Teju Cole at Maine Media

TEJU COLE AUG 12–16

TEJU COLE Teju Cole has been selected as the recipient of the 2021 Joyce Tenneson Visionary Award from Maine Media Workshops + College. The award recognizes and celebrates extraordinary contributions to the fields of visual, media a nd literary arts. BE A MEMBER OF THE HOST COMMITTEE

Teju Cole is a novelist, photographer, critic, curator, and the author of five books. Formerly the photography critic of the New York Times Magazine from 2015 until 2019, he is currently the Gore Vidal Professor of the Practice of Creative Writing at Harvard. In his practice as a photographer, Cole maintains an extensive exhibition history both nationally and internationally. “Maine Media seeks to inspire storytellers— in film, book arts, photography, or writing. I cannot think of another person who embodies expertise in all these disciplines more completely than Teju Cole. He is truly a Renaissance man. I am so delighted he will be the recipient of this year’s Visionary Award.” Joyce Tenneson “He’s indeed a visionary. Teju’s work has influenced conversations on campus for a number of years now and photography, creative writing, book arts – his achievements in photography and literature continue to shape visual thinking across most contemporary modes of image making.” Michael Mansfield, President Friday, August 13 Saturday, August 14 Monday, August 16 LECTURE by TEJU COLE JOYCE TENNESON MASTER CLASS VISIONARY with TEJU COLE 1–2pm EDT AWARD RECEPTION 1–2pm EDT Teju Cole will speak about his new book, 4–6pm EDT Golden Apple of the Sun. Teju Cole will work with a small group Open to the public. In Person and Zoom. Reception to present Teju Cole with the of artists to share his creative process. Free Event. Joyce Tenneson Award Hors d’oeuvres, wine, beer and cocktails. By invitation. Contact Beth Storey for information at 207-975-0500. By invitation for donors $500 and above.

TEJU COLE About Teju’s New Book Golden Apple of the Sun “Many artists have felt the lure of juxtaposing photographs and text, but few have succeeded as well as Teju Cole. He approaches this problem with an understanding of the limitations and glories of each medium.” Stephen Shore In the period leading up to the November 3, 2020 elections in the United States, Teju Cole began to photograph his kitchen counter in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Working in the still life tradition of Chardin, Cezanne, and the Dutch masters, as well as such contemporary photographers as Laura Letinsky and Jan Groover, he photographed every day over the course of five weeks. Unlike those illustrious forbears, Cole left his arrangements entirely to chance, “the bowls and plates moving in their unpredictable constellations.” What emerges is a surprising portrait, across time, of one kitchen counter in one home at a time of social, cultural, and political upheaval. Alongside the photographs is a long written essay, as wide-ranging in its concerns—hunger, fasting, mourning, slavery, intimacy, painting, poetry and the history of photography—as the photographs are delimited in theirs. The text and photographic sequences are interspersed with an anonymous handwritten eighteenth century cookbook from Cambridge. Golden Apple of the Sun is a luminous and humane work, presented with the formal boldness and oblique intelligence we have come to expect from Teju Cole. First edition published by MACK © 2021

Photograph by Teju Cole, from Golden Apple of the Sun.

Joyce Tenneson Visionary Award The Joyce Tenneson Visionary Award, named for one of our community’s most distinguished and influential figures, was first awarded to its namesake in 2019. The prize was conceived to recognize and celebrate extraordinary contributions to the fields of visual, media and literary arts. The recipient is selected by a jury comprised of Maine Media staff, board members, and members of the Maine Media community. It includes a $10,000 prize alongside an artist’s folio created by faculty members Brenton Hamilton and Richard Reitz Smith. The Joyce Tenneson Visionary Award is supported by generous contributions from Marilyn Moss Rockefeller, a founding contributor to the Writer’s HarborTM at Maine Media. Joyce Tenneson is faculty and a founding emeritus director at Maine Media Workshops + College. Internationally lauded as one of the leading photographers of her generation, Tenneson’s work has been published in books and major magazines and exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide. Her portraits have appeared on covers for magazines such as: Time, Life, Newsweek, Premiere, Esquire and The New York Times Magazine.

Photograph by Joyce Tenneson, from Radiant Beings: The Magical Essence of Flowers. Photograph by Joyce Tenneson, from “Radiant Beings: The Magical Essence of Flowers.”

A Significant Moment We are seeking support from select donors to bring Teju Cole to Maine Media. In exchange for your support of Teju Cole’s visit, we will name you as a member of the host committee bringing this extraordinary artist and visionary thinker to Maine Media. To kick-off these events, you will be honored at an exclusive dinner with Teju Cole at the home of Liv Rockefeller in Camden on Thursday, August 12 from 6-7:30pm EDT. This is a wonderful opportunity to position yourself at the center of this exciting and significant moment in Maine Media’s history. I hope you share our vision, and I am incredibly grateful to you for your support in making it happen. Click here to help bring this extraordinary artist and thinker to Maine Media. Michael Mansfield, President CLICK HERE TO HELP