20 Years of Calendars: Street Scenes and People; Photographs by Michael Gerbino

The desk calendar is seldom considered fine art; generally it garners no special consideration, regarded as general workspace paraphernalia of questionable utility. Yet with the artistic twist that characterizes much of his work, photographer and graphic designer Michael Gerbino has turned the desk calendar into an opportunity to showcase his distinctive design style and his evocative photography. Michael Gerbino: Twenty Years of Calendars covers twenty years of life around the world. A native New Yorker, Gerbino designed the earliest calendars as a tribute to his love of the city where he was born and raised. Small businesses—many of which are now shuttered— are carefully recorded, as well as the people passing by; storefronts mix with poignant portraits of strangers. Even as Gerbino moves beyond New York, beginning with 2007’s visit to the Dominican Republic, his photography maintains his fascination with the beauty of everyday life and the dignity of the people featured in his work.