Given that Alameda is an island, it seems natural that the community would host an art exhibit about the ocean. Tara Pilbrow, executive director of the West End Arts District thought so, too. The result is Ocean Photographer of the Year, a unique collection of undersea photographs, now on display through May 17 at Hangar 41, near 650 West Tower Avenue, on Alameda Point.
The exhibit stems from a contest by Oceanographic Magazine, a British publication, and its sponsor Blancpain, a Swiss watch company that manufactures high end timepieces.
More than 15,000 photographers globally submitted their works for judging. The winners are stunning, especially when you consider that most were taken underwater, often under extraordinary circumstances.
This showing marks at least two firsts. It’s the first time the Ocean Photographer of the Year exhibit has appeared in the United States. Normally, it is shown in venues in Australia, South Africa, and Europe. It’s also the first attempt by the West End Arts District to stage a show indoors, Pilbrow said.
Not that bringing the show to the island was easy. The first priority was locating an appropriate building.
“I wanted to do something that would allow us to do it at a more sophisticated level,” she said. “I reached out to the City and asked if there was a building we would be able to use.”
The City offered Hangar 41, an aging building off West Tower Avenue that was used during the 1960s to repair Navy jets. Despite its historical ambiance, the hangar needed plenty of TLC if it was to house the art. The previous tenant had been a company that manufactured electric parts for buses and garbage trucks.
“I came in and decided it was in rough shape but I thought we could make it work, and they said ‘If you can make it work, you can give it a go,’” Pilbrow said.
Armed with a dumpster and 30 volunteers, Pilbrow spent more than a month cleaning the building and removing “all kinds of stuff.”
Oceanographic Magazine leases the exhibit to the district and Bay Photo laboratory agreed to print more than 130 of the photos free of charge. Officials from Bay Photo celebrated their company’s 50th anniversary at the hangar on Friday, April 24. Members of the San Francisco British Consulate and the California Coastal Commission also helped. Staging such an event requires partnerships with “the right people that do the right things,” according to Pilbrow.
Magazine officials “were excited” to bring the exhibit to the U.S., she said. “They had various contacts but they hadn’t made contact with the right person. In the end, our goal is to share these photos with as many people as possible.”
The exhibit
Images in the exhibit are classified into several categories, including wildlife, adventure, fine art, conservation, and human connection. Viewers will see everything, including artistic close-ups of underwater creatures, broad landscapes depicting the roiling ocean, and rescuers trying to revive a beached whale.
“Bay Perspectives: A local lens on Ocean Stewardship” highlights the work of local photographers and one room includes a hands-on exhibit demonstrating how tides change twice a day.
Within the gallery, several long silk banners with designs made with real kelp hang from the ceiling. When exposed to a breeze, they wave, suggesting an ocean-like atmosphere. They were created by Emeryville artist Ann Holsberry using the cyanotype printing process, a 19th century invention that prints images using chemicals and exposure to sunlight.
The exhibit is open from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday through May 17. General admission is $25 per person, $15 for youth and students. A family package admitting two adults and two children is available for $60.
Other special events, including storytelling and a tour of the bay for photographers, are available during the exhibit run. For more information, visit the West End Art District’s Ocean Photographer of the Year webpage.
David Boitano is a contributing writer for the Alameda Post. Contact him via [email protected]. His writing is collected at AlamedaPost.com/David-Boitano.
