BY JUDY CARMACK BROSS
Cheryl Sandner and Ann Thompson, co-chairs, along with honorary co-chairs Jeremy Efroymson, Elissa Hamid Efroymson, and Adnaan Hamid, led the recent celebration of photography DARKROOM 2020, supporting the Museum of Contemporary Photography, the only museum of its kind in the region. Held at the new Columbia College Chicago Student Center, the gala welcomed 300 guests and raised over $255,000 to support the museum.
Co-chairs Ann Thompson and Cheryl Sandner.
Elissa Efroymson, at right, and Marissa Murillo.
Jeremy Efroymson.
“I am so thrilled by the sweeping success of DARKROOM 2020, our most successful DARKROOM ever!” Executive Director Natasha Egan told us. “The MoCP will benefit tremendously from the critical funds raised at DARKROOM. Every cent raised will directly impact our exhibitions, community engagement initiatives, and educational programs. We are so grateful to our community of friends, artists, and sponsors who made this incredible evening possible.”
Highlights of the evening included a VIP hour conversation between MoCP curator of academic programs and collections Kristin Taylor and the evening’s Silver Camera Awardee, Kenneth Josephson, about his photographic contributions.
Ken Josephson and Natasha Egan.
Egan related to us recently: “As the campus museum for Columbia College Chicago, open to the public at no cost, we work with faculty from across the college from a range of departments, including film and dance. As a museum at an academic college, we have the opportunity to create dialogue around challenging topics.
Photography is one of the most accessible mediums, particularly today. Everyone has a phone and is taking photos. Our interests are more conceptual. People can teach themselves to read art on a deeper level.”
The Museum’s next exhibition, scheduled to open April 9, will be Temporal: Puerto Rican Resistance, featuring photographs documenting Puerto Rican protests, life during and after Hurricane Maria, and art of the resistance.
Carissa Meier, Julia Antonatos, and Larry Antonatos.
Cecil McDonald, Jr. and Sandee McDonald.
Jose Luis De Fuente, Veronique Bushala, Tracy Saolvia, Natasha Egan, Lisa Bailey, and Meaghan Benjamin.
Chris Valenti, Ted Souder, and Lori Souder.
Steve Zick and Whitten Sabbatini.
Marilyn Zimmerwoman, Ken Josephson, and Jed Fielding.
Paul and Kelley Audrain.
Khloe V. Karova and David Schalliol, at right.
Catherine Edelman, Natasha Egan, Karen Irvine, and Christina Nafziger.
Ruben J. Davila, Emily Plunkett, and Sheridyn Villarreal.
Lisa Bailey, Curt Bailey, and Frank Monterisi.
For more about The Museum of Contemporary Photography, visit mocp.org.
Photo Credit: Lisa Gottschalk Photography
