More Photographs and Words from Church on The Rock

"Flip Hairstyle", Rockaway Park, NYC, 2006. Juliana Beasley

After I photographed each member of the congregation who passed through are make-shift studio leading to the exit of the church, a young woman with bleach blonde hair approached me me.  I asked her too as I had done with the others, "What is your New Year's resolution?"

Her mother and sisters waited outside. The door was held ajar and I could feel the cold air biting against my cheeks.

"I don't feel very good," she said.

"I took an overdose of my epilepsy medication yesterday. I feel really horrible. I tried to kill myself yesterday, " she said.

"I'm so sorry to hear that. Are you feeling alright?" I asked. "It's good that you came to church today."

The day before she had locked herself in the bathroom until her parents managed to get through the door. They had taken her to the emergency room. It's seemed incredible and almost impossible that she could be standing in front of me after such a trauma to her body and psyche. I couldn't make sense of the story, only that she wanted to die and that she hated herself.

"Laker's Fan", Rockaway Park, NYC, 2006. Juliana Beasley

Her honesty and our position in front of the door as others tried to move around us and exit felt equally awkward.  I didn't know what to say. I knew I didn't have enough time to help her or give her some hope.

"I feel better today though, "she said. "I can't believe I did that. It was so stupid."

"You are going to be alright? " I said. "It's good that you came today. Did you pray for help and guidance?"

"Yes, " she said.

"Met's Fan", Rockaway Park, NYC, 2006. Juliana Beasley

"Girl with Scarf", Rockaway Park, NYC, 2006. Juliana Beasley

"Woman in Red Coat", Rockaway Park, NYC, 2006. Juliana Beasley

Prayer and religion are not a part of my vocabulary, but I knew that I had to connect with her within her belief system and not mine.

I wrote down her name and her phone number. I told her I would call her. She said good-bye. I could do nothing else but give her a strong hug and tell her it would be alright. Or at least, I hoped it would be alright.

"Are you almost ready? " a man standing anxiously with a set of keys looked on as we packed my photo gear into bags.



My assistant and I quickly packed up the remainder of my things. We picked up my belonging,and
walked through the door that was quickly locked behind us.

"Charlie", Rockaway Park, NYC, 2006. Juliana Beasley

Church on The Rock, New Years Day 2006.

"Pastor Gary's Son with His Wife and Son", Rockaways, NYC, 2006. Juliana Beasley

I have never posted these images and have only shown them to a few people. They are part of another project, one of those projects you might write down on a list somewhere, the project you plan to revisit. Sometimes, we wait too long and never return, other times, for whatever reason in the cosmos, the attraction is so strong, you can't stay away. This is how I have been feeling lately about this group of portraits that I shot in no more than twenty minutes.

On New Year's Day 2006, I drove out to the Rockaways to photograph at a small storefront church named appropriately "Church on the Rock".  The church is overseen by Pastor Gary as he is fondly known to the congregation. On weekends, he can be found preaching at the lectern on a humble stage.

When I saw Pastor Gary that very New Year's Day, a very frigid day as I recall, he recounted of his half way house in upstate New York. As far as I know, he told me that he was providing a service to the neighborhood, taking in addicted and alcoholic men and under his wing and under God's direction to find a sober and healthier life.

"Charles", Rockaways, NYC, 2006. Juliana Beasley

When I arrived the service had already begun. I created a make-shift studio against the wall next to the entrance and put my brand new Mamiya 645 on my new tripod. I had shot with the Mamiya possibly once before (and sadly enough not much at since). Tripods, now that was a new concept! In the past, they felt cumbersome, even the sturdy light Gitzo investment I had carted along.

We were crammed in between blue office chairs that were used instead of pews. Pushing them aside, we tried to move as far away from the wall backdrop as we could and even managed to set up a Vivitar on light stand. I felt like I was completely working somewhere, not outside of my skill set, but in a very new way that felt exciting. Thankfully, I had a friend there to help me. We had about 10 minutes to set up and take a test Polaroid. I asked my friend to put the test shot under her shirt to warm it up and speed the processing... I could see through the doorway that many had already gathered their personal belongings, preparing to leave.

"Brother and Sister", NYC, 2006. Juliana Beasley

No, it wasn't perfect but that suited me fine.

As the service ended, the members of the congregation began to slowly move towards our studio. After all, the only way to exit the church was to pass in front of my camera.. The line moved quickly, most obliged me with a portrait, rarely anyone refused. I shot a couple of frames.

The congregation was eclectic. Some came in well-worn clothes but others were dressed for their Sunday best.

One well-groomed couple introduced themselves to me and said they had recently bought a larger renovated home in the neighborhood. They represented the slow trickle of gentrification changing the colorful spirit of the Rockaways, for better or worse. I was surprised to see the middle-aged couple whom clearly had a more comfortable existence than most of the other members. They were cheerful, open-minded and made sure to mingle with others.

"Can I take your New Year's portrait?" I asked the people as they walked by.

And after a couple of shot frames. I asked, "What do you wish for the New Year? Do you have a New Year's resolutions?" I had also brought along my new digital recorder for interviewing.

"Woman with Her Purse", NYC, 2006. Juliana Beasley

Some wished for happiness, others peace, others health. No one had any specific requests. I was disheartened and finally, lost interest in asking.

"Red Head Girl", NYC, 2006. Juliana Beasley

Where was Pastor Gary? He must have slipped out the back door and I never got his portrait.

Random Photographs and Moving Ahead With Rockaways

"Elvie", Rockaway Park, NYC. 2004. Juliana Beasley

Dear Friends,

Much has been happening in my own life that has kept me away from my blogging commitments. I have been working on a short story about my experience out in the Rockaways and revolves around 3 central characters-- one myself.

My plan is to share it to you in 4 paragraph block entries with photographs included. That's the plan!

I hope that I will finish it soon or at least in 2 months.

I am slowly coming out of hibernation and looking forward to the spring.

"Butch's Hair", Rockaway Park, NYC, 2003. Juliana Beasley

"Irish Venetian Blinds", Rockaways Park, NYC. 2008. Juliana Beasley

The good news is that I have found a wonderful book designer for my Rockaway book dummy. Julia Braun who is incredibly talented and so far the joint effort and her savvy experience is coming together. We share notes and ideas on Skype and converse over two time zones. I am lucky to have her on board. And as you can imagine, I am excited to have the six years of hard and happy work in my hands.

I am posting some photographs that I found amongst my scans from the past. They are not meant necessarily for the book but just simply for feedback.

Best wishes!
Yours,
Juliana

Happy New Year 2011!

Dear Readers,

I wish you a very Happy New Year!

One of my resolutions is more photographs taken and more words written! I hope to share more with you this year than last.

"New Year's Eve at the Palm Gardens", Rockaway Park, 2003. Juliana Beasley

Warm wishes!

Iron Worker's Christmas

It's been a while since I've been out to my second home in the Rockaways. I miss it. Now that it is Christmas time, I am looking for to getting out there and shooting and meeting up with old friends. The cold air reminds me of several winter out there, bundled up and hoping for a snow storm.

Here is a photo I took with my Mamiya 645. This photo reminds me of the laid back feeling I have when I get out there, as well as feeling like I have gone back to another place and time when NYC was not so homegenous. Oh, I miss ya'!!!


And I can't wait to see Butchie! 

"Iron Worker's Christmas", Rockaway Park, 2009. Juliana Beasley

This Time in America Group Show/ Miami Basel

Hi All!

Here is the info for the show that I will be in. The opening is December 2nd at Gallery ID in the Wynwood District. The address is 2531 NW 2 Avenue in Miami! The opening starts at 7:30pm and ends at 11pm. I am thrilled to be a part of the show.

I would love to meet you during the event and hope I will see you down at the opening and also at  Basel! Please, let me know if you are showing any work down there.

Here is the info:

This Time in America: Part I

Curators Giselle DeVera and Brenda Ann Kenneally

November 11, 2010 – Gallery I/D is pleased to announce its upcoming exhibition, This Time in America:

Photographers:

Juliana Beasley

Nina Berman

Sean Hemmerle

Tim Hetherington

Brenda Ann Kenneally

Gillian Laub

Randal Levenson

Emily Schiffer

Part 1. The two-part series, co-curated by renowned photographer Brenda Ann Kenneally, highlights

photographers who have turned their lenses on America. Part 1, which runs concurrently with Art Basel

from December 2nd to January 15th, features award-winning photographers and photojournalists who

captured diverse segments of American society. What they saw – a New York community of impoverished

social outcasts, cowboys and urbanites, segregation alive and well in America, U.S. soldiers in slumber

between wartime activities, the colorful frenzy of stock market charts and more – remind us not only of

the unique nature of America, but of our fluctuating and transformative place in the civilized world.

Things Fall Apart at Pool Gallery in Berlin!

Hello All!

I want to announce the opening of the show "Things Fall Apart" at Pool Gallery in Berlin.

I am proud to be of a part a show with so many great American women photographers. It is truly an honor. And an honor to be in a show curated by Amy Stein. Here is the press release! If you are in the neighborhood, please check it and take some snaps of the opening night or of yourself in your favorite piece of lingerie.

The show includes the work of Lisa Kereszi , Stacy Mehrfar , Justine Reyes, Robin Schwartz , Zoe Strauss and Amy Stein . And me too.

Miss Stein and Miss Reyes will be in attendance for the vernissage!

There is one battle, and it is epic. It is the only

battle there has ever been; it is the only battle

there ever will be. It has consumed every last

human being that has ever lived; it is the battle

between Order and Chaos.

Grounded in faith, it is a holy war. Yes, it is the

fight for everything we believe in; the fight for

everything we are; the fight for a reason to get out

of bed in the morning.

Humans naturally side with order, likening it to

survival, yearning for predictability and control.

Over the millennia, we have come up with a range

of ammunition against the great Evil, the great

Darkness - the Chaos. Politics, alien abductions,

savings accounts, religion,

environmental protection, space shuttle

expeditions, hollywood fame, nuclear bombs - it

is a seemingly never-ending roster of human

creations, ideas, practices and bad habits that,

in essence, address this single and only conflict,

attempting to construct a semblance of

permanent order, to grasp some comfort and

stability amidst the chaos.

THINGS FALL APART, curated by American

photographer and pool gallery artist Amy Stein,

presents us with a wise, yet rather distressing,

understanding. It is a coming to terms with our

collective sentence, the hand we, humans, were

dealt; it is the realization that, at the end of the

proverbial day, the chaos prevails.

Stein has selected the works of seven American

female photographers; works that approach this

grand conflict from a humanistic and personal

standpoint. These artists dissect the human

desire to construct our systems of order, and

accentuate the inevitable disillusionment when

© Robin Schwartz

those very systems collapse. The works are more than a record of decay - they are, rather, an examination of loss, as the transition

from the ephemeral to the immutable reveals a cruel affirmation of our temporal existence.

This selection of works simultaneously tells one story: the story of any one life. Lisa Kereszi‘s works serve to highlight the beginning,

the plan-making that excites us in our naive youth and adolescence; Stacy Mehrfar continues from there, capturing the foundationlaying

and construction of our aspirations; Amy Stein‘s own works capture that dreaded moment, that turning point, when chaos first

comes calling, casting our plans off course; the descent from thereon is slow and spiked with flusters, trips and falls apart - a process

illustrated by the works of Justine Reyes, Juliana Beasley and Zoe Strauss; and finally, Robin Schwartz‘ Dead Deer is the summation

of the grand arc, a totem for the constant cycle of dissolution and change in the natural world.

Structuring all facets of our existence is an effort that requires trust in these structures‘ continuation; this trust forms the foundation

of faith. This faith surpasses religious faith; it is the faith that every human being requires to go on living, the most basic and inherent

faith - the faith that what we‘re doing, what we are, is not for nothing. It is the faith that gives us the stamina to go on fighting against

the Chaos.

THINGS FALL APART is Amy Stein‘s first curatorial project at pool gallery, where her work has been exhibited since 2008. She lives

and works in New York, NY.