These times of economic instability find the market for art dwindling, and many galleries are unable to stay afloat.  Here in Atlanta, we have lost many galleries to the harsh reality of declining sales. Despite the mess, Gallery 4463 in Acworth has been able to survive.

The structure of the building itself is quite striking.  Brick walls and high ceilings offer enough space to accommodate a crowd.  They house a number of different artistic mediums, including (although certainly not limited to) paintings, sculpture, photography, jewelry and pottery.

Luckily for Clemens Johnson, the Executive Director of Gallery 4463, the artists on display are very talented and able to bring in customers. The artists are not the only thing allowing this gallery to survive; however, it is also due to an operating framework that is unique among area galleries.

Gallery 4463 has come up with a new way to make money while still offering local artists invaluable exposure for their work.  Once a year, for $30 ($20 for students) artists can purchase an online registry under the Gallery website.  The artwork will be on display for the public through this registry and is officially affiliated with the Gallery.

Artists who have yet to achieve gallery recognition the old fashioned way can proudly display their artwork and pad their resume with this new virtual art gallery. For a beginning artist just trying to get noticed, the difficulty in getting a gallery to accept your artwork is one of the toughest obstacles to overcome.

Like most art galleries, Gallery 4463 has a panel of experienced artists who come together to judge a prospective new artist’s work.  They meet and make a final decision as to whether or not the new artist can display their art in their gallery.  This process is daunting to someone with no experience, which is exactly why having their work displayed online is so beneficial.

In addition to new artists and the gallery itself, this registry also benefits art lovers.  It offers a chance to see fresh new artists with a broad spectrum of different art mediums, without being constrained to what is physically available on the Gallery floor.

If you or someone you know would like to be a part of this online registry, you can sign up through their website at www.gallery4463.com.  Click on ‘registry information’ on the left hand side of the screen.

If you are interested in visiting the Gallery in person, you can find them at 4463 Cherokee Street , Acworth , GA 30101

What do fine French desserts, a Georgia Tech quarterback completing a pass, and a heavily-tattooed hardcore vocalist screaming at an enraptured crowd all have in common? Well, for starters, all are included in the photography portfolio of Josh D. Weiss, Creative Loafing readers’ pick for Atlanta’s Best Emerging Visual Artist of 2009.

“I’m not a specific type of photographer,” says the Atlanta freelancer, sitting down for a drink late Monday evening. “This coming Friday I’m shooting some production stills for a training video Foot Locker is making,” he says, detailing the diversity of subjects encountered during his sojourn into the photographic profession.

Though he claims there is no particular subject upon which he places the most attention, as a photojournalism student at the University of Georgia, Weiss often found himself trotting along the sidelines during SEC football showdowns, snapping away at all the monster plays and brutal hits.

“I’ve found I’m better at [shooting] sports than a lot of people,” says Weiss, quickly adding, “Most people aren’t able to do Division 1 sports on a weekly basis. I had access to that.”

Weiss has not always found it easy to access just any type of photographic work, however. After college, he began working for small local papers, first in Anniston, Alabama and later in the Atlanta suburbs, always at the mercy of editorial demands for footage of the local bake sale or arts and crafts fair. But when the economy sank last year, Weiss did what many consider the last thing anybody would do in the face of rising unemployment.

“I put in my resignation,” he says.

Anticipating the further decline of print media, Weiss risked his career on the assumption that as a young photographer with a smaller portfolio, he could take advantage of a market calling for photographers able to charge lower rates.

“For me it seemed like a good opportunity where if I could get out there, make contacts with people who are hard up financially and need people who could work for less, well, that was me at the time. I’m just getting started, and I know you’re hard up right now. It’s a good match.”

Then what about all the recognition received for making beautiful photographs? Is the artist now sacrificing the image for the sake of making a few bucks off a wedding shoot? Has it all become a business?

“It’s real competitive,” Weiss admits. November had been a notably slow month, he explains, “when out of nowhere I get a call from US Presswire saying hey will you come out and shoot the Georgia Tech-Duke game, and then the next day I get an email asking if I can do this thing for Foot Locker [...] A week ago, I really had no idea if I was going to be able to pay rent.” He adds, “You just never know.”

And having photographs you’re proud to present is integral to building relationships and turning your talents into a profit.

“Like how many times have you gone to a restaurant where they have photos of their food around the restaurant, and it just looks terrible?” asks Weiss. “And you say, ‘Do I really want to eat at this place?’

“Having a bad photo represent your product probably makes people not interested in your product,” he adds.

Okay, so why is Josh Weiss anything more than your ordinary birthday/bat mitzvah go-to-guy? Where do the profession and the artistry blur together?

“It’s all intermingled, I think,” allows Weiss.

Instead of predictable, often canned, journalistic people-photographs, Weiss presents his subjects in context. He does this through inclusion of as many visual elements necessary to create a composition worth a second, or third, glance from viewers. It is a method that is marketable precisely because it is pleasing to the eye.

“I just try to find ways to make the background accentuate the main subject,” reflects Weiss, calmly sipping at his drink, “and on top of that, tell a story.”

Josh Weiss’s portfolio is available at www.joshdweiss.com.

We also included some samples of his work here.

Click on the page numbers below photos to see the different samples.

Gatroy