~a murmuration of photographic artists~
Our Mission
Creativity, Collaboration & Community...
that's Shootapalooza
in a nutshell.
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Shootapalooza is a murmuration of photographic artists. It has shape without structure. It moves and flows in all directions simultaneously. We are a rolling rambunction, a collective of art-making people. It's a women's organization, but we do have a few really great men.
Shootapalooza was formed in 2014 by photographer and artist Judy Sherrod (1956-2017) as an affiliation of primarily women (with the inclusion of a few original men) working in the photographic arts to foster creativity, collaboration & community. Judy believed that artists thrive when they are free to explore within a caring and kind environment and was interested in the spontaneous expressions evoked through collaborative experimentation. Although Judy passed suddenly in 2017, members formed a leadership team to continue Shootapalooza and celebrate her spirit. This has been crucial step to the continued success of this extraordinary group of people.
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The group provides a place to share ideas and techniques, get encouragement and guidance and build enduring friendships. Each member brings a passion for their craft and a joy for supporting others in a non-competitive environment. Though the approaches and interests might be different, the desire to create and share with others is what members have in common. Comradery, conversation, community, inspiration, experimentation, sharing and celebrating the creative are all are important values of this group. We are a diverse group of mostly women photographers from the US, Canada, UK, and Australia.
Members support one another’s growth through:
Communicating frequently and positively.
Hosting/Attending regional & national gatherings.
Teaching techniques and processes to each other.
Portfolio sharing at gatherings.
Sharing through print exchanges.
Exhibiting together as a group.
Engaging the local community.
Historically the group meets annually to share their work and offer workshops taught by members for members. In addition, smaller gatherings are held throughout the year in various regions of the country and often are organized around a project to share with the local community such as wheat pasting or making cyanotype prayer flags for
With the advent of COVID, Shootapalooza used the Zoom platform to provide a weekly community of support for its members during the pandemic. With the help of technology, we were able to pivot to continue sharing and teaching each other by virtual slideshows of ongoing work and community driven conversations. We continue this practice monthly.
We were delighted that in 2022 we were able to return to an in-person gathering in Boston, with an exhibition and community activity in conjunction with the Griffin Museum of Photography. These events along with the members annual meeting spawned new ideas, new goals to propel our organization forward to the next level.
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Judy Sherrod, born July 6, 1956, passed away Friday July 27, 2017. Judy had a great zest for life, and an amazingly generous and loving spirit. She saw the world differently than others because she saw it through the eyes of and artist.
Judy was a recognized photographer, but she excelled in other mediums as well. If a subject piqued her interest, then she researched it, studied it, built it, tested it, then shared it. She was a gifted intellectual. Judy was also an adventurer. She journeyed to the equator and to both poles. Some might have described her as quirky, yet she was a visionary that traveled to the beat of her own drum. Judy will surely be missed by so many whose lives she touched and whose creativity she fostered.