About The Festival
William Klein, New York, NY, USA, 1955 -EOMS 4th edition
The 8th edition runs from October 21, 2022 to March 25, 2023
The 9th edition is now under construction, it will run from June 2 to September 10, 2023
Press Release
International Outdoor Street Photography Festival ✓
Indoor Photography Exhibitions ✓
Youth Photography Program ✓
Public Lecture Series ✓
Free activities✓
Festival Theme: Main Street, a Crossroad of Cultures
-Main Exhibition is Outdoor over ¾ mile
The ninth edition of Eyes on Main Street, Wilson Outdoor Photo Festival will launch on June 2, 2023 in historic downtown Wilson, NC. For 100 days, 100 photographs will be display on 100 storefront windows, walls and buildings, spanning nine city blocks. Following Barnes Street, then Lodge Street and Nash Street, our city center will be transformed into a vibrant gallery of large-scale photographs. The outdoor exhibition, curated by Jerome De Perlinghi, Ghadah Alrawi and Carol Johnson, features the work of 100 photographers from 39 countries. Among the artists included in this years' edition are: Emin Özmen, Grace Ekpu, Peter Caton, Corinna Kern, Ron Haviv, Jane Hahn, Cyrus Cornut, Jenna Mulhall-Brereton, Gordon Parks and Vera Saltzman.
-Eyes on Main Street will open The American Center for Photographers (ACP) in 2023, the launch date is June 1, 2023
The American Center for Photographers (ACP) opens in a purposely designed gallery space in the heart of the City of Wilson North Carolina in the Spring of 2023. Building on the successes of Eyes on Main Street Inc. nine years of international photography festival activities, the ACP’s core goal is to celebrate established photo practitioners and elevate the profiles of emerging photographers. The ACP will present monthly photography exhibitions showcasing work from within the USA and beyond. Coupled with the exhibition programming will be education workshops, forums and other photocentric events that will grow public awareness of photographic image makers and generate networks between photographers throughout the world. Partnering with the Eyes on Main Street Inc. photographer in residency initiative, the ACP gallery will house an annually rotational portfolio collection that features works by USA and International photographers.
The American Center for Photographers, ACP, at Whirligig Station, 230 Goldsboro Street S, Wilson, NC 27893
-Eyes on the Residency, the new exhibition will open on June 1, 2023; inside ACP
9 residents photographers who worked in Wilson from July 2022 to March 2023 will be featured in a group's exhibition.
The 5th year of the program saw a record number of applicants. Photographers from around the world came to Wilson, NC, USA, each for one month to photograph all segments of our community. The results are very impressive; with the work of Kalel Koven, Freya Maes, Rodrigo Paredes, Meg Hewitt, Andrejs Strokins, Simon Vansteenwinckel, Marc Chaumeil, Chau Cuong Lê and Peter Bialobrzeski.
Chau Cuong Lê, Wilson, NC, USA, February 2023
-Eyes on South Africa, at ACP Goldsboro Street (dates to be announced soon); inside ACP
An exhibition of Contemporary Photography from Durban, South Africa.
A collaboration between EOMS and Durban University of Technology - Visual Communication Design
Noise: Eyes Become Ears
The central idea behind these curated works is ‘Noise’. Noise which is considered as a loud sound, whether audible or silent, that which is uncomfortable and is intended as a disruption that opens room for dialogue or in response to a change of state many people find themselves.
In this exhibition we look at how types of ‘noise’ exist in photography practice, creative processes, and subject matter. We observe how eyes for a photographer can listen, hear and make noise, and hence become ears.
DiaminiS, South Africa 2021
-Education Program is running year round since 2022
-Youth Photography Workshops: Peter Fitzpatrick, our Education Director and Professor at the School of Fine and Performing Arts of Columbia College Chicago, has supervised and conducted several youth photography workshops in partnership with local after-school groups. The Diane Dammeyer Initiative and Canon USA generously support these workshops.
-Public Lecture Series: featuring photographers discussing their ideas and techniques.
See the full program in the Events section.
-Adult Photography Workshops: Brings the opportunity to work with and mentored by renowned photographers on projects in the City of Wilson.
Festival Head Quarters
ACP, 230 Goldsboro Street S, Wilson, NC 27893
Festival Creative Team
Jerome De Perlinghi, Artistic Director/Curator
Peter Fitzpatrick, Education Director
Ghadah Alrawi, Curator
Carol Johnson, Curator
Peters Bernard, Graphic Designer & Artist
Dave Matthews, Technical Director
Contact Details
Eyesonmainstreetinc@gmail.com
Phone: 1-708-271-3042
For more information, visit us online: www.eyesonmainstreetwilson.com
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/eyesonmainstreet/
Or follow us on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/eyesonmainstreetinc/
Board Members
John Bethune, Kathryn Bethune, Brooke Bissette (Board President), Dale Bryce, Mehmet, Demirci, Martin Evans, Rosa Gobien, Kim S. Joy, Will Robl & Nancy Van Dolsen
Mailing Address
Eyes on Main Street, INC;210 Moss Street, Wilson, NC 27893, USA
Eyes on Main Street is a large outdoor and indoor photography festival in Wilson, North Carolina. We are a Non-Profit Organization and donations are tax deductible as stipulated by the IRS.