Silver Eye

Main Gallery




Paper Thin Heart, 2008. Ziatype on salted paper print. © Jessica Somers	Sue, 2005/2009. Archival inkjet print. © Sue Abramson	Sold, 2008. Digital chromogenic print. © Kate Pollard

Self Portrait: Silver Eye at 30
July 8 – September 12, 2009

In honor of Silver Eye’s 30th anniversary, we bring together a fascinating array of self portraits submitted by 105 of our members from 18 states and three foreign countries. Collectively, the photographs in this exhibition demonstrate the extraordinary vitality and endurance of the self portrait genre and underscore the fact that contemporary photographic practice is ever-expanding and embraces a range of aesthetics, technologies, characteristics and concerns that are as varied and complex as the individuals pictured in the exhibition.

Beyond addressing the theme of self-portraiture in today’s digital age, this exhibition is equally important as a celebration of Silver Eye's pivotal role in promoting and fostering photography as a fine art and expressive medium of communication over the past three decades. As one of the premier nonprofit venues exclusively devoted to photography in the United States, Silver Eye Center for Photography has organized hundreds of solo, group and thematic exhibitions in the galleries, throughout the community and online, via our website. These shows have brought greater awareness of the talents of emerging and established photographers from across the globe and served as a launching pad for many individual careers. We are eager to present the creative and imaginative interpretations that comprise this summer 2009 group exhibition. Prints are available for purchase.

This exhibition is made possible by a generous grant from The Heinz Endowments. Broadcast media sponsorship is kindly provided by DUQ/90.5 FM and WYEP/91.3 FM.

Click here for press release

Click here to view exhibition programs

Upcoming Exhibitions in the Main Gallery

The World at Our Door
September 23 – December 5, 2009
Pittsburgh-based photojournalists, Melissa Farlow and Randy Olson tell stories and make photographs from around the world. They are contributing photographers to National Geographic Magazine. Through Farlow and Olson’s keen eyes, explore middle class China, West Virginia’s mountaintop mining, wild horses of the American West, hardships in the Sudan, life along the Pan-American Highway, the last salmon stronghold on the planet, the beauty of America’s public lands, and the human price of gold. The World at Our Door features 50 stunning color photographs that share the diverse cultures and landscapes of our planet. Click here to see their photographs.