding Through America's Landscape
- Fraction Magazine – Issue 74 – May 2015 – The Seventh Anniversary Issue
- Peter Nitsch – get ADDICTED to – Railroad Landscapes By John Sanderson
- All About Photo – John Sanderson
- Beautiful Photos of Railroad Landscapes Coming to Transit Museum
- These Photos Will Make You Pine For Long Train Rides On The MTA
- TRAINS Magazine "Beyond the train: One scholarship helps artist add Midwest rail art to his New York portfolio" by John Sanderson
- Willson Cummer, New Photography, November 18, 2013
References
- Gardner, Ralph. "Riding the Rails, Without Seeing a Train". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved July 21, 2015.
- Rosenberg, David. "The Hidden Beauty of American Train Travel". Slate BEHOLD.
- http://www.railphoto-art.org/railroad-heritage-47/
- http://www.railphoto-art.org/scholarship-winners-announced/
- "John Sanderson". LoosenArt. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
- "Trackside Interview No. 6 John Sanderson". The Trackside Photographer. January 17, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
- "Interview with John Sanderson". FLOAT. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
- "Carbon County Folio Box with Booklet | Zatara Press | A Unique Photobook Publisher". Zatara Press. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
- "Interview with John Sanderson". FLOAT. Retrieved September 5, 2019.