Merry Alpern, Toni Hafkenscheid, Isabelle Hayeur, Greg Staats, and Jeff Winch
The Documenting Eye
October 27–November 25, 2000

For over a year, Artcite Inc. worked in concert with a number of artist-run organizations and public galleries in Detroit, Michigan to present the multi-gallery project Detroit/Windsor Focus 2000. For the Artcite contribution to the project, Windsor artists and Artcite members Christopher McNamara and Christine Burchnall (in concert with the Artcite programming committee) selected Canadian and international photographers who had previously had solo exhibits at Artcite (emerging artist Isabelle Hayeur and NEA cause celébre NYC artist Merry Alpern excepted), and who all explored notions of photographic veracity or “the document”. The resulting Artcite exhibit, The Documenting Eye examined the way that contemporary photography can simultaneously occupy the realms of the documentary and the personal.

The larger Focus 2000 project (of which The Documenting Eye was a part) showcased the diversity of photographic practices and approaches currently being practiced. The Windsor/Detroit area has a large photographic community and the cooperative Focus 2000 project encouraged a dialogue both across our national borders and between the participating public and non-profit galleries, institutions and artists’ collectives. In addition to over 100 different photographic exhibitions in as many galleries and public spaces, a series of workshops, seminars and lectures brought leading speakers and renowned photographers to the Windsor-Detroit region. A major exhibition guide was produced detailing the participating galleries and artists and assured that a large number of visitors “made the rounds”.

Artcite participated with the following selected galleries and institutions to present works by over 250 photographers: Ann Arbor Art Center; Birmingham Bloomfield Art Center; Book Beat Gallery; Center Galleries (Center For Creative Studies, Detroit); Community Arts Gallery (Wayne State University); Detroit Contemporary; Detroit Institute of Arts; Downriver Council For the Arts; Greater Flint Arts Council Gallery; Institute of African American Art (Detroit); Metropolitan Center For the Creative Arts (Detroit); Swords into Plowshares (Detroit); Zeitgeist Gallery and at least 60 more organizations. Artcite Inc. has the distinction of being the only Canadian centre invited to participate in the organization and presentation of this major project.