Feeling (Slide)lucky? Submit Photos for the NYC Slideluck Potshow

SLIDELUCK POTSHOW, the brainchild of Casey Kelbaugh, is an NYC-based arts non-profit that brings people together around food and art. For nearly 10 years, they have traveled the world, pulling off spectacular evenings filled with 5 minute photography and multimedia slideshows and food prepared by attendees. It’s hard to imagine that in this day and age, that people want to gather together by the hundreds to watch slideshows in a studio, park, bar, etc. But it happens month after month to great acclaim.

Photo by Allen Murabayashi

At Slideluck’s shows, aspiring, undiscovered and very accomplished artists, photojournalists, painters, designers, sculptors, fashion and fine art photographers all show their work alongside one another in a relaxed, egalitarian, and spirited atmosphere. It’s a very different platform for experiencing and sharing art with your community – and the next Slideluck event in NYC will be held August 6 at Canoe Studios.  

We’ve been to a bunch of Slideluck events and love what they’re doing (their show last summer in McCarren Pool in Brooklyn was epic). We caught up with Casey and producer Alys Kenny to discuss the upcoming NYC show, and they revealed that the deadline for submissions has been extended to Thursday, July 24 — a special extension for PhotoShelter members and friends.

We’re really excited about the August NYC event – any details on what to expect?
Expect the best New York Slideluck we’ve ever had!  We are putting together an amazing show of talented photographers and artists.  Canoe Studios is a gorgeous new multimedia studio space in Chelsea, and the views are stunning!  We think having our first-ever New York Show on a Thursday is going to bring a new twist as well.  We are expecting a very large turnout so we strongly recommend that you RSVP as soon as possible. We also urge you to support us by becoming a Slideluck Potshow Member in advance.  Membership starts at $20 for the entire year and members will be able to avoid lines and walk right in.  

What are the key deadlines that photographers must keep in mind for this event?
Well, the extended submission deadline is on Tuesday, July 21st, but we are making a special exception for PhotoShelter members – they have until midnight on Thursday July 24th!

Detailed submissions guidelines.

Was this your first Slideluck with a theme?  Tell us about it.
Each show has a themed and an unthemed portion. Past themes have included Family, Excess, Patterns, Mistakes, Change, Anticipation, Grace, Energy, etc.  For this show, we wanted to figure out a way to talk about what’s going on right now, and that’s how Sabrina
Lupero-Reichert’s suggestion of “2009” led us to “Now.”

What do you look for when evaluating submissions?
We look for tightly-edited, consistent bodies of work around a central theme or idea that come from a unique perspective.  We also love multi-media submissions and appreciate when artists remember that the format we are curating their work for is a slideshow.  Contributors who pay special attention to the the audio component, play with the scale and sequence, and consider other elements inherent to the medium get extra brownie points!

For someone who has never submitted work – what recommendations do you have?
Consider that your audience is a room full of visually sophisticated people who like to be challenged and inspired, and who are there to see good work and have a good time- then put together a thought provoking submission accordingly!

As NYC is your homebase, how does this show differ from other events held elsewhere in the world?
Each of our shows is localized in that we are showing primarily local artists, eating the food of that place, cooked by people there and the event is attended by residents of that city!  Slideluck New York is kind of our “flagship” or showcase Slideluck that draws submissions and influences from all over the world– which is very much consistent with New York itself.

The last event in NYC was the huge McCarren Park Pool show, right?  How has Slideluck evolved since then?
We have continued to grow, and now have programming in 41 cities globally.  We also launched our Slideluck Youth Initiative where we worked with kids in several after school programs ages 7-17 in New York City.  SLYI aims to foster creative expression and empower students through the use of photography and multimedia storytelling. In doing so, SLYI helps students develop valuable skills, enrich their lives and strengthen community.

Congrats on the recent 501c3 status [charitable status which can accept tax-deductible donations] – how will this change how you operate and generate funds?
Thank you!  Hopefully it will open up new revenue streams for us.  We are currently applying for grants, seeking funding from foundations and looking to increase corporate sponsorship. Now that we are recognized by the IRS, we hope there are many others that will be more open to supporting us.

Where does your vision take slideluck over the next few years?
We’d essentially like to keep doing what we are doing.  We are working towards getting more funding so that we will be able to bring Slideluck Potshow to all of the communities around the world that would love to have us.  When we launch our new website, all of the artists we have shown all over the world will be archived online.  It will become a rich and vibrant collection that will be an incredible resource for artists, art buyers and photo editors.  Eventually, we’d also like to expand the Slideluck Youth Initiative to many of the other communities where we are operating Slideluck.  We have many other ideas for lectures, spinoff events and plans to publish a book, among other things.  For now we’re just trying to take it one step at a time!