Exhibitions
John Gossage: The Pond
August 27, 2010 – January 17, 2011
Explore
- Watch the "Conversation with John Gossage" webcast here.
- Save-the-date to attend our exhibition-related programs
- Read news about the exhibition
- Buy the exhibition catalogue
John R. Gossage, Untitled, from the series The Pond, 1985, Smithsonian American Art Museum, Gift of anonymous donors © 1985, John Gossage
The installation of John Gossage: The Pond celebrates the recent gift to the museum of this remarkable photographic series and the re-issue of one of the most influential photography books of the past three decades. John Gossage (b. 1946) photographed a small, unnamed pond between Washington, D.C., and Queenstown, Maryland, between 1981 and 1985. The title was intended to recall Henry David Thoreau’s Walden, but Gossage advocated a more all-embracing view of the landscape, exploring the less idealized spaces that border America's cities and suburbs. Although many of the images in The Pond appear unruly or uncared for, Gossage found moments of grace and elegance in even the most mundane of places.
The complete portfolio of The Pond was acquired by the museum in 2007. This exhibition marks the first time the complete series of fifty-two gelatin silver prints has been on public display. Gossage lives and works in Washington, D.C. Toby Jurovics, curator of photography, is the curator of the installation.
The Pond, originally published in 1985, has been re-issued by Aperture. The new edition includes an introduction by Toby Jurovics and an essay by photo historian Gerry Badger. It is available in the museum's store ($65 hardcover) and online.
Listen to a podcast, produced by the Aperture Foundation, with John Gossage and Gerry Badger.
Credit
The Bernie Stadiem Endowment Fund provided support for the exhibition.
Free Public Programs
Thursday, October 14, 2010 at 7 p.m.; conversation with artist John Gossage and Curator Toby Jurovics
In the News
Washington City Paper, October 1, 2010, "A famous, ominous photo book benefits from the museum treatment by Louis Jacobson
The Washington Post, September 4, 2010, "Art review: John Gossage's 'The Pond' at Smithsonian American Art Museum" by Sarah Boxer
DCist, September 3, 2010, Interview with John Gossage by Pat Padua
Smithsonian magazine, August 26, 2010, "Around the Mall" blog, Interview with John Gossage
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