We all do it. The question is, do you do it well? No need to blush — we’re only talking about taking pictures. Whether you use your cell phone or an ultra-deluxe Pentax to point and shoot, you’ve captured a moment or two, maybe exposed a side of a person the world rarely sees. Now ArtMarket (439 Washington Street, Boston, 617.407.3971), an exhibition space that opened in December, is exposing rising shutterbug talents with the ArtMarket Juried Photography Competition.
Whether your forte is art photography, photojournalism, or travel photography, there’s a category for you, so submit your work by July 6. If the judges pick your picture as one of the top 45 selections, it will go on display at the gallery for all the public to ooh and ahh over from July 12 through July 19 — and if you win, you’ll earn a cash prize, major bragging rights, and a spot for your masterpiece on the gallery’s wall for a whole month. Visit www.artmarketboston.com/events.html for entry details. ArtMarket, located in a vast space formerly occupied by Big and Tall, the men’s clothing store, got its start thanks to the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s effort to bring more culture to Downtown Crossing. (It certainly is a welcome retreat from the clamorous, roasted nut-scented urban jungle where taxis zoom in from out of nowhere like mountain lions, as far as we’re concerned.) Enrique Florendo is a founder and director of the space, and his dad, Eugene, an art collector, serves as curator. Enrique, a DJ and a fixture at Good Life for the joint’s monthly house-music night, Unity, has long had an interest in showcasing visual art — for many months during his residency at Umbria, he featured work by Boston artists. Now, with ArtMarket situated on a boulevard with no shortage of foot traffic, he has an opportunity to oversee daily art offerings for the masses. “Downtown Crossing is not what it used to be,” he says. “People are always surprised to see the space.... It’s a calm place for people who are rushing ar ound. People are excited about the gallery — even artists.”
