Nubar Alexanian
Encyclopedia
Nubar Alexanian is a documentary photographer whose worked has been featured in major magazines in the United States and Europe including The New York Times Magazine
, Life
, Fortune
, GEO
, Time
and Newsweek
. For the past 35 years he has travelled to more than 30 countries focusing on long term personal projects which describe the human condition. In 2008 he completed his fifth book, "NONFICTION" PHOTOGRAPHS BY NUBAR ALEXANIAN FROM THE FILM SETS OF ERROL MORRIS, (Walker Creek Press) a 15 year collaboration with filmmaker Errol Morris
. Solo exhibitions of this work have been shown at The Walker Art Center
, The Corcoran Gallery of Art
, Caren Golden Fine Art Gallery (NYC) The Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, The LOOK3 Festival, and Clark University
.
, and grew up speaking Armenian with his grandfather who lived in the apartment upstairs, only learning English upon entering elementary school.
Alexanian was the first in his family to go to college. He attended Boston University
for two years in the thick of the anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, and it was then that he first began taking pictures in an effort to understand and describe what he saw. Alexanian explains, "a camera gives you the license to do almost anything. I picked up a camera as a way of getting closer to what was happening in Boston during that era." http://www.nubar.com/ He describes "the power of photography" as an act of witness: a way to observe the world up close, in a personal way. When describing himself as a student and a budding photographer in a competitive field, Alexanian credits growing up in a working class family with giving him the motivation and work ethic to succeed as a photographer.
After two years at BU, Alexanian took time off to attend and teach at the New England School of Photography
. He then left photography school and later became a member of the first class in the University Without Walls program at the University of Massachusetts, where he got credit for teaching at the New England School of Photography from 1973-1974. He graduated in 1974 with a BA in Liberal Arts.
(1973–1975), in 1975 Alexanian co-founded the Essex Photographic Workshop, one of the first residential photographic programs in the country, located in Essex, Massachusetts. He since has conducted workshops and given lectures all over the world, including the ICP in New York and the Gaudí School of Photography in Peru
. More recently, Alexanian has facilitated critique groups in the Boston area for photographers who are working on long-term personal projects.
In 1996 Alexanian published his first major color project, the book Where Music Comes From. This work, five years in the making, documents the creative processes of twenty-five musicians including Wynton Marsalis
, Philip Glass
, Emmylou Harris
, and Paul Simon
, among others.
After traveling extensively for Stones in the Road and Where Music Comes from, Alexanian turned toward his own town: Gloucester, Massachusetts. His book, Gloucester Photographs, depicts the town he knows and loves so well, making this work both documentary and autobiographical.
In 2002, in collaboration with Wynton Marsalis, Alexanian published JAZZ, a collection of images and quotations that illustrate the musical conversation between Marsalis and his audience.
In 2005, Alexanian shot fifty portraits for the best selling book This I Believe
, which also aired as a radio series on National Public Radio from 2005-2007.
Alexanian recently completed his fifth book, NONFICTION Photographs by Nubar Alexanian from the Film Sets of Errol Morris
, released in the spring of 2008. This work is a long-term collaboration with Errol Morris, comprising stills from the sets of Fast, Cheap and Out of Control, Mr. Death, and Standard Operating Procedure, among others.
and hearing loss, produced by Nubar Alexanian and Abby Alexanian, with Jay Allison
. Aired in February 2004 on This American Life
.
The New York Times Magazine
The New York Times Magazine is a Sunday magazine supplement included with the Sunday edition of The New York Times. It is host to feature articles longer than those typically in the newspaper and has attracted many notable contributors...
, Life
Life (magazine)
Life generally refers to three American magazines:*A humor and general interest magazine published from 1883 to 1936. Time founder Henry Luce bought the magazine in 1936 solely so that he could acquire the rights to its name....
, Fortune
Fortune (magazine)
Fortune is a global business magazine published by Time Inc. Founded by Henry Luce in 1930, the publishing business, consisting of Time, Life, Fortune, and Sports Illustrated, grew to become Time Warner. In turn, AOL grew as it acquired Time Warner in 2000 when Time Warner was the world's largest...
, GEO
GEO (magazine)
GEO is a family of educational monthly magazines similar to the National Geographic magazine. It is known for its profound reports, which are accompanied by opulent pictures.The first edition appeared in Germany in 1976...
, Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
and Newsweek
Newsweek
Newsweek is an American weekly news magazine published in New York City. It is distributed throughout the United States and internationally. It is the second-largest news weekly magazine in the U.S., having trailed Time in circulation and advertising revenue for most of its existence...
. For the past 35 years he has travelled to more than 30 countries focusing on long term personal projects which describe the human condition. In 2008 he completed his fifth book, "NONFICTION" PHOTOGRAPHS BY NUBAR ALEXANIAN FROM THE FILM SETS OF ERROL MORRIS, (Walker Creek Press) a 15 year collaboration with filmmaker Errol Morris
Errol Morris
Errol Mark Morris is an American director. In 2003, The Guardian put him seventh in its list of the world's 40 best directors. Also in 2003, his film The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Early life and...
. Solo exhibitions of this work have been shown at The Walker Art Center
Walker Art Center
The Walker Art Center is a contemporary art center in Minneapolis, Minnesota, United States. The Walker is considered one of the nation's "big five" museums for modern art along with the Museum of Modern Art, the San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, the Guggenheim Museum and the Hirshhorn...
, The Corcoran Gallery of Art
Corcoran Gallery of Art
The Corcoran Gallery of Art is the largest privately supported cultural institution in Washington, DC. The museum's main focus is American art. The permanent collection includes works by Rembrandt, Eugène Delacroix, Edgar Degas, Thomas Gainsborough, John Singer Sargent, Claude Monet, Pablo...
, Caren Golden Fine Art Gallery (NYC) The Atlanta Contemporary Art Center, The LOOK3 Festival, and Clark University
Clark University
Clark University is a private research university and liberal arts college in Worcester, Massachusetts.Founded in 1887, it is the oldest educational institution founded as an all-graduate university. Clark now also educates undergraduates...
.
Early life and education
Nubar Alexanian was born in 1950 in Worcester, Massachusetts. He was the second of four children and was prized as the first son in an orthodox Armenian family. He was the grandson of survivors of the Armenian GenocideArmenian Genocide
The Armenian Genocide—also known as the Armenian Holocaust, the Armenian Massacres and, by Armenians, as the Great Crime—refers to the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I...
, and grew up speaking Armenian with his grandfather who lived in the apartment upstairs, only learning English upon entering elementary school.
Alexanian was the first in his family to go to college. He attended Boston University
Boston University
Boston University is a private research university located in Boston, Massachusetts. With more than 4,000 faculty members and more than 31,000 students, Boston University is one of the largest private universities in the United States and one of Boston's largest employers...
for two years in the thick of the anti-Vietnam War demonstrations, and it was then that he first began taking pictures in an effort to understand and describe what he saw. Alexanian explains, "a camera gives you the license to do almost anything. I picked up a camera as a way of getting closer to what was happening in Boston during that era." http://www.nubar.com/ He describes "the power of photography" as an act of witness: a way to observe the world up close, in a personal way. When describing himself as a student and a budding photographer in a competitive field, Alexanian credits growing up in a working class family with giving him the motivation and work ethic to succeed as a photographer.
After two years at BU, Alexanian took time off to attend and teach at the New England School of Photography
New England School of Photography
The New England School of Photography is a professional photography school located in Kenmore Square, Boston, Massachusetts. NESOP has approximately 150 full time students in its two-year Professional Photography Program, which offers a comprehensive education in the art, technique and business of...
. He then left photography school and later became a member of the first class in the University Without Walls program at the University of Massachusetts, where he got credit for teaching at the New England School of Photography from 1973-1974. He graduated in 1974 with a BA in Liberal Arts.
Teaching
After his time as an instructor at the Art Institute of Boston (1972–1974) and at the New England School of PhotographyNew England School of Photography
The New England School of Photography is a professional photography school located in Kenmore Square, Boston, Massachusetts. NESOP has approximately 150 full time students in its two-year Professional Photography Program, which offers a comprehensive education in the art, technique and business of...
(1973–1975), in 1975 Alexanian co-founded the Essex Photographic Workshop, one of the first residential photographic programs in the country, located in Essex, Massachusetts. He since has conducted workshops and given lectures all over the world, including the ICP in New York and the Gaudí School of Photography in Peru
Peru
Peru , officially the Republic of Peru , is a country in western South America. It is bordered on the north by Ecuador and Colombia, on the east by Brazil, on the southeast by Bolivia, on the south by Chile, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean....
. More recently, Alexanian has facilitated critique groups in the Boston area for photographers who are working on long-term personal projects.
Books
Alexanian's first trip out of the country was to Peru in 1974. From 1978 to 1989 he traveled extensively to Peru documenting the life and culture of the [Andean] people. He received a Fulbright Artist Fellowship in 1983 to continue his work in Peru, allowing him to live and work there for six months. The culmination of this work, Stones in the Road: Photographs of Peru, documents the migration of the Andean culture from the mountains to the shanty towns in and around Lima, one of the many tragedies caused by civil war and a growing illegal drug industry.In 1996 Alexanian published his first major color project, the book Where Music Comes From. This work, five years in the making, documents the creative processes of twenty-five musicians including Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Marsalis
Wynton Learson Marsalis is a trumpeter, composer, bandleader, music educator, and Artistic Director of Jazz at Lincoln Center. Marsalis has promoted the appreciation of classical and jazz music often to young audiences...
, Philip Glass
Philip Glass
Philip Glass is an American composer. He is considered to be one of the most influential composers of the late 20th century and is widely acknowledged as a composer who has brought art music to the public .His music is often described as minimalist, along with...
, Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris
Emmylou Harris is an American singer-songwriter and musician. In addition to her work as a solo artist and bandleader, both as an interpreter of other composers' works and as a singer-songwriter, she is a sought-after backing vocalist and duet partner, working with numerous other artists including...
, and Paul Simon
Paul Simon
Paul Frederic Simon is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist.Simon is best known for his success, beginning in 1965, as part of the duo Simon & Garfunkel, with musical partner Art Garfunkel. Simon wrote most of the pair's songs, including three that reached number one on the US singles...
, among others.
After traveling extensively for Stones in the Road and Where Music Comes from, Alexanian turned toward his own town: Gloucester, Massachusetts. His book, Gloucester Photographs, depicts the town he knows and loves so well, making this work both documentary and autobiographical.
In 2002, in collaboration with Wynton Marsalis, Alexanian published JAZZ, a collection of images and quotations that illustrate the musical conversation between Marsalis and his audience.
In 2005, Alexanian shot fifty portraits for the best selling book This I Believe
This I Believe
This I Believe was a five-minute CBS Radio Network program hosted by journalist Edward R. Murrow from 1951 to 1955. A half-hour European version of This I Believe ran from 1956 to 1958 over Radio Luxembourg....
, which also aired as a radio series on National Public Radio from 2005-2007.
Alexanian recently completed his fifth book, NONFICTION Photographs by Nubar Alexanian from the Film Sets of Errol Morris
Errol Morris
Errol Mark Morris is an American director. In 2003, The Guardian put him seventh in its list of the world's 40 best directors. Also in 2003, his film The Fog of War: Eleven Lessons from the Life of Robert S. McNamara won the Academy Award for Best Documentary Feature.-Early life and...
, released in the spring of 2008. This work is a long-term collaboration with Errol Morris, comprising stills from the sets of Fast, Cheap and Out of Control, Mr. Death, and Standard Operating Procedure, among others.
Films
- The Professor of Swing, 1998, cinematic portrait of Wynton Marsalis, work in progress.
- The Clifford Ball, 1994, co-director of a documentary film about the band PhishPhishPhish is an American rock band noted for its musical improvisation, extended jams, and exploration of music across genres. Formed at the University of Vermont in 1983 , the band's four members – Trey Anastasio , Mike Gordon , Jon Fishman , and Page McConnell Phish is an American rock band...
that aired on MTV. 30 minutes. - Flamenco Shorts, 2004 Director & Director of Photography, shot in HD on sound stage in Halifax, Nova Scotia, four short films of flamenco performances.
- Flamenco Nuevo, 2007 Director & Director of Photography, four camera HD shoot in Spain about a flamenco troupe, 90 minutes.
Radio
Perfect Hearing, a radio documentary about tinnitusTinnitus
Tinnitus |ringing]]") is the perception of sound within the human ear in the absence of corresponding external sound.Tinnitus is not a disease, but a symptom that can result from a wide range of underlying causes: abnormally loud sounds in the ear canal for even the briefest period , ear...
and hearing loss, produced by Nubar Alexanian and Abby Alexanian, with Jay Allison
Jay Allison
Jay Allison is an American independent public radio producer and broadcast journalist. His work has been featured on radio programs such as This American Life, as well as National Public Radio's All Things Considered, and Morning Edition...
. Aired in February 2004 on This American Life
This American Life
This American Life is a weekly hour-long radio program produced by WBEZ and hosted by Ira Glass. It is distributed by Public Radio International on PRI affiliate stations and is also available as a free weekly podcast. Primarily a journalistic non-fiction program, it has also featured essays,...
.
Life Magazine
- Garth BrooksGarth BrooksTroyal Garth Brooks , best known as Garth Brooks, is an American country music artist who helped make country music a worldwide phenomenon. His eponymous first album was released in 1989 and peaked at number 2 in the US country album chart while climbing to number 13 on the Billboard 200 album chart...
, July 1992 - Wynton Marsalis, August 1993
- Paul Simon, November 1993
- Phish, May 1994
New York Times Magazine
- Coming Out Of Coma, a photo-essay about the thousands of people in the U.S. who go into comas each year and the care they receive. June 1982.
- A Passion For Peru, a photo-essay about life in Peru. November 1983.
- Mario Vargas Llosa, about Peruvian novelist running for president in Peru. November 1989.
- On The Verge, about Spanish filmmaker Pedro AlmodóvarPedro AlmodóvarPedro Almodóvar Caballero is a Spanish film director, screenwriter and producer.Almodóvar is arguably the most successful and internationally known Spanish filmmaker of his generation. His films, marked by complex narratives, employ the codes of melodrama and use elements of pop culture, popular...
. May 1990. - Hope and Heartbreak, about the maquiladora industry on the Mexican border. July 1990.
- Why Is America Failing Its Children? About impoverished children in America. September 1990.
- Unsettled, Unseen, Unspoken For, about a Puerto Rican community in a Yankee town. April 1991.
- Baseball's Angry Man, a profile of National League President Bill White. October 1991.
- A World Of Leaves, about The Yuqui Indians of Bolivia and the New Tribes Mission. February 1992.
Fortune Magazine
- The Rev Jessie Jackson, November 1982.
- The Brain, January 1983.
- The Mercantile Exchange, Chicago, September 1983.
- Weirton Steel Company, April 1985.
- Adnan Khashoggi, September 1985.
- Bill GatesBill GatesWilliam Henry "Bill" Gates III is an American business magnate, investor, philanthropist, and author. Gates is the former CEO and current chairman of Microsoft, the software company he founded with Paul Allen...
, MicrosoftMicrosoftMicrosoft Corporation is an American public multinational corporation headquartered in Redmond, Washington, USA that develops, manufactures, licenses, and supports a wide range of products and services predominantly related to computing through its various product divisions...
, July 1986.
Geo Magazine
- Steel Island, June 1983.
- Where The Fish Come First, February 1981.
- Premature Infants, June 1998.
One Person Shows
- 2008 May, Standard Operating Procedure, Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.
- 2008 May, Standard Operating Procedure, Caren Golden Fine Art, New York.
- 2008 March, Standard Operating Procedure, Walker Art Center, Minneapolis, Minnesota.
- 2007 October, Standard Operating Procedure, Atlanta Contemporary Art Center
- 2002 Retrospective, Panopticon Gallery
- 2001 November–January 2002 Cape Ann Museum, Main Gallery
- 1997 Leica Gallery, Two Person Show
- 1992-1993 Traveling exhibition of Photographs of Peru in England
- 1993 March, The Burden Gallery, Aperture Foundation New York
- 1993 May, Panopticon Gallery, Boston, Massachusetts
- 1992 March, Centro Cultural de l'Universidad de Arequippa, Peru
- 1992 August, Centro Cultural de la Municipalidad de Miraflores,Lima Peru
- 1992 November, Casa Cabrera, Cuzco, Peru.
- 1983 Nov. William Klein Gallery, Boston; World's Apart: Photographs of Peru
- 1978 Soho Gallery, New York (two man)
- 1976 University of Vermont (two man)
- 1973 Gallery One, New England School of Photography
- 1973 Panopticon Gallery, Boston
Group Shows
- 1972 Polaroid Collections Committee Show
- 1972 Photokina, West Germany
- 1972 Art Institute of Boston
- 1976 Addison Gallery of American ArtAddison Gallery of American ArtThe Addison Gallery of American Art, as a department of Phillips Academy, Andover, Massachusetts, is an academic museum dedicated to collecting American art...
, Massachusetts - 1978 University of Massachusetts Criticism of Photography Show
- 1998 Creative Center of Photography, Tucson, Arizona
- 2000 Into Our Prime: Acquisitions Since 1996, Center for Creative Photography, Tucson
- 2002 Panopticon Gallery
Collections
- Agfa Corporation Collection
- Bose Corporation Collection
- Cape Ann Historical Museum
- Polaroid Collection
- Carl Siembab Gallery Collection
- Panopticon Gallery
- Robert Klein Gallery
- University of Arizona Permanent Collection
- Bibliothèque Nacionale, France
- Numerous Private Collections
Awards and Grants
- 2004 Third Coast Festival Award, Perfect Hearing Best Radio Documentary Honorable Mention
- 2000 Gloucester Arts Council Grant
- 1999 Bruce J. Anderson Grant
- 1990 W. Eugene Smith Memorial Grant, Finalist
- 1984 Gold Medal Award, New York Film and Television Festival for photography
- 1983 Fulbright Artist Fellowship for photography in Peru
- 1982 Andy Award of Excellence, New York Art Director's Club
- 1983 Polaroid Instant Art Campaign: Annie Leibovitz, Nubar Alexanian, Pete Turner, David Bailey, & Sandy Fellman.
Articles About Nubar Alexanian
- 2008 May, A conversation with Nubar Alexanian
- 2001 December, North Shore Sunday, Arts Section
- 2001 December, Gloucester Daily Times Editorial
- 2001 November, The Boston Phoenix by Christopher Millis
- 2001 November, artsMedia Magazine by Taline Voskeritchian Featured Artist
- 2001 November, Boston Sunday Globe Arts Section by Haley Kaufman
- 2000 November, AIM Featured Artist
- 1996 American Photo, Where Music Comes From
- 1996 The Picture Professional, Where Music Comes From
- 1996 Mother Jones Hot Media, Where Music Comes From
- 1996 May, NPR, Weekend Edition with Liane Hansen interview/review of Where Music Comes From
- 1996 The British Journal of Photography, Where Music Comes From
- 1992 October, Boston Globe, review of Stones In The Road
- 1992 October, American Photo Magazine review of Stones In The Road.
- 1992 September, British Bulletin of Pub., review of Stones In The Road.
- 1992 September, Royal Photographic Society of England
- 1992 May, NPR, Weekend Edition, interview and review of Stones In The Road
- 1983 Boston Globe review of World's Apart Show
- 1981 April, Camera Magazine Portfolio: Hostage Parade NYC
- 1980 June, Diversions Magazine
- 1979 October, Portfolio Magazine
- 1978 March, Criticism of Photography Invitational Exhibition Catalogue
- 1975 April, Camera Magazine
- 1972 Boston Globe Review