“CONTACT S14,” the BFA capstone
exhibition in the photography concentration, opens in the Cullis Wade Depot Art
Gallery to the public on Mon., April 21 and will run through May 18. Rebekah
Clare Frisch, John Andrew Yerger, Danval Terrell Lindsey and Jordan Clark
Jaggers will be exhibiting only a sampling from each of their individual
portfolios of twenty images. A public reception for the exhibit will be
held from 5:30 – 7 p.m. in the Cullis Wade Depot Art Gallery on April 24. Professor Marita Gootee and Assistant
Professor Dominic Lippillo will introduce the students at 6 p.m.
This is the second BFA exhibition for
the newly formed photography concentration that evolved from a Fine Arts emphasis.
“The diversity of the work in both
style and concept is very impressive,” said Lippillo. “Each student worked
diligently on his or her portfolio with dedication and passion. In the end it
was a hard decision to narrow down to the pieces that were chosen for the
exhibition. Their work is of a professional level and only represents a small
portion of what we do in the photography concentration.”
Frisch from Hattiesburg explores the
unseen walls that restrict women in her photographic series. She is the
daughter of Margaret and Jim Frisch. In her series, “Visibility,” she uses the
photographs to depicting the structural barriers women face within corporate
America.
“My ‘Visibility’ series represents
these women in such a way that they are ‘visible’ to the viewer, and by doing
so, their problems and struggles become visible as well,” said Frisch.
Gootee said that Frisch’s images have
artifacts of dust and scratches identifying the glass barrier.
“This gives it a rawness that draws
the viewer to see the entrapment of the figures behind the glass,” she said.
Yerger from Madison has a photographic
series titled “Gun Culture: Mississippi.” Yerger is the son of John and Tina
Yerger. He sought out individuals around the state from personal residences to
gun shows and had each stand in front of a white background to be photographed
with their personal firearm. The images are large prints and confront the
viewer.
“The way in which we respond to this
imagery will tell us more about ourselves than any conclusions we can make
about the depicted individuals,” said Yerger.
Gootee stated that it really causes one to become aware of how many guns
there
are out there, and there is not a typical gun owner.
Lindsey from Pontotoc created a
photographic series exploring the figure through abstraction. Lindsey is the
son of Frank and Frankie Cameron. His photographic series, titled “Abstract
Form,” is an observation and exploration of the female body as a sculptural form.
“I use soft and strong contrast
lighting to highlight and capture different shapes of the female figure.” said
Lindsey.
The images are not as large as the
other images in the exhibition. They require the visitor to come closer and
investigate the photographs.
“The intimacy in the viewing of images
accents the quite quality of the photographs,” said Gootee.
Jordan Clark Jaggers from Tupelo has a
photographic series titled “Survivors.” Jaggers is the daughter
of Jeffrey and Amy Jaggers.
“The goal of ‘Survivors’ is to draw
attention to the grief and heartache felt by all families after suffering great
loss,” stated Jaggers.
She hopes that although this body of
work is a representation of her family, that it is also a universal statement
for all families can relate to tragedy. The found class portrait images were
scanned, reprinted digitally, hand tinted, scanned again, cropped and digitally
enlarged with text applied in the digital post construction.
“One word tells the story per person,”
said Gootee. “They all have a powerful story to tell us as they hang on the
wall in silence.”
The largest university art program in
the state, the MSU Department of Art was formed in 1968 and offers the Bachelor
of Fine Arts degree in Art with concentrations in fine art, graphic design and
photography. The photography concentration is the newest in the department.
Photography transitioned from an emphasis to a concentration in 2013.
For additional information about the 2014 spring
exhibitions, contact exhibitions coordinator Jake Weigel at
662-325-2970 or jweigel@caad.msstate.edu.
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