Photographer Photographed

Oakland-based photographer Mo Saito has a gift for portraiture. His work is varied and has been published far and wide, but he’s best known for his canine photography. Recently, I got wind that he was doing an artist portraiture project, and I volunteered to serve as a subject.

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Oakland-based photographer Mo Saito has a gift for portraiture. His work is varied and has been published far and wide, but he's best known for his canine photography. Recently, I got wind that he was doing an artist portraiture project, and I volunteered to serve as a subject.

We met on a rainy wintery afternoon in my studio. I had my toddler in tow, and the lighting was terrible. But we had a lovely meeting, during which I told him a bit about my work and studio practice. Afterwards, Mo suggested that we do a three generational shoot with my mother-and-often-muse at his place. On a gentle spring morning in the Bay Area sun, we did a breezy photo session. His style was calm, confident, and supportive. I think the photos are beautiful, and I see something new each time I revisit them.

Many thanks to Mo for lending us his skillful gaze and gifting us with these images.

Please check out Mo Saito's work here >

Photographer: Mo Saito

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Ghost Town Farm Harvest

On a recent beautiful Saturday, Novella Carpenter hosted the last Open Farm Day at her West Oakland Ghost Town Farm.

On a recent beautiful Saturday, Novella Carpenter hosted the last Open Farm Day at her West Oakland Ghost Town Farm.

There were pumpkins, tomatoes, kale plants, honey, t-shirts, and books for sale.  There was a honey extraction tutorial and a round of lemonade made with the Farm's honey. A lovely time was had by all!

Here is a selection of photos from the Farm: first its opulent August incarnation, then its autumn harvest expression.

AUGUST @ GTF


OCTOBER @ GTF


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New exhibit on children's literature: Wardrobes and Rabbit Holes

Now showing at Cornell Library’s Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections.

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Showing at Cornell Library's Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections...

Wardrobes and Rabbit Holes: A Dark History of Children's Literature.
November 7, 2012 - March 22, 2013

It promises to be a spectacular exhibit and opens with a lecture by author M.T. Anderson!

Enormous congrats to former colleagues (and always friends) Eisha Prather and Fredrika Loew. It was a privilege to serve as your AC.

More details on my work with RMC here.

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Now Showing: Italo in Ithaca

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Gimme! Coffee
430 North Cayuga Street
Ithaca, NY 14850

A series of excursions intended to document an overlooked present and a past not told, “…but [contained] like the lines of a hand, written in the corners of the streets, the gratings of the windows, the banisters of the steps…”, this project is an exploration of the narratives embedded beneath the surface of Ithaca, New York.

Photography by Jillian Piccirilli / Writing by Mary Thomas

Now with a new website: www.italoinithaca.com

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Italo in Ithaca: Deterra

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Mary Thomas and Jillian Piccirilli launch the blog Italo in Ithaca.

A series of excursions intended to document an overlooked present and a past not told, "...but [contained] like the lines of a hand, written in the corners of the streets, the gratings of the windows, the banisters of the steps...", this project is an exploration of the narratives embedded beneath the surface of Ithaca, New York.  Inspired by Italo Calvino's Invisible Cities.

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Transcript of the Paws Family

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Announcing...
Transcript of the Paws Family: A Correspondence Between Two Sisters

This transcript of The Paws Family story has been published in conjunction with the show The Paws Family through Exhibition, Cornell University, Spring 2008. A rich and engaging field notebook accompaniment to the family's art and living artifacts featured in the show, this correspondence stands as the seminal text for the exhibit.

Available for $10.

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