PhotoNominal ‘92. January 25 through February 22, 1992.

The Forum Gallery, Jamestown Community College, Jamestown, New York. Exhibition catalog, 23 pages, stapled wraps. Texts by Dan R. Talley and Susan Krane. With black-and-white illustrations and statements by the photographers (but one) and biographical information for each. Photographers featured are Mark Abrahamson, Pinky/MM Bass, Susan Daboll, Christopher Giglio, Carter Hodgkin, D. Lantz, Andrew J. Ortiz, Lynnda Pardoe, and Thomas Tulis. Fine.  Summary:

PhotoNominal ’92, published by Jamestown Community College in 1992, is a focused contemporary exhibition catalog documenting the annual national photography survey held at The Forum Gallery in Jamestown, New York, from January 25 through February 22, 1992. Curated by gallery director Dan R. Talley, the exhibition and its accompanying publication showcase a diverse selection of boundary-pushing photographic works from emerging and mid-career artists across the United States.

Core Content & Curatorial Framework

1. Curatorial Vision and Contemporary Survey

The publication serves as a critical record of an exhibition designed to explore the expansive, shifting boundaries of the photographic medium at the start of the 1990s. Rather than adhering to a singular stylistic school or traditional documentary aesthetic, the survey highlights a wide range of pluralistic approaches. The curated selection emphasizes how contemporary image-makers were actively challenging classical notions of the pristine photographic print through conceptual manipulation, non-traditional subject matter, and mixed-media installations.

2. Diverse Photographic Strategies

The core of the catalog functions as an artist index, featuring plates and profiles that represent a broad spectrum of late-20th-century artistic practices. The works included in the exhibition span multiple experimental methodologies:

• Conceptual and Constructivist Approaches: Imagery that relies on staged realities, studio constructions, and heavily sequenced or narrative-driven frames.

• Alternative and Mixed Media: Works that incorporate alternative darkroom chemistry, hand-applied emulsions, or the integration of photographic prints into sculpture and text-based installations.

3. Academic and Regional Context

The text features an analytical introductory essay by the curator that frames the exhibition within the broader national landscape of contemporary art while underscoring the role of university galleries as vital incubators for experimental work. The commentary examines how these artists use the camera to critique social structures, investigate personal identity, and deconstruct the authority of the photographic image. The publication records vital exhibition logistics, artist statements, and detailed checklists, providing an institutional footprint for the temporary gallery installation.

PhotoNominal ’92 stands as an important regional and institutional record of the alternative currents defining American photography during a transitional decade. By capturing a snapshot of diverse, avant-garde studio practices, the catalog documents how academic galleries outside of major urban art capitals provided essential platforms for the evolution and critical assessment of contemporary visual culture.