Thursday morning, TLF said "Bon Voyage" to 30 teens headed to Eastern North Carolina for the Vanishing Point photography and poetry "art exchange."

Since September, TLF has been working with students in Charlotte and in Currituck and Columbus Counties about the concept of the Road as an issue and a metaphor. Now the two groups of students will meet and create art that will be featured in an exhibition in January.

Click here to follow the kids' progress on their blog and to see the amazing work they have already created.

Special thanks to Eric Kleman and the rest of the Shutterfly family for rising early this morning for TLF's Vanishing Point student send-off. TLF also received a $10,000 check from the Shutterfly Foundation who has graciously supported TLF Outreach for two years in a row.

Check out Shutterfly online.

Dream of Life is a plunge into the philosophy and artistry of cult rocker Patti Smith. This portrait of the legendary singer, artist and poet explores themes of spirituality, history and self expression. Known as the godmother of punk, she emerged in the 1970s, galvanizing the music scene with her unique style of poetic rage, music and trademark swagger.

Dream of Life has received critical acclaim, and prizes from Sundance Film Festival, and film fests in Washington DC, Vienna, Milan, Berlin, Munich, Madrid, Seoul, Istanbul, etc.

PATTI SMITH: DREAM OF LIFE by Steve Sebring

Eight youth with parents in jail or prison spent a week working with filmmakers Melissa Mummert and Wonderworld Film and Video. The result is a series of powerful short films called Life Without about growing up with an incarcerated parent.

Mummert received an ASC Regional Artist Project Grant for this project. TLF is co-hosting this screening with The Center for Community Transitions.

LIFE WITHOUT: World Premiere of Short Films
Made by Charlotte Youth with Incarcerated Parents

Have you heard Dennis Kiel's tour yet? If not, you're missing out. Many groups have requested the curator-guided tour of Group f.64 and the Modernist Vision: Photographs by Ansel Adams, Edward Weston, Imogen Cunningham, Willard Van Dyke, and Brett Weston.

Enjoy this exhibition (made possible through Bank of America's Art in Our Communities Program) with TLF Chief Curator Dennis Kiel. Groups must be of 5 or more people; the tour is $10 per person. To schedule, contact Mr. Kiel directly at 704-804-7467.

GROUP f.64 AND THE MODERNIST VISION

Spend a relaxing afternoon looking at photographs and talking about photography with friends, photographers, and like-minded people.

For more information or directions to the gallery, call Curator Dennis Kiel at 704-804-7467. Limit your images to a reasonable number so everyone will have a chance to share their work.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON SALON

With the advent of cheaper, faster better digital cameras, the opportunity to document daily life is easier and more accessible.

Join Nanine Hartzenbusch, freelance photojournalist and professional photographer, for this engaging and interactive workshop. Students will learn about the history of photojournalism, how to view photos, and how to create a visual narrative/story.

The Photojournalist's Approach Telling Stories with Pictures: a Workshop by Nanine Hartzenbusch

Photo by Nanine Hartzenbusch

Known for their haunting and expressionist feel, Polaroid/Fuji transfers have been a popular, fun and creative source for photographers since their accidental discovery by a Polaroid lab technician in the 1960s. Similarly the Polaroid/Fuji emulsion lift, which separates the image from its base and allows it to be placed on different surfaces, can create beautiful and surprising results.

Get hands-on training of these methods with Lorraine Turi.

Photo Transfer Workshop Series with Lorraine Turi

Photo by Lorraine Turi

New York collectors Dorothy and Herbert Vogel, with the assistance of the National Gallery of Art, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Institute of Museum and Library Services, have launched a national gifts program entitled The Dorothy and Herbert Vogel Collection: Fifty Works for Fifty States. It is distributing 2,500 works from the Vogels' collection of contemporary art throughout the nation, with fifty works going to a selected art institution in each of the fifty states.

This exhibit will present the pieces donated to the Columbia Museum of Art. The 50 works are minimal and conceptual art, some of which also explore numerous directions of the post-minimalist period, including works of a figurative and expressionist nature.

See the Columbia Museum website for more details on the exhibit: www.columbiamuseum.org.

Limited enrollment for Jack Reznicki- A Photographer's Life: "If it doesn't talk, don't shoot it" sponsored by Midwest Photo Exchange & Epson.