Wikipedia

Joyce Evans (photographer)

Joyce Olga EvansOAM,B.A., Dip. Soc. Stud. (21 December 1929 – 20 April 2019)[1]was an Australian photographer active as an amateur from the 1950s and professional photographic artist from the 1980s, director of the Church Street Photography Centre in Melbourne (1976–1982), art curator and collector, and tertiary photography lecturer.

Joyce Olga Evans
Born21 December 1929
Elsternwick,Australia
Died20 April 2019
Melbourne,Australia
NationalityAustralian

Early work

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Evans was presented with aLeicacamera by her wealthy father and her earliest surviving photography is from 1949 to 1951 and records marches, demonstrations and youth events including the 1949May DayMarch; the2nd World Festival of Youth and Students,Budapest,1949;[2][3]and theMelbourne UniversityLabour Clubparticipating in demonstrations in 1951. She studied painting withJohn Olsenat the Bakery Art School, Sydney in 1967/1968,[4]but much later 'fell in love' with photography at theBaselArt Fair,[5]which led first to a career as agallerist,then as a practicing photographer.

Church Street Photographic Centre

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In 1976 Evans opened Church Street Photographic Centre, a specialist photography gallery and bookshop in Church Street,Richmond, Victoria.It was the third commercial photographic gallery in 1970s Melbourne to open afterBrummels(1972) andThe Photographers Gallery(1973)[6][7][8]and showcased International 19th and 20th Century photography[9]includingBerenice Abbott,Eugène Atget,Julia Margaret Cameron,[10]Henri Cartier-Bresson,[11]Imogen Cunningham,Elllott Erwitt,Robert Frank,Hill and Adamson,[10]André Kertész,[12]Les Krims,Martin Lacis,[13]James Newberry,[13]Arnold Newman,Bill Owens,Jan Saudek,[14]W. Eugene Smith,Frederick Sommer,[13]Alfred Stieglitz,[15]Paul Strand,[13]Jerry Uelsmann,Brett Weston,andMinor White.[16]

Significant Australians were also shown, including Venise Alstergren,[12]Robert Ashton,[17]John Cato,Max Dupain,[18]Rennie Ellis,John Gollings,Laurence Le Guay,Fiona Hall,Bill Henson,Frank Hurley,David Moore,Athol ShmithandMark Strizlc.[16][19]

The gallery also housed a bookshop[20]that stocked a range of local and international books on photography and the latest specialist photographic periodicals and supplied Melbourne's schools, colleges and tertiary institutions. In 1981, in order to keep their gallery solvent Evans sold off her inventory of books and magazines;[21]they became a foundation for 'The Printed Image' bookshop, which also specialised exclusively in photography.

The gallery space was also used to present visiting speakers[14]and for photographic workshops,[22]tutored by photographers and writers of the era includingPete Turner,editor ofCreative Camera,UK; Jean-Marc Le Pechoux, publisher/editor ofLight Vision;John Cato;and Ian Cosier.[19]

Church Street also housed a photographicdarkroomand framing facilities (which were used by artists and photographers, notably by German artistHerbert Zangsduring his Australian visit in 1981).[19]

In 1975, when Australian photography was developing a higher profile and becoming collectible, Horsham Regional Art Gallery Director Jean Davidson made the decision that the gallery would specialise in the medium, and during the following years consulted on purchases with theNational Gallery of Victoria’sJennie Boddingtonand with Evans, who was then running Church Street Gallery. One of the works she later acquired was Evans’The Ascent(1993).[23]

Over November and December 1981, Evans held aFinal Retrospectiveof photographers who had shown in the gallery since 1977,[24]then, despite the gallery being profiled in the Europeanprint letter,[25]closed the Church Street premises in 1982, and relocated the gallery's collection and inventory to a private studio, from which she continued to operate. In 1978 she was appointed Approved Commonwealth Valuer for Australian and International photography from the 19th Century to the present day for the Australian Government's Cultural Gifts Program.[citation needed]Evans continued acting as a specialist adviser on photography for a number of public institutions and prominent private collectors in Australia.

Photographer

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After closing the Church Street Gallery, Evans enrolled atPhotography Studies Collegein 1982,[5]then devoted her time to photography, undertaking portraiture, documentary and landscape. In the latter genre her work includes an extended photo essay on roadside verges where she found wildlife road kills and fatalities. Completed between 1988 and 1996, Evans made the shots with aWideluxF7 35mm panoramic camera held in a vertical orientation and she often rotated the camera about the axis of its swiveling lens to produce distortion.[26]The photo-bookOnly One Kilometrewas made by Evans in the small Balcombe Estuary Reserve atMt Marthaon theMornington Peninsula,the photographs presented with poetry and literary contributions from Graeme Kinross-Smith, Pat Raison andChris Wallace-Crabbe.[27]She also photographed in theDandenong Ranges;along theHume Hwy;in theCentral Desertand outback Australia, most notablyOodnadatta,Oodlawirra,Menindee,andLake Mungo;vineyards and rural villages in theSouth of France;and the old Jewish cemetery in the centre ofPrague.[28]

Evans's portrait photographs were taken mainly in black and white, at close range, and were usuallyenvironmental portraitsthat emphasised the psychological connexion between the sitter and his or her own space. They form a diverse cross-section of Australian society from anonymous sitters to intelligentsia and personalities,[29]among them Marianne Baillieu;Barbara Blackman;Baron Avid von Blumenthal;Tim Burstall;Dur-e Dara;Robert Dessaix;Germaine Greer;Elena Kats-Chernin;Joan Kerr; Ellen Koshland;David Malouf;Dame Elisabeth Murdoch;Lin Onus;Jill Reichstein; and Chris Wallace-Crabbe.[30]

Evans worked as an honorary photographer for theDepartment of Aboriginal AffairsinCentral Australiaand for over ten years documented Australian country towns and events for theNational Library of Australia.

Education and lecturing

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Evans played an educational role in Australian photography. She taught history of photography at Melbourne'sRMIT University;was appointed inaugural assistant director of Waverley City Gallery (now Monash Gallery of Art), 1990–1991, the first municipal public collection in Melbourne to specialise in photography; inaugurated a course on the History of Photography taught by Daniel Palmer and was appointedResearch Fellowat theUniversity of Melbourne(1997–2010).[31]Evans continued conducting lectures and photographic workshops, predominantly in Melbourne and regional Victoria.

Exhibitions

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Solo exhibitions

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  • National Trust Gallery, Melbourne.[31]
  • 2010: Obscura Gallery, St Kilda East, Vic.[31][32]

Group exhibitions

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  • 2011:Phiction: Lies, Illusion and the Phantasm in Australia Photography,Horsham Regional Art Gallery and touring eleven regional and metropolitan public galleries.[33]
  • Broken Hill Regional Art Gallery.[31]
  • 2015:Streetwise,Photonet Gallery, Fairfield, February 1–22[34]
  • 2019In Her Words: A NETS Touring Exhibition curated by Olivia Poloni,HorshamRegional Art Gallery 2 March – 19 May;WangarattaArt Gallery, 01 Nov – 15 Dec.

Awards

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Collections

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Evans' work is held in the following permanent public collections:

Tapestry

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In 1995, Evans'Selby Daffodils (Cotswald Farm),was made into a tapestry by theAustralian Tapestry Workshop,Melbourne.[citation needed]

Publications

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  • Kinross-Smith, Graeme, 1936-; Evans, Joyce (1987),Window to Australia: photographs,Deakin University,ISBN978-0-7300-0498-1{{citation}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  • Evans, Joyce (2003),Only one kilometre,Lothian,ISBN978-0-7344-0583-8
  • Joyce Evans: Imaging the Spiritual 1980–2010,exhib. cat., Melbourne: Obscura Gallery, 2010[37]
  • Evans, Joyce; Dickerson Gallery (Melbourne, Vic.) (2007),Joyce Evans: my Australia,Dickerson Gallery,retrieved7 September2019
  • Evans, Joyce; Harmsen, Andrew, (author.) (2019),We had such high hopes: student activism and the peace movement 1949-1952: a photographic memoir,Australian Scholarly Publishing,ISBN978-1-925801-85-9{{citation}}:|author2=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  • Syndikas, Alexander; Evans, Joyce (1983),Optical deformation,A. Syndikas]

References

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  1. ^"Vale Joyce Evans Photographer".22 April 2019.Retrieved12 May2019.
  2. ^Evans, Joyce; Harmsen, Andrew, (author.) (2019).We had such high hopes: student activism and the peace movement 1949-1952: a photographic memoir.Australian Scholarly Publishing.ISBN978-1-925801-85-9.{{cite book}}:|author2=has generic name (help)CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  3. ^Evans, photographer.), Joyc (1949),Joyce Evans' photograph collection of demonstrations and youth events, 1949-1951,retrieved7 September2019{{citation}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  4. ^McDowall, Carolyn."Joyce Evans: Photographer of Influence and Outstanding Merit".The Culture Concept Circle.Retrieved7 September2019.
  5. ^ab"An Interview With Joyce Evans - Photographer - Educator - Valuer - Commercial Photographic Gallery".michaels camera video digital.Retrieved3 September2019.
  6. ^Bradley, Louise (30 January 2018)."Photographer brought excellence to gallery".The Sydney Morning Herald.Retrieved7 September2019.
  7. ^Grace, Helen (11 August 2016)."Obituraries—John Williams: Self-taught photographer captured Sydney's 'rough' side".Sydney Morning Herald.
  8. ^Bradley, Derrick and Leiss, Louise, Barbara, Peter (9 February 2018)."RIP William Heimerman 1950-2017".ProCounter Australia.{{cite web}}:CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  9. ^McCulloch's Encyclopedia of Australian Art, 2006 ed, 409
  10. ^abCorrie Perkin, 'A camera on history,'The Age,Monday 18 Jun 1979, p.8
  11. ^"An Early Christmas Present".Retrieved7 September2019.
  12. ^abTony Perry,Distortions' show a new perspective,' The Age, Friday November 1978, p.2
  13. ^abcdBeatrice Faust, 'Four different views of life and loves,'The AgeTuesday 18 Apr 1978, p.2
  14. ^abThe Age,Thursday 28 May 1981, p.10
  15. ^The Age, Friday 10 Aug 1979, p.38
  16. ^abGeoff Strong, 'In a dark age behind the camera,' inThe Age,Monday, Nov 30, 1981, page 10
  17. ^Tony Perry, 'The big titles mystery,' The Age, Thursday 12 July 1979, p.2
  18. ^The AgeMonday, 10 Aug 1981, p.10
  19. ^abcChurch Street Photographic Centre Archives, 1976–1982
  20. ^'My Melbourne: PhotographerRennie Ellistalks to Janne Apelgren,'The AgeFriday 12 Jun 1981, p.43
  21. ^The Age,Monday 02 March 1981, p.10
  22. ^The Age,Friday 17 February 1978, p.40
  23. ^"In Her Words".issuu.Retrieved8 September2019.
  24. ^The Age,Friday 13 Nov 1981, p.45
  25. ^Evans, Joyce (July–August 1982). Misani, Marco (ed.). "Joyce Evans, Church Street Photographic Center, Melbourne, Australia".Print Letter.7(4).[The magazine print letter was also discontinued with the following issue due to a worldwide downturn in the art market]
  26. ^Bunyan, Dr Marcus (20 October 2013)."Review: 'Joyce Evans: Edge of the road' at the Monash Gallery of Art, Wheelers Hill, Melbourne".Art Blart.Retrieved7 September2019.
  27. ^Evans, Joyce (2003),Only one kilometre,Lothian Books,ISBN978-0-7344-0583-8
  28. ^"Eternal Prague: Joyce Evans photography exhibition".archive.is.17 January 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 17 January 2013.Retrieved7 September2019.
  29. ^Evans, Joyce (1951),Exhibition prints from the Joyce Evans collection, 1951-2012,retrieved7 September2019
  30. ^Evans, Joyce (1991),Exhibition prints from the Joyce Evans collection, 1991-2011,retrieved7 September2019
  31. ^abcdJoyce Evans: Imaging the Spiritual 1980–2010,exhib. cat. Melbourne: Obscura Gallery, 2010
  32. ^"Joyce Evans | Obscura Gallery - Exhibitions, Venue Hire, Photography…".archive.is.30 January 2013. Archived fromthe originalon 30 January 2013.Retrieved7 September2019.
  33. ^McArdle, James; Horsham Regional Art Gallery (2001),Phiction: lies, illusion and the phantasm in photography: Stories, truth or fiction?,Horsham Regional Art Gallery,ISBN978-0-9579962-0-5
  34. ^McDowall, Carolyn."Streetwise – Women Photographers at Photonet".The Culture Concept Circle.Retrieved7 September2019.
  35. ^"Joyce Olga Evans".honours.pmc.gov.au.Retrieved10 June2019.
  36. ^"Joyce Evans,Robert Jacks, with Victor Majzner and Leslie Dumbrell ".Castlemaine Art Museum Collection Online.Retrieved18 September2021.
  37. ^Barilo von Reisberg, Eugene."PUBLICATIONS & CREATIVE WORKS"(PDF).BvR Arts Management.

Further reading

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  • McCulloch's Encyclopaedia of Australian Art(Alan and Susan McCulloch, eds, 2006); p. 409
  • Dictionary of Australian Women Artists(Max Germaine,1991)
  • Who's Who of Australian Women(1982, 2007)
  • The World's Who's Who of Women(1986)
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