A Rough Road
So, how have you been? I’ve mostly been focused on buying a house, getting married taking a honeymoon to Aruba and working on Factory Portland. I’m working on resurrecting stephenquirk.com (obvs) and hope to have it back online soon. Luckily I didn’t lose anything from being hacked back in 2010.
Most of my new photographic work can be found over at Factory Portland, but I hope to add more, mostly non-music related imagery here.
For now, there are some holes on this site that need patching, mostly missing images and (for some reason) text characters that need to fixed.
Check back soon for more info, hopefully these kind of housekeeping updates will be a thing of the past.
The bad news…
PLEASE NOTE: My website was recently hacked! I have a backup of my site, so I’m not too concerned. I may rebuild fresh, or get it back to where it was.
2010: The year we made updates
It’s been some time since I’ve made updates to my site, and I hope to remedy that problem.
What’s happening now:
I currently have a photograph up at SPACE as part of ‘Free for all 2′.  It’s from the Kitchen’s Project series, which I have hopes to continue with. The image I selected was from the wonderful Portland restaurant Evangeline. Images from that series need to be posted.
Two pieces were recently featured in From the Inside VI at June Fitzpatrick at MECA.
I’m currently working on another project, this time not (directly) art related. It’s too soon to announce fully, but I will say that it involves music, non-profits and events – all topics that are close to my heart.  I hope to announce something in the spring.  You can certainly stay tuned here for more info and a new site is in in the works for that project.
Stay tuned in 2010.
Primo
Recently I was in Rockland and Owl’s Head, Maine photographing Primo Restaurant. Emily Lowe, a college classmate, is the head vegetable grower. Her days are filled with planting seeds, harvesting vegetables from the gardens and greenhouses and assisting with planning the menu based on the results. The chef, Melissa Kelly, is a James Beard Award winner and she kind enough to allow me in to her kitchen.
More images can be seen in the Kitchens Project gallery and on Flickr (kitchen photos, garden photos).One of the dishes I tried was Bread and Fish soup and it was a true standout. I’m still thinking about it weeks after, yum! I hope to visit again when the piglets I photographed have matured and, ahem, retire from their current occupation of feasting on leftovers. This was the largest kitchen I’ve photographed so far and the energy was amazing. I found a video on Youtube about Primo and more recipes from Chef Kelly at Star Chefs.
Can’t stop the music (photography)
In 2005 I photographed Boston musician, Bilvox Neidlinger for my project BlogLife. That photo has resurfaced as the back sleeve to his forthcoming e.p..
Bresca/The Kitchens Project
Congrats to Bresca for making Conde Nast magazine’s hot list, joining a prestigious list of 105 other restaurants from AROUND THE WORLD. It’s been a pleasure working with Krista Kern, who has been nothing but gracious.
I had some hint that there would be a mention as she’d asked me to return to Bresca after my initial photographs were made to shoot more. Alas, the photos aren’t going to grace the pages (or site) of Conde Nast, but I’m very happy for Krista and her crew.
After a bit of a hiatus from the Kitchens Project, Primo in Rockland is likely the next stop this summer. Turns out I know the vegetable grower, who knew?
From the Inside IV
Fourteen members of the Maine College of Art staff will display work at the June Fitzpatrick Gallery at MECA from January 2 to January 26, 2008. An opening reception is scheduled for First Friday, January 4 from 5 p.m. to 8 p.m..
Participating artists are Nik Bsullak ‘99, Jay Cornell ’03, Jill Dalton ’99, David Gillis, Erin Hutton ’99, Rachel Katz ’00 MFA, Colleen Kinsella, Zacary Perkins ’08, Stephen Quirk ’00, Jessica Rodrigue ’03, Patti Sandberg ’02, Phil Stevens ’91, Cheslye Ventimiglia and Annie Wadleigh. Curated by Stephen Quirk.
Tasty Music
I love art and coincidence. Earlier this year, two cds were released that contain photography by me; one by my brother’s band Bullyclub, the other by my friend, Elli Gray. I consider myself fairly sharp, but it took me until a few days ago to realize, both are connected to my current interest in food and restaurants, though neither covers were conceived by me.
View image on Flickr, Purchase CD
Bullyclub’s album Tenure is a celebration of the bands 10 years of playing together, hence the (cup)cake and candles. I wish I could say it was a fine pastry, but it was a cobbled together from a supermarket tart and a can of frosting.
View image on Flickr, Purchase CD
The images for Elli Gray’s This Fight were taken at the now closed Chicky’s Fine Diner in Westbrook, Maine. It’s quite sad, actually – Chicky’s had music nearly every night, the stature of the acts were on the rise, but I hear that may have been it’s undoing. Elli, who works nearby to Chicky’s former location, liked the vibe and it matched the concept she was looking for. I think I caught this when she wasn’t paying attention, which gave the image a relaxed feeling.
New: The Kitchens Project
In July I started a new photographic series I’m calling “The Kitchens Project”. I’ll be photographing in Maine bakeries and restaurant kitchens. My “ins” thus far have been friends who own or work in kitchens. I started the project by photographing Zu Bakery [link|photos] in South Freeport, which is run by Barak Olins, former chef/owner of the original Cafe Uffa. I’ve also photographed The West End Deli [info|photos] on Spring Street in Portland (thanks to my friend Abby and others there).
Next up is likely Bresca at 111 Middle Street in Portland. It’s the former site of Marty’s Luncheonette, a restaurant owned by my great aunt and uncle, Mary and Marty.
Why kitchens, restaurants and bakeries? Well, a few reasons…
Continue Reading →
Boston Exhibition (Update)
“One Flesh: Documenting Gender, Sex and Sexuality” will once again be exhibited. This showing will take place at the School of the Museum of the Fine Arts in Boston as part of a themed show on race, gender, and sexuality in the 21st century.
“Hijacking the Future: Hugs and Kisses”
Opening: Tuesday, Feb 27, 2007 5-8pm
Exhibition Dates: February 22 – March 22
Donnelly First Floor Gallery, Mission Hill Building
School of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston
160 St Alphonsus Street
Boston, MA 02120 [MAP]
About the exhibition:
Over the last half century, sexuality has come to be considered a major facet of identity. It has grown seemingly to the level of gender and race in its construction and deconstruction of social alliances and cultural constructs.
As a result of this increased attention, many theorists have discovered threads running throughout modern Western culture that connect these three systems. Stereotypes and discriminatory notions of race, gender, and sexuality have been intertwined, and used to reinforce one another, almost as long as each classification has been part of society’s awareness.
“Hijacking the Future: Hugs and Kisses” seeks to examine the ways that systems of race, gender, and sexuality have changed and evolved in recent years, both independently and in their relation to one another. But, more than that, we want to consider what the next step is in challenging these varying methods of oppression and repression.
How can these systems be deconstructed and/or reconstructed into something more compelling, daring, interesting?
As queer characters and culture become become more visible and gay marriage becomes the focus of mainstream queer dialogue how is non-assimilationist queer life forging ahead? Abu Ghraib images as the new pinnacle of queer pathology and homophobia? What kinds of new questions can we ask? We’re hijacking our future back from the religious right and militant conservatism, and posing exciting new worlds.