Critical Mass 2015 Opens Soon!

Image: Marja Pirila (Critical Mass 2014 Top 50 Winner)

Critical Mass opens on June 15th (that’s next week!) and we are excited to share news about this year’s event. Our jury is composed of 200+ of the best and brightest in the photography world. Museum curators, photography book publishers, magazine editors, gallerists, new media producers – the jury is a force to be reckoned with! The primary goal? To provide a platform for photographers to share their work with professionals in the field. It’s not every day you get to show your work to an audience like this. It’s a wonderful way to make important connections with professionals who might otherwise be difficult to contact.

On that note, we thought we’d share a few photographer comments here on our blog. We love hearing success stories from photographers who have been offered exhibitions, publications, and other opportunities as a result of their participation in Critical Mass. It happens all the time, and each time it does we are thrilled to have played a role in making these connections happen. Here are a few of our favorites:

I feel like I should become a poster child for both Critical Mass and Photolucida’s [Portfolio Reviews] as so many fabulous things have come from my participation in them both. The experience has been crazy great.
—Cheryle St. Onge

There have been many opportunities that came about as a result of my exposure on Critical Mass. My work will be included in an upcoming exhibition at Castell Photography Gallery in Asheville, North Carolina and is currently in the juried/invitational “Unbound” exhibition at Candela Books & Gallery in Richmond, VA. My work has been featured on several sites including feature shoot, Lenscratch, Huff Arts and My Modern Met to name a few, which has resulted in some work publications! I have a few other opportunities “coming up” as well and will keep you posted.
—Amy Friend

Winning the Critical Mass Book Award has been the most important turning point in my photography life. It was thrilling to work on the book and I got great support from Photolucida to realize it according to my ideas. After publication the book has been sent to nearly 1000 professionals, among these 200 curators from all around the world, most of whom I would never have been able to meet. The response was immediate: Wally Mason from Haggerty Museum offered me a solo show on the same day he got the book from Photolucida. Thanks to the book I had a solo exhibition in the West Coast Museum of Art in Germany earlier this year and took part in several group shows. Suddenly doors have opened for me; several galleries in Europe have offered me representation, the work got published in a French magazine and I got a chance to share my vision with a wider audience by giving interviews and presentations on the book. Besides that, I got really inspiring messages from people who got the book from Photolucida, telling me of their appreciation for the work. It’s hard to believe that all these have happened in less than one year. Taking part in Critical Mass has opened opportunities for me that I could never have imagined.
—Mila Teshaieva

Excited to enter Critical Mass this year? Take a look at the entry details (with updated information about our 2015 Critical Mass awards). Also, read more fun success stories to get in the mood. Registration will be open from June 15th until July 16th.