On Tuesday, The Masure Gallery of Photography in Fort Worth announced the appointment of James Russell as its first writer-in-residence. The gallery’s new initiative will be aimed at supporting arts and culture journalism and criticism while also further advancing the study of photography in a gallery setting.
Russell, a former Dallas Voice staff writer and current contributor, has also written for The Architect’s Newspaper, Arts and Culture Texas, D Magazine, Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Fort Worth Weekly, Landscape Architecture Magazine and Texas Architect.
He edited the catalogues for the recent group exhibition, RED, as well as Modern Exposure, the first solo exhibition of local photographer Walt Burns (currently on display through September), organized by Masure gallery director and chief curator Simone Fischer.
“Here’s some irony. Simone and I joked not too long ago that photography is beyond me. As someone who primarily thinks about the built environment and sculpture, getting a chance to study the medium is exciting. With access to Simone and budding and professional
photographers and Masure’s resources, I can learn about the discipline and master its language,” Russell said in Tuesday’s press release.
Russell is a journalist who covers visual art, design, architecture, politics, mostly in Texas, save for the time he wrote for StarTrek.com.
“I’m incredibly grateful to Simone and gallery owners CJ and Jeff Masure for the opportunity to study the discipline and situate the gallery as a cultural center,” he stated.
In her tenure as a director, Fischer has worked to support photographers through
gallery representation, critiques, talks and classes. With the addition to the residency, she now oversees a unique experience to support writers as they add coverage of photographic arts in Texas.
“Writers are a necessary and invaluable asset to visual arts. They help bridge and contextualize visual art to wider audience through language,” she said in the release. “As director, I want to actively support culture writers through the gallery directly, whether that’s getting involved in written support of exhibition programming or just giving residents time and space to write. I thank CJ and Jeff Masure for supporting the writers that want to work hand-in-hand with photography,”
The Masure Gallery is located inside Fort Worth Camera and The Print Refinery and is Fort Worth’s only gallery dedicated to contemporary photography and lens-based artists.
Founded by Fort Worth Camera owners Jeff and CJ Masure in 2018, it adds to the services the couple have offered for 24 years. The mission: to uplift and empower local photographers and exhibition programming and elevate local talent by offering a platform where a diverse community of photographic artists can come together to showcase their work.
–From staff reports
Related