Dolores Lusitana established Situation Book, a boutique management and creative development company for artists and entrepreneurs, in 2010. Its formation is the result of her more than 30 years as an independent producer, project developer, photo editor, web and graphic designer for both independent artists and established organizations.
Prior to forming Situation Book, Dolores spent ten years as personal executive assistant and project developer for singer/songwriter Paul Simon, also acting as his press liaison on world tours for Graceland and The Rhythm of The Saints. When not on the road, she took lead positions in producing fundraising events for The Children’s Health Fund (CHF), AmFar, The Montauk Lighthouse, and as Producer of a benefit concert at The Dorothy Chandler Pavilion featuring Simon and Garfunkel, Neil Young, and Steve Martin. The event raised $900,000 to help launch The Los Angeles Children’s Health Project, which is California’s branch of the CHF now affiliated with Cedars Sinai. Smaller creative projects include coordinating producer and photo editor for Paul Simon/1964-1993 (4-CD Anthology) and curation of the inaugural museum exhibition for Paul Simon’s induction into The Rock n’ Roll Hall of Fame. Being part of Simon’s creative development team also included working with Poet and Nobel Laureate Derek Walcott for Simon’s Broadway musical about Puerto Rican gang member turned poet, Salvador Agron, The Capeman.
After leaving Paul Simon Music in 1997 to pursue her interest in photography, Dolores was commissioned to produce projects for The Brooklyn Academy of Music, The Nature Conservancy, and The Palm Springs Photo Festival. She became a master archival printer (darkroom) for Sid Avery’s MPTV Photo Archive, The George Hurrell Estate, and independent photographers including Jeff Dunas and Armenian photographer, Ara Oshagan. She served as Photo Editor for Stewart, Tabori & Chang and Esquire Magazine. Her own photography has been published in projects for Welcome Books, magazines, and for the many websites she’s developed and designed for other clients. Her fine art photography series Watercolors: A Deeper Look At The Venice Beach Canals has been exhibited in a number of venues, including a solo exhibition at The Coos Art Museum in Coos Bay, Oregon, in 2017.
Situation Book has allowed Dolores Lusitana to work as a creative collaborator, project developer, and producer for artists working in a variety of styles and mediums, such as photographers Gerd Ludwig (National Geographic), Ethan Russell (music), Robin Bowman (It’s Complicated:The American Teenager) Zeke Berman (contemporary fine art); designers Bart Kresa (large-scale architectural projections), Christian Heckscher (fine art furniture); and artists Alexander Kritselis (painter), Peter Strickman (painter), and C.B. Fraser (collagist/writer) - with whom Dolores designed, developed and produced Fraser’s art book HAIKU CATS, along with an ancillary line of stationary products now sold in gift stores and museums across the country. Moreover, her personal and professional relationships in the photography world have forged long-standing alliances within The Palm Springs Photo Festival, among them former Eastman House director Dr. Anthony Bannon. Dolores brought poet/photographer/activist Joey Tranchina’s archives to Bannon’s attention in 2018, and they are now working together on a book project showcasing Tranchina’s Beat portraits, with an eye to realizing the interest of galleries and a traveling museum exhibition. The book BEATITUDE: The Beat Attitude is scheduled for publication by Steidl Verlag in late 2023.
Dolores Lusitana continues to make photographs when time allows, viewable at www.doloreslusitana.com