Midtown Y Photography Gallery was a pioneering nonprofit organisation in

New York New York most commonly refers to: * New York City, the most populous city in the United States, located in the state of New York * New York (state), a state in the northeastern United States New York may also refer to: Film and television * '' ...

that offered photographers an opportunity to publicly exhibit their work. The Gallery ran from 1972 until 1996 directed in turn by photographers Larry Siegel, Sy Rubin and Michael Spano.

Establishment

Larry Siegel, with the help of Robert Menschel and

NYSCA The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) is an arts council serving the U.S. state of New York. It was established in 1960 through a bill introduced in the New York State Legislature by New York State Senator MacNeil Mitchell (1905–1996), ...

, founded the Midtown Y Photography Gallery in 1972 as a corridor gallery at the Emanu-El Midtown YM-YWHA on 14th Street. Larry Siegel had previously established the Image Gallery, which along with Helen Gee’s Limelight Gallery was one of the few venues in New York City, apart from the

Museum of Modern Art The Museum of Modern Art (MoMA) is an art museum located in Midtown Manhattan, New York City, on 53rd Street between Fifth and Sixth Avenues. It plays a major role in developing and collecting modern art, and is often identified as one of ...

, that held photography exhibitions in the 1950s and early 1960s.

Purpose

Though it occasionally showed historical photographs, and established contemporary practitioners such as David Attie and Robert Giard during its first decade, the Midtown Y Photography Gallery concentrated on promoting the work of emerging artists. It issued open calls for participation in large thematic exhibitions but most often selected exhibitors by conducting portfolio reviews, the work being shown alongside that of one or two other photographers. For most, this was their first “solo” exposure in New York or their first public display of work. Some returned subsequently to show later work.

Exhibitions 1973–1993

* April 18–May 30, 1973 Barbara Walz * 29 January–24 February 1975, Harry Lapow, ''Coney Island'' * April 6–April 29, 1975 John Messina * November 22–December 18, 1977, Fred Casden: ''The Zoo'' * December 28, 1977–January 22,1978, ''The Recent Work of John Ganis'' * December 28, 1977–January 22, 1978, ''The Recent Work of Mark Schwartz'' * 1978 (n.d.) Harvey Stein * November 1–November 26, 1978, Nathan Farb, ''Soviets: Photographs of the Russian People'' * January 4–January 28, 1979,

Robert Giard Robert Giard (July 22, 1939 - July 16, 2002) was an American portrait, landscape, and figure photographer. Life A native of Hartford, Connecticut, Giard majored in English literature and received a B.A. from Yale University in 1961, then an M.A. i ...

: ''Grounds'' * October 24–November 18, 1979, David Attie: ''Russians and Americans Photographing Themselves'' * May 29–August 15, 1980, ''Four Photographers from the Visual Arts Referral Service CAPS'' * September 17–October 18, 1981, ''Color Photography in the Urban Environment Todd Weinstein- Patrick D. Pagnano * December 17, 1981–January 10, 1982, ''Photographs by Larry Chatman'' * October 22–November 15, 1981, ''Michael Spano'' * March 3–March 27, 1983, ''Recent Photographs by

Louis Stettner Louis Stettner (November 7, 1922 – October 13, 2016) was an American photographer of the 20th century whose work included streetscapes, portraits and architectural images of New York and Paris. His work has been highly regarded because of its hum ...

'' * October 6–October 30, 1983, William E. Williams: ''Philadelphia Parties and Portraits'' * October 6–October 30, 1983, ''Photographs by Arlene Gottfried'' * December 15, 1983–January 15, 1984, ''Quince Anos'' * January 19–February 19, 1984, ''Platinum and Palladium'' * March 22–April 22, 1984, ''Two Photographers'' * May 3–June 3, 1984, ''Extended Frames'' * September 20–November 4, 1984, Geoffrey Biddle: ''Loisaida: The Spanish Lower East Side Photographs'' * January 17–February 17, 1985, ''Photographs by John Lueders-Booth'' * February 21–March 24, 1985, ''Photographs by Ed Grazda'' * June 6–August 4, 1985, ''Photographs by Dory E. Thanhauser'' * December 12, 1985–January 19, 1986, ''View Camera Suburban Scenes'' * February 27–March 30,1986, Douglas Sandhage: ''Thailand'' * February 27–March 30, 1986, Marke Webb: ''Texas Communities'' * May 15–June 15, 1986, Ann Chamberlain: ''Color Interiors'' * June 19–July 27, 1986,

Henry Horenstein Henry Horenstein (born 1947) is an American artist, photographer, filmmaker and educator. He is the author of over 35 books, including a series of instructional textbooks. Life and work He studied history at the University of Chicago and earned ...

: ''Sports Photographs'' * November 6–December 7, 1986, Vivian Ronay: ''Astoria'' * November 6–December 7, 1986,

Dawoud Bey Dawoud Bey (born David Edward Smikle; November 25, 1953) is an American photographer and educator known for his large-scale art photography and street photography portraits, including American adolescents in relation to their community, and other ...

: ''Urban Photographs'' * January 23–February 23, 1986, Roy Colmer: ''Photographs of People'' * December 11, 1986–January 18, 1987, Roy Greer : ''Diana, Snow Pictures'' * December 11, 1986–January 18, 1987, ''People of Granby, CT'' * April 2–May 3, 1987, ''Incorporating T.V.'' * April 2–May 3, 1987, Sidney Kerner: ''Faces in the Street'' * October 1–November 8, 1987, Takagi Madoka: ''Platinum Portraits'' * September 22–October 23, 1988,

Abelardo Morell Abelardo Morell (born 1948, Havana, Cuba) is a contemporary artist widely known for turning rooms into camera obscuras and then capturing the marriage of interior and exterior in large format photographs. He is also known for his 'tent-camera,' a ...

: ''Still Lifes'' * September 22–October 23, 1988, John Milisenda: ''Portrait of My Brother'' * March 23–April 23, 1989, Mary Kocol: ''Interiors'' * January 11–February 11, 1990,

Ari Marcopoulos Ari Marcopoulos (born Aristos) is an American self-taught photographer, adventurer and film artist. Born in the Netherlands, he is best known for presenting work showcasing elusive subcultures, including artists, snowboarders and musicians. He liv ...

: ''Urban Scenes'' * February 15–March 18, 1990, Anderson Scott: ''Rural Oddities'' * September 27–October 28, 1990,

Sage Sohier Sage Sohier is an American photographer and educator. Biography Sohier teaches photography for years in different educational institutions, serving as assistant professor in Massachusetts College of Art. She was lecturer on Visual and Environ ...

: ''At Home with Themselves'' * March 21–April 21, 1991, Timothy Feresten: ''Color Photographs'' * April 8–May 9, 1993, Mary Berridge: ''Teenage Mother Series''

References

{{reflist American photography organizations Art museums and galleries established in 1972 American artist groups and collectives

Establishment

Purpose

Exhibitions 1973–1993

Archive

References