Poignant Portfolio no 48: Pam Connolly
Editors note
At the beginning of 2023, I had the pleasure of participating in LACP’s photo reviews. Although there are some obvious limitations to reviewing work online rather than in person, it’s still great to meet new people and see new projects that are unfolding. One of the projects that struck a chord with me was Connolly’s “Wishmaker” series and the Landau gallery project. Ever since I became interested in not only being a photographer but also looking at and critiquing photography, I’ve been enchanted by dioramas and miniature-based photo work. David Levinthal was one of my early inspirations and then later Lori Nix surfaced some groundbreaking work that I’m continually enthralled with. I have a whole list of photographers working in this way, each with their own voice and photo tactics (shout out to friend Grace Weston). For Wishmaker, Connolly set out to document tin doll houses that echo the isolation and simplification of domesticity during a pandemic. Connolly plays with scale, lighting, and composition beautifully and drives the whole series home by displaying it in a miniature gallery!? True, this is not the first time I’ve seen either of these concepts, but what I find most intriguing is how Connolly combines her photos from miniature worlds and then displays said work in a miniature gallery. For me, this is a perfectly flushed-out artist concept and I can’t wait to see where Connolly goes with both the Wishmaker series and Landau Gallery. Would your work translate at a 1:12 scale? Landau will be accepting submissions at some point, see the links at the end of the article to follow along. Thanks to Pam for sharing her work with me!
—Blue Mitchell
Wishmaker
I grew up in the 1960s– in a typical suburb in New Jersey. My parents owned a furniture store that was at the center of our family’s universe.
I spent endless hours roaming the maze of rooms in this fantasy world, and much of my photographic work is in response to these childhood memories.
Like that of so many others, my world became smaller during the Pandemic. As life slowed down and we found ourselves almost entirely inside, I began to collect and photograph tin dollhouses from the 1960s. I found them in various places, both real and online, and continue to collect them.
I photograph tin dollhouses to explore themes of home, childhood, and aging.
Over time, this project has unfolded to include shadows on white walls, diptychs of tin houses and suburban landscapes, and still lives with isolated parts of tin and plastic. Most recently, I decided to create a miniature art gallery where I could create a scale-sized installation of ‘Wishmaker,’ bringing the project full circle, back to its dollhouse-sized beginnings.
‘Wishmaker’ delivers a version of the American Dream, and the domestic roles girls were groomed to fill. I wish to create an Alice in Wonderland, immersive experience for the viewer, blurring the lines between imagination and reality.
LANDAU GALLERY
Beyond my desire to see my ‘Wishmaker’ project come to life in a beautiful, light-filled space, I created LANDAU GALLERY, to offer other artists the same opportunity— to envision a one-person exhibition of their work free from ‘real world’ constraints.
In imagining my “ideal” gallery; I found inspiration in the 1960s furniture store owned by my parents, and later, a bespoke home-furnishing shop and gallery, where I had a show earlier in my career. Both structures lead with a prominent portico, a shape reminiscent of Early American architecture (think Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello). This triangular shape has lingered in my imagination as far back as I can remember.
I worked with Brooklyn-based architect and professor at Pratt, Gregory Merryweather, who brought my idea of a dollhouse-sized gallery to life. He designed and built the wood and foam-core model, adding details such as a radiator and skylight to further the illusion of reality.
Moving forward, LANDAU GALLERY will showcase 4-6 shows per year. We are interested in mid-career and emerging artist who work within the photographic medium.
Artist Bio
Pam Connolly has been photographing the theme of home for more than 30 years. Her tin dollhouses, family portraits, and photographs of domestic spaces look closely at the American dream and the yearning between the imaginary and the real.
Connolly’s photographs belong to the Houston Museum of Fine Arts and Brown University collections. Her recent artist book, ‘Fly in Amber’ was acquired by the Hirsch Library, Houston, and the University of Michigan’s Art and Design Collection. Her previous book, ‘Cabriole’ belongs to the Beineke Library and the Harvard Museum of Fine Arts. She has exhibited her work nationally at the Ogden Museum in New Orleans, Foley Gallery in NYC, and Candela Gallery in Richmond, VA., and internationally at the National Portrait Gallery in London and Komenick Gallery in Berlin.
Connolly received an MFA in Photography from the Hartford Art School’s International Limited-Residency Program (2014).
pamconnollyphoto.com
landau-mini-gallery.com (in development)
@pamconnollyphoto
@landaugallery
About the author
Blue Mitchell is an independent publisher, curator, educator, and photographer. Based in Portland, Oregon, he has been involved with many facets of photography in both corporate and fine art environments. After Mitchell received his BFA from Oregon College of Art & Craft in 2005 he founded One Twelve Publishing.
One Twelve Publishing is most notably known for its fine art photographic print annual Diffusion (Est. 2009), which focuses on artfully crafted photo practices. One Twelve provides an extensive blog with articles, galleries, and special features. Mitchell also hosts and produces a podcast called the Diffusion Tapes where he chats with artists, curators, and writers working in the field of fine art photography.