Chuck Close Looks On As FotoWeek DC & Corcoran Celebrate New Partnership

Be sure to check out all 68 of our photographs from this event HERE and tell us what you were wearing that night!

NORTHWEST -- Since it was founded in 2008 with the simple goal of celebrating the power of photography, FotoWeek DC has exploded in popularity, with the week-long festival expected to attract tens of thousands of visitors this year.

Along with the increased exposure (forgive the pun) provided by a rapidly growing fan base, however, comes a series of logistical challenges as the non-profit struggles with how to accommodate such a large number of attendees during an expanded schedule of events.

Fortunately for Washingtonians, the Corcoran Gallery of Art and the Corcoran College of Art + Design has stepped-in this year as "Palladium Sponsors," with a broad partnership with FotoWeek DC. Among the many benefits such a collaborative relationship will yield include:

All of the events that had previously been scattered in prior years throughout a medley of different retail spaces in Georgetown will now be consolidated at the Corcoran in a pop-up venue temporarily called "FotoWeek Central."
The 2010 festival's awards ceremony and after-party will also be held inside the Corcoran's fêted walls.

Of course, as we all know, the best way to celebrate a new partnership is with a party!

And so the doors of the venerable Corcoran were thrown open last night, as the two art-minded institutions threw a joint summer kick-off party for this year's photography festival.

DJ Chris Nitti and Matthew Hemerlein were on-hand to provide the celebration with a live soundtrack, and an open bar was included in the $20 price of admission.

As a special treat, OnomonoMEDIA had even set up an interactive photobooth for the night that projected guests' portraits onto a series of screens that had been hung from the gallery's upper floor.

Attendees were also provided with complimentary admission to the Corcoran's newest exhibition, Chuck Close Prints: Process and Collaboration.

The third annual FotoWeek DC festival is planned for November 6-13, 2010. Mark your calendars!

Kirk Pillow, interim president of the Corcoran College of Art + Design, and Theo Adamstein, founder of FotoWeek DC, welcome guests and thank supporters at the festival's summer kick-off party.

Be sure to check out all 68 of our photographs from this event HERE and tell us what you were wearing that night!