SAVE THE DARKROOM

Save the Darkroom is a concerned group of individuals, art businesses and organizations. We have come together and made a firm commitment to the preservation of the New School darkroom as a cultural asset to New York City.

The New School darkroom has a prominent place in history where great photographers, with names like Bernice Abbot, Diane Arbus, Ben Fernandez and Lisette Modell come into focus. Distinguished professors both past and present continue to build a tradition in teaching the art of photography. The darkroom is more than a place in time, it is an intrinsic part of photo art. As the photography critic and author of Photography's Antiquarian Avant-Garde, Lyle Rexer, explains:

"The methods of the photographer, once taken for granted, are now metaphors that are incorporated into the work. Thus the very fact of darkroom activity must be factored into the meaning of the work of photo art. Far from becoming irrelevant, the darkroom is now more important than ever, as an idea and a tool. In relation to the other emerging modes of image production, it carries a new meaning."

The New School darkroom serves history, education and creativity and its destruction is wholly unacceptable. For all of the aforementioned reasons, we call on the New School University to immediately cease plans to demolish the darkroom. We respectfully request an emergency meeting to discuss how Save the Darkroom can assist the school in preserving this important place to ensure that future generations of photographers will share in an enrich education in the art of photography.