The Rust Belt Biennial is looking for new photography made in the region.

The United States’ Rust Belt holds an often overlooked place in American history. Once known as a bastion for steel production, industry in the collection of Northeast cities has been in decline since the 1980s. Once thriving cities have been impacted by economic downturn from technological shifts and companies moving business and production overseas. As one might expect, it’s been a pivotal area during election periods when candidates attempt to reach its disenfranchised, yet voting-heavy population.

Seeing its unique position in American history, curators Niko J. Kallianiotis, Dana Stirling and Yoav Friedlander came up with the idea of hosting a biennial for photography made in the region. The exhibition opens in August at Wilkes University’s Sordoni Art Gallery in two parts: one part artists who have been invited to participate, and an open call juried by photographer Andrew Moore, with a deadline coming up on June 28th.

I emailed with Stirling, Kallianiotis and Friedlander to learn more. We’ve included some of the pre-selected images of the region to give folks a sense of what to expect (and maybe take a hint toward what the curators are looking for!)

Jon Feinstein in conversation with Niko J. Kallianiotis, Dana Stirling, and Yoav Friedlander 

Wisconsin photography exhibition highlights 10 Midwest photographers you need to know.

There's a rapidly-expiring misconception that in order to "make it" in the art and photography world, one has to live in New York City, London, Los Angeles or another dense metropolitan area. The most world-renowned museums, institutions and bluest of the blue-chip commercial galleries reside there alongside those who can afford to buy art and support artists' careers. The trope of the "art-world-hustle" is most commonly attributed to making it in New York City. In the United States specifically, with the exception of Chicago, there's often a "fly-over" attitude towards the Midwest.

For Wisconsin-born and raised producer, curator, founder of FlakPhoto and champion of all things photographic, Andy Adams, these assumptions – while first limiting – were not a problem, but an opportunity to fill a lack and make something new. Andy too, grew up thinking he'd need to make a pilgrimage to one of the coasts to find success but stayed put, using his various digitally-driven projects to build an influential community of photographers from around the world. This September, Adams narrows his focus to Midwest photographers with the exhibition at Madison Wisconsin's James Watrous Gallery aptly titled "New Midwest Photography." The show is a survey of 10 photographers living and working in Missouri, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Ohio. It's a broad range of approaches and subject matter, but what brings them all together is the photographers' blending of, in Adam's words "personal observation and regional knowledge to produce photography that reflects the contemporary American Midwest."

The exhibition opens September 7th and is on view through October 28.

I emailed Andy to learn more about what's fueling this exhibition and his larger curatorial practice.

Jon Feinstein in conversation with Andy Adams

A New Photographic Biennial (and call for work) Looks to America's Rust Belt

Refreshing the Map: How Andy Adams is Changing the Perception of Contemporary Midwest American Photography