NEW YORK, NY.- Throughout her career, photographic artist Amy Touchette has explored themes of social connectedness, making photographs of people within their social groups and communities. A documentarian and a street photographer, Touchette has utilized photography’s power to create authentic portraits of those who interest her. Her acclaimed series intimately documenting the life of The World Famous *BOB*, a female-female transsexual burlesque star whose performances re-launched the “new burlesque” scene in New York City, was shown in a solo exhibition in 2013 at ClampArt, Touchette’s Gallery in New York City, as well as published in her first monograph: Shoot the Arrow: A Portrait of The World Famous *BOB* (Un-Gyve Press: Boston, 2013). In 2012 The New York Times published images from New York Young, Touchette’s street portrait series illuminating the attitude and vulnerability of young people in New York City.

Following on the success of this celebrated work, Amy Touchette will exhibit prints from her latest series, Street Dailies, at the legendary Max Fish Bar and Art Gallery, which recently re-opened at 120 Orchard Street (between Rivington and Delancey Streets) on the Lower East Side. All of the images in Street Dailies were published on Touchette’s Instagram feed @amostouchette and made using an iPhone — an additional tool in Touchette’s repertoire as she photographs in the tradition of the street photographers whose work she admires: Garry Winogrand, August Sander, and Diane Arbus.

A collection of quintessential New York characters, the images of Street Dailies reveal Touchette’s appreciation for the communities and everyday lives of her subjects. The majority of the images were made in the Williamsburg and Greenpoint neighborhoods of Brooklyn, with some additions from Manhattan and Touchette’s travels away from New York City. Also included in the exhibition are images of filmmaker Melvin Van Peebles at home, filmmaker Albert Maysles at his office, and members of TV on the Radio in a moment backstage at Governors Ball Music Festival in June 2014. (Touchette’s boyfriend is part of the popular New York band.)

Touchette’s images reveal a compelling connection between photographer and subject, timed so that many of the people being photographed are looking into the camera. Dragging on a cigarette, shopping, laughing, touching, on duty or at work, we see these people fully inhabiting their lives. Within the formal constraints and pleasures of the photographic images, these split-second encounters result in uncanny interplay between subject and viewer. We feel curiosity and a desire to meet these people.

The re-opened Max Fish continues its legacy as a downtown New York art bar and space for inventive art exhibitions, making it the perfect venue for Touchette’s exhibition of over 100 color prints from Street Dailies.

Trained at the International Center of Photography, Amy Touchette began her artistic career as a writer and painter, earning a BA in Literature and Studio Art and an MA in Literature. Her photographs have exhibited nationally and internationally, including at Moscow MoMA (Russia), the Pingyao International Photography Festival (China), Arte Fiera OFF (Italy), Noorderlicht International Photofestival and Noorderlicht Gallery (Netherlands). Previously represented by June Bateman Fine Art, Touchette joined ClampArt Gallery in 2013. Touchette has lectured at the School of Visual Arts and the School of the International Center of Photography, among others, and is currently at work on several projects. Street Dailies is her latest and an ongoing series.

In addition to her photography, Touchette works as a freelance photography writer for PDN, Rangefinder, PDNedu, Emerging Photographer, ASMP Bulletin, and other publications.

Touchette’s first monograph, Shoot the Arrow: A Portrait of The World Famous *BOB*, was published by Un-Gyve Press (Boston) in October, 2013. Her work has also appeared in The New York Times (July, 2012), Esquire, Russia (May, 2011), and Loudmouth Press's fine art book Why Are You Surprised I'm Still Here? (November, 2010).