Photo Nights Boston

Focus On: Kaitlin Maud

I work in marketing services as a strategist at a large digital advertising agency in Boston. My background is in social media, but I actually got my degree in Communication Design from MassArt. While there, I developed a large body of mixed media work including studies in photography – both in front of and behind the camera. Outside of the office, I am currently in 200hr Yoga Teacher Training at Back Bay Yoga studio and am in the process of applying for a fellowship through the Berkman Center for Internet and Society to study consumer behavior of millennials on social media.

My good friend and mentor, Melissa Dowler, has been extremely involved in the marketing of Photo Nights Boston and introduced me to Katie Noble early this year. Katie and I hit it off right away and I was invited on board to help PNB further develop their marketing plan, in particular, how they leverage social media to connect with the creative community.

 PNB is going to be like a breath of fresh air for Boston. The artists here are dispersed between so many different communities – SOWA and Fort Point to studios in Somerville and Dorchester… and there are too few large-scale events that bring everyone together. Photography is something that has become more accessible to all through developments in digital and mobile/social photography and yet it is a fine art with rich historical significance and a technique that few master in their lifetime. Photo Nights Boston will be a celebration of the holistic, diverse creative community in this city, but will be an event that is inviting and accessible to all – amateurs, students, enthusiasts, and the general public.

The first thing that comes to mind is public art. The Jenny Holzer projections on the ICA in 2010 really left a lasting impression. I don’t know anyone in this city who saw that and was not moved. Her work really exemplifies the term “multimedia” and presents heavy ideas and concepts in ways that are exciting and engaging to all viewers. She works with purpose and I appreciate that – nothing is taken lightly. Her ICA show in particular also speaks to the diversity of large-scale projection work and inspires me as we prepare for the Photo Nights Boston festival in 2013.

The photo of me above was taken at the Neon Boneyard in Las Vegas. While it is not public art in the traditional sense, it is an amazing visual experience. I could not take enough pictures while I was there. The colors and shapes and textures were unlike anything I have ever seen up close and it is a true historical collection.

As for photography, I am a huge fan of Abe Morrell’s Camera Obscura work and was fortunate enough to have many interactions with him while I was a student at MassArt. Annie Leibovitz is one of my biggest inspirations as well, both as a photographer and as a businesswoman. She manages to tastefully blur the line between artistic and commercial work. That is a theme I am also interested in seeing explored in the Mario Testino show at the MFA.