June 29, 2018 by Terri Gold

Terri Gold Wins Grand Prize in Santa Fe Photographic Workshop “Diversity” Competition

I received the wonderful news this week that I have been awarded Grand Prize in Santa Fe Photographic Workshops’ 2018 “Diversity” competition with one of my favorite images from Ethiopia, a portrait of a Suri family wearing some of their amazing headdresses in the Omo Valley.

With my work, particularly my ongoing series “Still Points in a Turning World“, I am always exploring our universal cross-cultural truths: the importance of family, community, ritual and the amazing diversity of its expression, so this award is especially meaningful to me.

Many thanks to Santa Fe Photographic Workshops for this incredible honor, and congratulations to the other winners and honorable mentions; may we all continue to celebrate diversity together. Though we may not see our own customs and traditions in these images, it is my hope that we recognize our common humanity.

May 15, 2018 by Terri Gold

Terri Gold photographs performances by the Martha Graham Dance Theatre

I was so happy to see and photograph the dress rehearsal of the spring season of The Martha Graham Dance Company.

“Throughout her career, Graham was fascinated by visionaries and prophets. In ”Spectre-1914,” Xin Ying is a prophet beholding appalling visions of war as she rises tall and awesome in a black robe. She then manipulated the robe to show its reverse side, making her seem encased in a blood-red shroud.” -Jack Anderson

In my infrared interpretation the robe is white and blue…

Performed by Xin Ying.

“In “Embattled Garden,” from 1958, Graham—a lover of myth—tackled the story of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. (The garden is represented by a field of reeds, designed by Isamu Noguchi). ” -from a New Yorker Review

Performed by So Young An, Lloyd Mayor, Natasha Diamond-Walker, Abdiel Jacobsen.

Visit my website to see more images of the Martha Graham Dance Company.

May 10, 2018 by Terri Gold

Terri Gold Photographs 25th Anniversary Season of the Buglisi Dance Theatre

I had a wonderful time attending and photographing the fabulous performances and gala for Buglisi Dance Theatre‘s 25th Anniversary Season. I have been photographing the Buglisi dancers for many years and am always amazed at their talent and grace.

Bare to the Wall Suite performed by So Young An, Ari Mayzick, Blakeley White-McGuire, Abdiel Jacobsen, Anne O’Donnell, and Lloyd Knight

Requiem performed by Marie Zvosec, Jessica Higgins, Jessica Sgambelluri, Laura Careless, and Ashley Merker

Moss #5 Variation and Dialogues on What Makes Us Human performed by Blakeley White-McGuire, Jessica Higgins, Jessica Sgambelluri, Stephanie Van Dooren-Eshkenazi, Lara Careless, and Ashley Merker

Visit my website to see more images from the 25th Anniversary Season, as well as more images from Buglisi Dance Theatre performances over the years.

May 15, 2017 by Terri Gold

“Still Points in a Turning World” at Salomon Arts Gallery

I was so happy to have a solo exhibit at Salomon Arts Gallery. My intention for the exhibit was to celebrate cultural diversity; to demonstrate that though we may not see our own customs and traditions in these images, we can recognize our common humanity.

All cultures celebrate the same things. We have rituals surrounding birth, death, good harvests, courtship, family reunions, rites of passage and more…

I was really happy to have a number of different events with a multicultural group of friends, family, and art collectors and enthusiasts. I had a cocktail party one night for the cast of Afrimericans, a scripted show following men and women who were born all over Africa and are now living here, a new emerging narrative about contemporary Africa. It was interesting to see their impressions of their own tribal cultures. There were people from Nigeria, Sudan, Kenya, Cameroon and more…

One Saturday I gave a talk moderated by Harvey Stein, a photography and long-time teacher at ICP in New York, sharing my stories about our cross-cultural truths; the importance of family, community, ritual and the amazing diversity of its expression.

Terri Gold and Harvey Stein

I also held a trunk show one day, an event in collaboration with my friend Siamanda Chege and her company Bebe Ravi, and the proceeds were used to help and empower women in Siamanda’s village in Kenya.

I feel I’m completing the circle sharing the work with so many different people and cultures.

Terri Gold with Rodrigo and Gig Salomon of Salomon Arts Gallery

December 22, 2016 by Terri Gold

Terri Gold’s Infrared Imagery of Niger featured by Edge of Humanity Magazine

I’m happy to have some of my infrared imagery from Niger featured by Edge of Humanity Magazine.

Click here to see the whole feature.

June 20, 2016 by Terri Gold

The Mermaid Parade

“I must be a mermaid. I have no fear of depths and a great fear of shallow living.” – Anais Nin

A sea of Mermaids, Mermen and Sea Creatures filled Coney Island Saturday for the 34th annual Mermaid Parade.

The Parade celebrates the sand, the sea, the salt air and the beginning of summer, as well as the history and myths of Coney Island. In hand-made costumes, everyone promenades, sashays and struts riotously down Surf Avenue. It’s an all inclusive affair with participants from infants to octogenarians. It’s part-fantasy, part-escapism, but all real – celebrating the imagination and combining all the eccentricities and joys of artistic self-expression !

The Parade is the largest art parade in the nation and I love it and never miss it if I am in NYC.

October 14, 2015 by Terri Gold

Mermaid Parade Collection Wins Award at the International Photography Awards 2015

This year, The International Photography Awards received 17836 of submissions from over 153 countries, and is pleased to declare that Terri Gold was awarded Honorable Mention in Event – Traditions and Cultures for the winning entry The Mermaid Parade in Coney Island.

The mermaid is an archetypal image that represents a woman who is at ease in the great waters of life, the waters of emotion and sexuality. Traditions and celebrations add rhythm and texture to our lives and provide a genuine feeling of community. I have been photographing the Mermaid Parade for 20 years and it never disappoints. The Parade celebrates the sand, the sea, the beginning of summer and the myths of Coney Island.

The International Photography Awards conducts an annual competition for photographers on a global scale, creating one of the most ambitious and comprehensive competitions in the photography world today. A board of esteemed professionals in the field juries the competition: curators, photo editors, gallery owners, art directors, and other luminaries from the international photography community.

March 30, 2011 by Terri Gold

Practice meandering towards the center of every place

Sisters Meal Festival-Guizhou, China 1997

These last days before I leave are always the hardest-a mix between organizing my art, business and life at home, trying to make my bags lighter and focusing on my goals for the trip – how to go deeper – to see with feeling. I have been rereading”The Art of Pilgrimage”, a book I always look at before I leave .

I came across these thoughts and I am printing them to read each morning

A good way to begin the day…

The Five Excellent Practices Of Pilgrimages

Practice the arts of attention and listening.

Practice renewing yourself everyday.

Practice meandering towards the center of every place.

Practice the ritual of reading sacred texts.

Practice gratitude and praise-singing.

March 27, 2011 by Terri Gold

Sylvia Tosun – Night of a Thousand Gowns

Sylvia Tosun

It was the 25th annual Night of a Thousand Gowns where The Imperial Court of New York celebrated 25 years of fun and fundraising led by the current monarchs, Emperor XIX Jack and Empress XXIV Farrah Moans.

The Court has gained recognition in the New York City region for the work it has done on behalf of the gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender community. Besides the big hair, bigger jewels, the regal attire, the glitz and glamour is how they have fun, and while they are at it, they give time and energy to raising money for their beneficiaries.

I was invited by Sylvia Tosun, of Sea to Sun Recordings who was performing, and she was amazing. She looked beautiful and her voice enchanted everyone in the room. It was a pleasure to take some photographs for her…

I thought – tonight I am in Times Square , photographing at an amazing tribal festival and soon I will be on the other side of the world in rural China at another colorful tribal festival.

In my travels , I am always looking at what is different and what is the same…

Colorful celebrations happen all over the world !

Sylvia Tosun

The Imperial Court

Sylvia Tosun

June 23, 2010 by Terri Gold

The Coney Island Mermaid Parade

Saturday was the fabulous Coney Island Mermaid Parade. This year the parade also had a message. As one sign put it: “Fuck You BP, Save the Mermaids.” “Performance artist (Tigger) Ferguson told the Daily News, “Today is a celebration of sea life trying to survive in the gulf. The Mermaid Parade is a celebration of marine life, mythical and real.”

Still, the parade was as colorful and festive as ever. Lou Reed and wife Laurie Anderson served as the parade’s King and Queen, and everyone including the large group of inventive photographers had a great time. Along with the amazing mermaids and mermen and their creative costumes , the array of photographic gear is always inspirational. Every unique flash contraption, medium and large format film cameras and polaroid cameras and more are on display.

Coney Island is filled with new rides and the Circus and music on the boardwalk every night. I am definitely going back for a sunset visit to photograph more of the scene.