28 MONTEREY COUNTY WEEKLY MAY 18-24, 2023 www.montereycountyweekly.com ART In the 1960s, Martha Casanave left Southern California and moved to Monterey to study Russian at the Monterey Institute of International Studies. She brought her camera with her. Nearly 60 years later, Casanave is being interviewed in her Pacific Grove apartment, legs curled up on the chair, windows open for a resort-like ocean view. There’s an oversized, saddled giraffe figure standing at the open window, studying the beach. But it’s not the stuffed animal that surprises in this setting but the colors—deep violet, full turquoise, one wall taken over by a big ceramic lizard. It is clear that this mistress of black-and-white photography enjoys color. “Black-and-white photography seems more evocative,” she says when asked about photographers’ love of black-and-white. “It’s one more step away from reality,” she tests another answer. Also: “Black-and-white photography makes you pay attention to the light.” There are currently two opportunities to explore Casanave’s work: First, Carmel’s Center for Photographic Art displays 60 pieces, drawing heavily from the iconic portraits published in book form as Trajectories, A Half Century of Portraits (2014). “Environmental portraiture,” Casanave labels the work. “People pictured in their own spaces.” But who are those people? First and foremost there are other artists, and then—since her interest in Russia never ceased—Russian and Jewish emigres in the U.S. There are also local icons— photos of and with Ansel Adams, a portrait of late psychiatrist Lotte Marcus with her husband, and a Hungarian friend from whom Casanave got a recipe for chicken paprikash. The second exhibit is at the Monterey Museum of Art. When MMA Director Cory Madden heard about the CPA exhibit featuring people, she suggested a concurrent one featuring places: Casanave’s two pinhole photography series called Explorations Along an Imaginary Coastline and Explorations Along an Urban Coastline. The first is an unforgettable series with a mysterious man in a 19th-century suit, staring at the crashing waves “as if in a storm could be found peace,” Casanave says, quoting the Russian writer Mikhail Lermontov. Martha Casanave: Explorations runs to Aug. 20 at Monterey Museum of Art, 559 Pacific St., Monterey. 3725477, montereyart.org. Martha Casanave: Fictions runs May 20-July 9 at Center for Photographic Art, San Carlos and 9th, Carmel. 625-5181, photography.org. DANIEL DRIEFUSS Two Sides of Martha Two exhibits present photography fans with a chance to immerse themselves in the work of Martha Casanave. By Agata Pop˛eda Photographer Martha Casanave sitting in her archives. The box in front of her is one of the pinhole cameras she uses at times. Black-and-white portraiture is her specialty. SUPERSTAR PETS PHOTO CONTEST GIVE US YOUR BEST SHOT! SPCA Monterey County’s Superstar Pets Photo Contest is now open! Enter your pet’s photo at spcamc.org/weekly and get a chance to win fabulous prizes. Public Involvement Opportunity The U.S. Navy is preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) to evaluate the potential environmental impacts associated with the proposed construction and operation of a Naval Innovation Center at the Naval Postgraduate School located at Naval Support Activity Monterey, California. A new Naval Innovation Center is needed to support rapid development of emerging technologies to meet current and future national security challenges driven by global strategic competition. For more project information and a downloadable fact sheet, visit www.NICMontereyEA.com. Environmental Assessment for the Naval Innovation Center at Naval Postgraduate School, Monterey The Navy will analyze sites at Naval Support Activity Monterey as potential locations for the Naval Innovation Center, as well as a No Action Alternative. The public is encouraged to provide comments on the scope of the EA, viable alternatives, and specific environmental topics for consideration in the analysis. Comments may be submitted online at www.NICMontereyEA.com, or by mail to: Naval Support Activity Monterey ATTN: Public Affairs Officer 271 Stone Road Monterey, CA 93943 Comments for the scoping phase must be postmarked or received online by the close of the public comment period on May 31, 2023. All timely and substantive comments will be considered in preparation of the Draft EA. There will be another public comment opportunity when the Draft EA is available, which is expected to take one year to complete.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjAzNjQ1NQ==