I had a lovely lunch today with Julie Grahame at Danal talking about the future of APAG. We discussed the Phillip and Edith Leonian Foundation that have committed to help sponsor APAG and the various projects we are planning in the coming years. It is a terrific opportunity for us, and I'm thrilled since the timing couldn't be better to help APAG grow and realize the goals the group has had since its inception in 2003. One is a group exhibition and book, (that was spearheaded by Grayson Dantzic) that we will hopefully get off the ground soon!

I went to the Annual Aperture Auction Benefit and Dinner at Chelsea Piers a few weeks ago, which is a great event. There were many people from the photo industry there including; Howard Greenberg and his wife Ellen, Nancy Lieberman, Bruce and Emily Davidson, Bruce Silverstein, Joel Meyerowitz and many others. I sat with photographer Lindsay McCrum and the collector Henry Buhl. Also, at the table were photographers Lynn Saville and Ellen Wallenstein, who both had photos in the auction.

Later in the week, I attended the Women in Arts Luncheon at the Brooklyn Museum. It featured a conversation with Catherine Morris, the curator of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, and the artist Kara Walker. It was a wonderful exchange, and the luncheon afterwards was full of energy and excitement. I had the pleasure of sitting at Dr. Elizabeth Sackler's table, next to Audrey Flack, and also with Linda Stein. I am donating several photographs to the Sackler Center, which is exciting as I hope they are able to show them at some point in the near future, and because I have now been a Brooklynite for 10 years!

On a different note, I read a very provocative article in this month's Vanity Fair about the artist Larry Rivers, and the controversy with his daughters and some videos he made of them in the 70's. It is a very complicated subject. However, as the daughter of two photographers, I have firsthand knowledge as to what it's like to be photographed my whole life, but never exploited, and have strong feelings about the subject which is too lengthy to write about here.

Regards,
Mary Engel