Photography Focus
In spite of the influencer times we are living in, where daily life is shared and documented by everyone with a phone, fine art photographers still have wide-reaching power to accessibly share viewpoints and realities through images that, not long ago, were not even considered art. A handful of photo-centric exhibitions take place this season amidst some big milestones and news. –CGN
Nelson W. Armour, Teaching #2
Perspective Photo Gallery in Evanston presents Teaching, Nelson W. Armour’s ode to the challenges, triumphs, hard work and effort of classroom teachers. This photographic essay resulted from a two-year residency with Artists in the Public Schools, formerly CPSLives. On view Apr 2-May 3. Opening: Sa, Apr 4, 5–7pm
Widline Cadet (Haitian, b. 1992), Seremoni Disparisyon #1 (Ritual [Dis]Appearance #1), 2019. Inkjet print. 20 × 16 in. (50.8 × 40.64 cm). Collection of Anne-Laure Lemaitre © Widline Cadet
Currents 40: Widline Cadet is the first solo museum exhibition in the U.S. by artist Widline Cadet and the first full presentation of her nearly decade-long project Seremoni Disparisyon (Ritual [Dis]Appearance). Coming to the Milwaukee Art Museum the exhibition is both a defining moment in Cadet’s career and a major contribution to contemporary photography and media-based art Cadet explores Black diasporic life through themes of migration, memory, absence, and belonging in her photography, video, and installation. On view May 8–Aug 9
Dan Tamarkin at Tamarkin Camera
Tamarkin Camera has been a family business since 1971, and it was Dan Tamarkin who took over the oldest Leica dealership in the U.S. in 2010 and moved Tamarkin Camera to Chicago. An authorized Leica Camera and Sport Optics dealer, today Dan also runs Rangefinder Gallery in River North, which showcases images made with the legendary Leica M.
Dan sometimes offers neighborhood walking tours, and you can bring or borrow a Leica to take photos. And while you can visit Tamarkin Camera online, Dan says he doesn’t have an e-commerce site, since he prefers to talk to customers and fellow Leicaphiles face-to-face. The German-made Leica has endured as a coveted and collectible brand, and there is much to talk about and admire in-person. Don’t miss Dan’s alter-ego on Instagram @bosco_arnack
tamarkin.com • (800) BUY-LEICA
Raul Corrales, Maria and Mario. Dos Fotografos, Dos Epocas, Dos Estados, 1980. 2006:296
The Museum of Contemporary Photography turns 50 in 2026. Since opening in 1976 and initiating collecting in 1979, the MoCP has acquired over 18,000 objects by more than 2,000 artists. The variety of work collected has allowed the museum to engage in conversations across political, social, and cultural landscapes.
The milestone exhibition MoCP at Fifty examines the evolving practice of building a dynamic collection that reflects on the role of cultural institutions in shaping the photographic canon. • Thru May 16
Photo by Nolis Anderson
Newly open in Chicago is the Leica Store and Gallery Chicago, the newest addition to Leica’s global network of corporate-owned stores. Situated on Michigan Avenue near the historic Water Tower, the flagship location aims be a space where visitors and tourists will find rotating gallery exhibitions showcasing established and emerging artists as well as workshops and educational programs offered through the Leica Akademie. The Leica gallery in Chicago is directed by Lucas Zenk, who previously worked at Stephen Daiter Gallery in River North for 20 years.
