ArtsQuest announces 2021 launch of month-long InVision Photo Festival

Throughout the month of November, ArtsQuest will be presenting a bounty of photography exhibitions, workshops and other programs for another round of its annual InVision Photo Festival.

The annual festival centers on the celebration of photography and photo-based art, and supplements the exhibition of art with other events like photo walks, networking events, professional development programs and more.

The festival’s featured artist this year is Philadelphia-based, Chinese-born photographer Jason Chen and his solo exhibition “Second,” which went on display on Tuesday in ArtsQuest’s Banko Family Room Gallery. He’ll host an artist discussion on Friday at the Banana Factory, a part of First Friday, to discuss his work. Chen will also serve as a juror for the annual juried show that features work from regional artists.

This year’s festival also includes some interactive programs. If you’re going through a break-up, the festival has just the thing for you: “Shred Your Ex” is a new, “tangibly cathartic” event where photo-shredding will be used for a bit of group-project-based closure. Late in the month, on Nov. 27 and 28, the Lehigh Valley Zoo will host a photo walk to get some close-ups of its animal residents.

ArtsQuest has also partnered with local schools to host other InVision exhibitions. The Lehigh Valley Charter High School for the Arts will host “I, Witness -Observations of Life and Land, in Two Parts; featuring the work of Saed Hindash” in its Corpora Art Gallery. Hindash will showcase his work as a photographer for LehighValleyLive.com and The Express-Times as well as his own black-and-white photography. An opening reception is scheduled for 6 to 8 p.m. on Friday.

Lehigh University is taking part in the festival and celebrating the 50th anniversary of its first undergraduate class of women with “Hear Me Roar: Women Photographers.” The Lehigh University Art Galleries will present a series of exhibitions displaying the work of women whose photos are a part of the school’s collection. Since the event celebrates the whole school year, the exhibitions have been on display since August and will run through May, but are notably partnering with InVision for the month of November.

A full schedule of InVision events can be found on the Banana Factory’s website, bananafactory.org.

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Connor Lagore may be reached at [email protected].