Filter Photo is pleased to announce Context 2021, our annual spring open call for photography-based work juried by Juli Lowe, Director of the Catherine Edelman Gallery.

On view at Filter Space March 26th through May 1st. A juror’s choice award and an honorable mention will be announced at the opening reception on March 26th.

“Context 2021 is a reflection of our time: intense, challenging, deliberate, and self-reflective. The photographs featured in this exhibition contemplate life during a pandemic, family heritage, and intimacy while offering hope through community. The images reconstruct traumatic childhood memories and search for identity and belonging within a new culture. Others examine human interaction and the power of touch as well as complex family lineages. They explore challenges within parenthood; the anxieties and fears for our children’s well-being and safety. They speak to the Black American experience and unveil the nuanced effects of our global climate crisis. Context 2021 shows a vast array of photographic practices that reveal the common bonds that tie us all together.

I’d like to thank Filter Photo, Jennifer Murray, Jeff Phillips and all the applicants. This process proves there is so much exciting work being made and I encourage all of the artists to keep pushing boundaries and sharing your work with the world. We need your voices!”

– Juli Lowe

​

Participating Artists: Kalee Appleton, Bremner Benedict, Cody Bratt, Shawn Bush, Elizabeth Claffey, Julianne Clark, Isabella Convertino, Eli Craven, Michael Darough, Jorge Escobar, Leslie Fry, Allison Grant, Kayla Holdgreve, Emma Hopson, Ethan Jones, Tehan Ketema, Jiatong Lu, Noelle McCleaf, Jenny Rafalson, Astrid Reischwitz, Rosalie Rosenthal, Krista Svalbonas, Stephanie Taiber, Rashod Taylor, Anthony Vizzari, Sara J. Winston, Iris Wu, Connor Young, Jiawei Zhao, Lilia Ziamou

Image Credit: Allison Grant

Juli Lowe was named the Director of the Catherine Edelman Gallery in 2015. She was hired five years prior as the Assistant Director and within a few years, Lowe helped implement new initiatives including, Ctrl+P: Photography Taken Offline, now is in its ninth year; Art Mixer, special events that engage younger collector groups; and several of the gallery’s web series including, Chat Room, Hot Off the Press and Work From Home: Inside the Artist’s Studio. She also oversees The Chicago Project (an online gallery started in 2003 to promote unrepresented photographers in the Chicagoland area) and has promoted the work of these emerging photographers through exhibitions, acquisitions by private and public collections and press outlets. In 2020, Lowe curated New Formations, an exhibition that featured work by four emerging artists who use the photograph as material to construct a new visual language.

As an instructor for VVrkshop.art, Lowe leads courses about pricing artwork and the fine art market. Lowe is an advisory board member for the Arnold Newman Prize, is on the review committee for proposals for the exhibition calendar (2020+2021) at Filter Space and has juried several photography competitions including The Arnold Newman Prize for New Directions in Photographic Portraiture, All About Photo Awards 2020 ‘The Mind’s Eye’ and Lens 2016 International Juried Photography Exhibition.

Lowe travels extensively for the Catherine Edelman Gallery, attending and participating in art fairs throughout the United States and internationally, constantly engaging in the conversation and education of photography. With a background in photography, Juli previously worked at The Maine Media Workshops and as a producer for print and television campaigns.

​​

Exhibition Dates: March 26 – May 1, 2021

Opening Reception: March 26, 6 – 9 pm CT
Location: Filter Space | 1821 W. Hubbard St., Ste. 207

Gallery Hours: Monday – Friday | 11 am – 5 pm, Saturday | 12 – 4 pm

Official Website

More events on this date

Tags: Allison Grant, Anthony Vizzari, Astrid Reischwitz, Bremner Benedict, Chicago, Cody Bratt, Connor Young, Context 2021, Eli Craven, Elizabeth Claffey, Emma Hopson, Ethan Jones, Filter Photo, Iris Wu, Isabella Convertino, Jenny Rafalson, Jiatong Lu, Jiawei Zhao, Jorge Escobar, Juli Lowe, Julianne Clark, Kalee Appleton, Kayla Holdgreve, Krista Svalbonas, Leslie Fry, Lilia Ziamou, Michael Darough, near west side, Noelle McCleaf, Rashod Taylor, Rosalie Rosenthal, Sara J. Winston, Shawn Bush, Stephanie Taiber, Tehan Ketema