DARKROOM: An Auction to Benefit the Museum of Contemporary Photography

Photographer Lincoln Schatz welcomes a group of individuals to become part of his morning routine and ritual photographing Lake Michigan at dawn. The group will begin the morning at Belmont Harbor joining Lincoln in his photographic process, engaging in dialogue on the attraction and importance the lake has to Chicago, and him personally. The experience will continue over brunch in Uptown’s iconic restaurant Tweet, surrounded by owner Michelle Fire’s significant collection of photography including famous works by Diane Arbus, Lee Friedlander, Lisette Model, and more. 

This auction experience welcomes one bidder to invite up to 5 additional participants for a lakeside experience and complimentary brunch with Lincoln Schatz. Following the experience, the bidder will receive a framed photograph captured during that morning’s moment at the lake. 


Lincoln Schatz (American, b. 1963) is a contemporary artist and environmentalist living in Chicago. In September 2015 he began to take daily photographs of Lake Michigan. This activity began as a thirty-day experiment and is now in its eighth year. A serial exploration of the lake's landscapes, the project also considers the reward that comes with its long-term relationship with its subject. Schatz gives close attention to both the subtle and profound changes that occur over time in this landscape.
Known for his photography, video, and new media art practice, Schatz focuses on portraits of places, people, and processes over time. He has created large-scale video and sculptural installations that feature new media technologies, as well as a custom-built software that uses generative compositional strategies to study a subject over an extended period of time—creating works that are driven by both chance and memory. His photography has been exhibited internationally including presentations at the National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC; bitforms gallery, New York and Seoul; Sundance Film Festival, Utah; Catharine Clark Gallery, San Francisco; and the Museum of Contemporary Art, San Diego. His works are collected internationally and are in numerous public and private collections including the Museum of Contemporary Photography (MoCP), Chicago; Art Institute of Chicago; National Portrait Gallery, Washington, DC; Hearst Corporation; Pearl Lam Galleries, China; San José Museum of Art; and more.