projectb.com: Current Gallery Exhibitions

Antique Dexterity Games & Hand-Held Puzzles

Mon, 01 Jan 2007 17:25:53 -0800

"A good puzzle should be simple in idea. It should explain itself without any long instructions and it should look attractive." Robert William Journet, 1927

Dexterity puzzles - also known as palm puzzles, games of skill and hand-held games - have been a source of fascination for adults and children since the Nineteenth Century.

The simple hand-eye challenge of rolling a ball into a hole, or sliding, nudging and tilting a capsule through a maze, has proved to be among the most delightful, maddening, and enduring diversions of the

Barbara Levine: Photographs, Collage & Assemblage

Tue, 13 Mar 2007 13:37:42 -0700

For a long time I have alternated between making photographs, collage and assemblage. My artwork is influenced by my collecting and interest in the subjects of time, memory and magic.

Background: BFA in photography, San Francisco Art Institute, MA in Museology, former Exhibitions Director at SFMOMA. Inquiries: blevine@projectb.com More.

Small Stories: Defaced & Captioned Snapshots

Mon, 09 Jun 2008 00:38:58 -0700

With the introduction of the Kodak Brownie camera in 1900, amateur photography grew in popularity. Almost immediately, people personalized their pictures by fearlessly writing directly on them; names, dates, stories and witticisms written on borders or across the image, along with arrows, numbers, cartoonish circles drawn around eyes, and faces scribbled out, are a few examples of the ways people ensured their snapshots expressed personal sentiments and stories. Crudely personalized and written on vintage photographs are often funny, surprising and oddly endearing. For more about altered photos, For purchase info: blevine@projectb.com

Vintage Photos, Antique Images, Postcards & Curious Objects from the Collection of Barbara Levine

Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:47:46 -0700

This gallery is an ongoing exploration of my personal collections (which influence my art). I am unpacking boxes containing images and objects from decades worth of collecting that have until recently been in storage. As I unpack (and acquire new treasures!) I will add to this gallery. Keep coming back, you never know what you will find!

For questions or purchase information email me: blevine@projectb.com

Kodacolor: Early Color Snapshots

Tue, 05 Jul 2011 17:52:00 -0700

Kodacolor was the world’s first color negative film sold by Eastman Kodak between 1942 and 1963. Kodak claimed “With this revolutionary new film, anyone - in good sunlight – can take beautiful color snapshots with an ordinary roll-film camera.The cost of the film included “full-color snapshots prints on paper” and the back of every print was stamped ‘Kodacolor Print’ The first wave of prints often had poor color separations with muted tones and the overall purplish and faded yellow colors we have come to associate with old color snapshots. Eastman continually improved the film and printing and as a result many Kodacolor snapshots are as remarkably vibrant today as when they were made nearly 50 years ago. In 1963, Kodacolor X film was introduced for use in the new Kodak Instamatic camera. For purchase prices, email me: blevine@projectb.com

Magic Moving Pictures: Vintage Novelty Stereogram Postcards

Thu, 06 Oct 2011 13:42:55 -0700

Stereoviews were comprised of two separate images representing right and left eye views. When seen through a stereoscopic viewer the images fused together visually to suggest a three dimensional picture. In 1903, the parallax stereogram was invented. By placing a grid of fine lines in front of the plate to be exposed by the camera, alternate views could be photographed directly to a single negative. The printed positive was then sandwiched with the grid to create a stereoview within a single image (no special viewer required). In 1906, the popularity of novelties and postcards motivated inventors A.S. Spiegel and Gabriel Felsenthal to take this new technology and make inexpensive ‘motion’ views . Film positives of the same subject were created or photographed such as blinking eyes or facial expressions, placed in front of a grid of lines in a specially designed cardboard holder and turned into entertaining photos and postcards. Special Thanks to John Van Leeuwen.