The Art of Macro Photography – Liquids! presentation in Sedona April 24

Apr 19, 2023 By Admin in Photography

Dancing Down The Rabbit Hole by Amy Horn.

Join the Sedona Camera Club for a presentation by professional photographer Amy Horn. The meeting starts at 6:30 p.m. on Monday, April 24 at the Mary D. Fisher Theater, 2030 W. State Route 89A, Suite B-2, Sedona. Doors open at 6 p.m. The Club’s annual business meeting will precede Amy’s presentation.

Join Amy as she presents the ‘Art of Macro Photography – Liquids!’ She will explain her methods for capturing abstract images of liquids from water drops to paint, oil, and milk, and include behind-the-scenes images. In addition, she will include tips and tricks for creating your own setups at home and where to find the gear. Finally, she will share her newest cross-polarization and colored paper projects to inspire your creativity.

Amy lives in Flagstaff, Arizona, and has enthusiastically shared her knowledge in software and photography-related fields in secondary and post-secondary levels since 1995. With a Master’s Degree in Education, she enjoys demonstrating photographic techniques both in the classroom and out in the field.

In addition to teaching photography, her photo interests include macro, water, studio splash photography, ice, wildlife, sports, and travel. Let’s face it – if it’s not a wedding, she’s shot it. Amy says, “For me, the joy in photography comes from finding the extraordinary image of the ordinary subject.”

Her ongoing personal project is photographing water: from oceans to ice. During the summer of 2018, she spent 10 weeks in a teardrop trailer along the Pacific Coast in search of lakes, rivers, waterfalls, oceans, and mist while on a year-long sabbatical.

Amy loves teaching photography. An educator at Northern Arizona University, she also teaches workshops with Arizona Highways PhotoScapes. Her publications include Arizona Highways, Gold Prospectors Association, and her co-authored book, The Art of Macro Photography. When she is not teaching, she enjoys time with her family, running, and photographing the tiny landscapes around her.

To see more of Amy’s work, visit HornDesigns.com.

Presentations, hosted by the Sedona Camera Club, are free to members. There is a $5 fee for guests. The Club does not have any requirements for COVID precautions. Attendees are welcome to wear masks. Local photographers are encouraged to join to support bringing high-quality speakers to promote interest in photography and develop photographic skills. Membership costs $35 for the whole year. For more information on the Sedona Camera Club, go to SedonaCamera.Club.

An A.I. Hit of Fake ‘Drake’ and ‘The Weeknd’ Rattles the Music World

Apr 19, 2023 By Admin in Art World News

A track like “Heart on My Sleeve,” which went viral before being taken down by streaming services this week, may be a novelty for now. But the legal and creative questions it raises are here to stay.

For Drake and the Weeknd, two of the most popular musicians on the planet, the existence of “Heart on My Sleeve,” a track that claimed to use A.I. versions of their voices to create a passable mimicry, may have qualified as a minor nuisance — a short-lived novelty that was easily stamped out by their powerful record company.

But for others in the industry, the song — which became a viral curio on social media, racking up millions of plays across TikTok, Spotify, YouTube and more before it was removed this week — represented something more serious: a harbinger of the headaches that can occur when a new technology crosses over into the mainstream consciousness of creators and consumers before the necessary rules are in place.

“Heart on My Sleeve” was the latest and loudest example of a gray-area genre that has exploded in recent months: homemade tracks that use generative artificial intelligence technology, in part or in full, to conjure familiar sounds that can be passed off as authentic, or at least close enough. It earned instant comparisons to earlier technologies that disrupted the music industry, including the dawn of the synthesizer, the sampler and the file-sharing service Napster.

Yet while A.I. Rihanna singing a Beyoncé song or A.I. Kanye West doing “Hey There Delilah” may seem like a harmless lark, the successful (if brief) arrival of “Heart on My Sleeve” on official streaming services, complete with shrewd online marketing from its anonymous creator, intensified alarms that were already ringing in the music business, where corporations have grown concerned about A.I. models learning from, and then diluting, their copyrighted material.

Universal Music Group, the largest of the major labels and home to both Drake and the Weeknd, had already flagged such content to its streaming partners this month, citing intellectual property concerns. But in a statement this week, the company spoke to the broader stakes, asking “which side of history all stakeholders in the music ecosystem want to be on: the side of artists, fans and human creative expression, or on the side of deep fakes, fraud and denying artists their due compensation.”

Artists and their labels are confident, at least for the time being, that the social and emotional component of fandom will separate the work of the real Drake from a fake one, even if an A.I. version can nod at his emotional preoccupations and musical tics.

But whether superstars could have their pockets picked, or become altogether obsolete in favor of machines that can imitate them, is only one side of the equation. Royalty-free music generators can be used now to compose a rap beat, a commercial jingle or a film score, cutting into an already fragile economy for working musicians.

And as generative A.I. booms and rapidly improves across text, images, sound and video, experts say the technology could reshape creative industries at all levels, with fans, artists and the systems that govern them having to adjust to new norms on the fly.

“It is now possible to produce infinite media in the style or likeness of someone else, soon with little effort, so we all have to come to terms with what that means,” the musician Holly Herndon, who has studied and used A.I. in her work for years, wrote in an email.

“The question is, as a society, do we care what Drake really feels or is it enough to just hear a superficially intelligent rendering?” she asked. “For some people that will not be enough. However, when you consider that most people listening to Spotify are doing so just to have something pleasant to listen to, it complicates things.”

The breakthrough success of “Heart on My Sleeve,” uploaded by a user called ghostwriter, has helped bring music to the forefront of a conversation that has intensified lately around other mediums, especially since the release of Open AI’s ChatGPT language model and image generators like DALL-E. Commenting under the track on YouTube, ghostwriter promised, “This is just the beginning.”

Courts and lawmakers are only beginning to sort out questions of ownership when it comes to A.I., and copyrights in music can be complicated as it is. For now, protected intellectual property can only be created by humans, but what about when musicians collaborate with the machines?

Martin Clancy, a musician and the chair of a global committee that seeks to explore the ethics of A.I. in the arts, said the music industry was more organized than some other fields grappling with the rise of A.I.

“What’s at stake are things we take for granted: listening to music made by humans, people doing that as a livelihood and it being recognized as a special skill,” he said.

It was unclear exactly which elements of “Heart on My Sleeve” — the lyrics, the instrumental beat, the melody, the vocals — were created by A.I. (Ghostwriter declined to comment.)

Some songs have been written by real people and recorded with real human vocals, before being replaced by A.I. imitations of brand-name artists using tools that had “learned” from existing music and produced a similar effect. Those could invite one form of legal challenge: Artists and photographers, for instance, have sued image generators for creating derivative versions of their work.

But a human creator passing off her own song as being performed by a famous artist, or promoting it commercially using that singer’s name or likeness, could lead to a different kind of legal threat. In the past, musicians including Tom Waits and Bette Midler have successfully argued in court that they had a right to not just their musical compositions or recordings, but their voices, in the face of sound-alike imitators in advertisements.

In this case, getting “Heart on My Sleeve” removed from services where it could have earned streaming royalties — and even charted on Billboard — may have been even simpler for Drake, the Weeknd and Universal Music. The track appeared to use a popular vocal snippet from the rapper Future that implied the song was produced by Metro Boomin, a sample of a master recording that was not cleared for use.

Drake, the Weeknd and Metro Boomin declined to comment. (Last week, in response to another track that used an A.I. Drake voice to perform Ice Spice’s “Munch,” Drake wrote cheekily on Instagram, “This is the final straw AI.”)

Aside from raising questions of legality, such technology can introduce knotty ethical concerns regarding race and identity. Last year, Capitol Records apologized and dropped the digital rap avatar FN Meka after critics said the project amounted to a form of blackface. Among the recent explosion of A.I. imitations, rap has emerged as the most common playground.

“It’s another way for people who are not Black to put on the costume of a Black person — to put their hands up Kanye or Drake and make him a puppet — and that is alarming to me,” said Lauren Chanel, a writer on tech and culture. “This is just another example in a long line of people underestimating what it takes to create the type of art that, historically, Black people make.”

But for musicians like Herndon, who has provided her own A.I. voice as a tool for other musicians — complete with a system for compensation — and created a company, Spawning, to build consent guidelines for A.I., there can be magic in harnessing the future fairly and ethically.

“There is more opportunity in exploring this technology than trying to shut it down,” she said.

While meme art like “Heart on My Sleeve” may quickly become “a real cultural force,” she added, “the novelty will eventually be exhausted.” What will remain are the artistic possibilities “when anyone can assume the identity of someone else, even just for a second, as an expressive tool.”

As the technology continues to advance and is adopted in novel ways, someone may eventually do for A.I. voice models — part of what Herndon calls “identity play” — what producers like Prince Paul and J Dilla did for sampling.

“As an artist I am interested in what it means for someone to be me, with my permission, and maybe even be better at being me in different ways,” Herndon said. “The creative possibilities there are fascinating and will change art forever. We just have to figure out the terms and tech.”

‘Us’ sculpture unveiled at MSUFCU headquarters in East Lansing

Apr 19, 2023 By Admin in Sculpture

The artists said the sculpture, which was revealed Wednesday, represents unity across the area.

Spotlight: Abstract Expressionist Ethel Schwabacher Was a Fixture of the 1950s New York Art World. A New Exhibition Revives Her Legacy

Apr 19, 2023 By Admin in Native

Every month, hundreds of galleries add newly available works by thousands of artists to the Artnet Gallery Network—and every week, we shine a spotlight on one artist or exhibition you should know. Check out what we have in store, and inquire for more with one simple click.

About the Artist: A native New Yorker, Ethel Schwabacher (1903–1984) spent much of her career steeped in the vibrant and dynamic art scene of the city, and she is today recognized as an important and influential member of the Abstract Expressionist movement. While current art historical scholarship frequently investigates the work of women artists who have been overlooked, Schwabacher is significant in that she was quite well-known in her time. She was represented by the famed Betty Parsons Gallery, a hub of avant-garde art in the 1940s and ’50s, and moved in the same circles as artists like Willem de Kooning, Kenzo Okada, and José Guerrero. Arshile Gorky, an artist credited as a seminal influence on Abstract Expressionism, was a close friend and mentor of Schwabacher, and she ultimately wrote and published Gorky’s biography in 1957. Gorky introduced Schwabacher to automatism in the 1930s, a mode of artmaking that emphasizes the subconscious mind, which in conjunction with prevailing abstract trends in the art world, led the artist to develop her own distinct and inimitable artistic style. Her work is held in numerous important collections today, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, California; and Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, D.C., among others.

Ethel Schwabacher (ca. 1920s). Courtesy of Berry Campbell, New York.

What You Need to Know: Opening tomorrow, April 20, with a reception from 6–8 p.m., and on view through May 26, 2023, Berry Campbell in New York presents “Ethel Schwabacher: Woman in Nature (Paintings from the 1950s),” the gallery’s first show on Schwabacher—and the artist’s first solo show in New York in 30 years. Berry Campbell has developed a specialty in significant women artists from the 1950s, and Schwabacher is a fitting addition to the gallery’s roster. Many of the works on view have not been exhibited since they were included in one of the artist’s five solo shows with Betty Parsons Gallery, counting the present exhibition’s large-scale cornerstone Prometheus (1959). Accompanied by a 26-page exhibition catalogue containing an essay by Dr. Joan M. Marter, the exhibition offers an exciting opportunity to see one of Abstract Expressionism’s more prominent woman artists.

Ethel Schwabacher (ca. 1955). Courtesy of Berry Campbell, New York.

Why We Like It: Schwabacher’s vivid and gestural compositions within the exhibition at Berry Campbell illustrate the confluence of influences and inspirations she employed. While each painting contains its own inherent logic and balance, the unencumbered brushstrokes and free use of color convey a sense of immediacy and vigor. Works such as Seasons and Days: July (1955) offers a tantalizing glimpse into her world and vision, evoking the sense of a landscape or window view filtered through her own finely honed abstract style—and evidencing the continued influence of automatism. Later in the decade, Origins I (1958) eschews any hint of the representational, and embodies total abstraction. Though Schwabacher established a presence and career for herself in her lifetime, her oeuvre has still not garnered the same academic or critical attention as her male counterparts. This exhibition presents the opportunity not only to bring Schwabacher’s work back to the spotlight, but also initiate a renewed interest in her work within the art world at large.

See featured works from the exhibition below.

Ethel Schwabacher, Seasons and Days: July (1955). Courtesy of Berry Campbell, New York.

Ethel Schwabacher, Steps of the Sun (1957). Courtesy of Berry Campbell, New York.

Ethel Schwabacher, Return No. 3 (1957). Courtesy of Berry Campbell, New York.

Ethel Schwabacher, Origins I (1958). Courtesy Berry Campbell, New York.

Ethel Schwabacher, Prometheus (1959). Courtesy of Berry Campbell, New York.

“Ethel Schwabacher: Woman in Nature (Paintings from the 1950s)” is on view at Berry Campbell, New York, through May 26, 2023.

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Review: Fujifilm’s new X-T5 mirrorless camera made me love photography more than ever before

Apr 19, 2023 By Admin in Photography

If you’re in the photography scene at all, there’s no avoiding just how popular the Fujifilm X100V is. And even if you’re not, odds are you’ve at least seen someone on TikTok or Twitter sharing gorgeous photos all across social media. But if you’ve tried to get your hands on one, all of that popularity has made it nearly impossible to bring those signature vibes to your photography kit.

Last fall, Fujifilm released the new X-T5, a mirrorless camera that not only delivers on those signature vintage shooting capabilities and old-school form factor but packs even more professional features. As far more than just the next best thing to its famous brethren, I’ve been putting the new camera through its paces over the past few months.

Hands-on with the Fujifilm X-T5

The latest edition of Fujifilm’s higher-end mirrorless camera lineup, the X-T5, first hit the scene back in November of last year. It’s a predecessor to the 2020 X-T4, delivering a number of quality-of-life adjustments and improvements along the way. All packed into a smaller body than before, the new release still has that trademark retro flourish while also delivering a higher resolution 40.2-megapixel sensor backed by improved autofocus and so much more.

Here’s a quick look at the specs:

40.2 megapixels X-Trans CMOS 5 HR sensor.
7-Stop 5-axis in-body image stabilization
Weather resistant structure
4K 120p, 6.2K 30p, FHD 240p 10-Bit Video
425-Point Intelligent Hybrid AF System
3.69m-Dot OLED Electronic Viewfinder
3″ 1.84m-Dot Tilting Touchscreen LCD
20 fps E. Shutter, 15 fps Mech. Shutter
160MP Pixel Shift Multi-Shot
Bluetooth and Wi-Fi Connectivity
ProRes & Blackmagic RAW via HDMI

For the past few years, I’ve been a Sony girl through and through. In that time, I’ve been rocking the A6400, which has served as the workhorse of my photography for 9to5Toys and beyond. As much as I loved the shots I could pull off with it, the camera just wasn’t that fun for use outside of my professional life. That’s really what drew me to the Fujifilm X-T5 in the first place, though I did learn that there’s more to the camera than its film-inspired features.

Physical controls and a solid build

Easily one of the most enticing aspects of any Fujifilm camera is its superb build quality, and the X-T5 is no exception. Everything from the metal body to the textured grip makes this one delight of a camera to hold, and the smaller body size means that it’s also more comfortable for extended periods of time.

On top of just looking like an old-school camera with the optional chrome finish, there are also the brand’s signature physical controls on top. It’s a design philosophy that I adored in theory before I actually got my hands on the camera and that I have really come to love in actual practice. Having quick access to all of the ISO, shutter speed, and exposure adjustments I need – without having to dig through settings or look at the screen – really makes shooting with the Fujifilm X-T5 such a blast.

It’s far easier to dial in settings in a pinch than the simplified control schemes from over in the Sony camp. There was certainly a bit of a learning curve, but once I got the hang of it, Fujifilm’s signature design isn’t something I am going to be ditching any time soon.

Not everything is perfect, though. As much as the Fujifilm X-T5 likes to think that it’s an all-arounder for general photography, there are some areas where the build falls short. The biggest of these is the touchscreen. It’s certainly responsive and makes it easy to get the autofocus dialed into the subject of your scene, but it lacks the articulation that even its predecessor had. I suppose that’s one of the sacrifices of the more compact design, but not being able to position the screen in-view to take selfies or vlogs or anything of the sort does limit its potential for me. It’s hardly enough to knock this out of my everyday carry, but it’s something that does make me yearn for what could have been.

Vintage features steal the show

Physical form factor aside, the biggest element of the Fujifilm X-T5 that drew my attention was its film-simulation technology. It’s something of a trademark for Fujifilm and isn’t exclusive to the X-T series. But combined with the massive 40.2 MP sensor, the promise of being able to take detailed photos with fun effects called to me in a way that previous DSLRs and mirrorless cameras haven’t.

Packed into the X-T5 are 19 different film-simulation modes that let you digitally replicate the look of classic film photography. There are so many options to recreate the look of old photographs, all of which are far from just adding filters on top of finished shots. And if the built-in monochrome simulation, motion picture recreation, and other ultra-vivid modes aren’t quite cutting it, you can also go in and fine-tune your own custom adjustments.

I’ve been particularly obsessed with the color priority mode that adds such a distinct flair to many of the photos I take. And if all of that wasn’t enough, you can even go in and add grain to your photos – you know, to really deliver on the vintage photography vibes that a film camera would.

Makes me feel like a real pro

The biggest praise that I can give to the Fujifilm X-T5 is that it makes me feel like such a pro. I might take photos for a living here reviewing gear at 9to5Toys, but I’m far from a “professional” in a more classic sense of the word. But this camera truly makes me feel like one. So many shots leave the camera without any editing and are instantly ready for sharing on social media. I bought the X-T5 to really start getting into more casual photography and enjoy shooting as a hobby, and the camera has already accomplished that. It’s just plain fun to shoot with, and more importantly, it produces results that give me more pride in my work than I’ve felt from almost anything captured on my old A6400.

That’s led the X-T5 to become an essential part of my everyday carry. Whether I’m going out on a Saturday morning to get some coffee or you see me heading out for the night in Brooklyn, Fujifilm’s latest has been glued to my person. In fact, it’s even become my preferred way to take photos – period. I’m a person of convenience through and through these days, and all of the ease-of-use features that are packed into the camera help make it worth taking the second to switch on the X-T5 and capture a shot. My iPhone 14’s camera has certainly been feeling a little neglected as of late, and please don’t tell it, but that’s likely not going to change anytime soon.

Over the past few months, I’ve been using the Fujifilm X-T5 for everything from product shots for reviews to just street photography, portraits, and other odds and ends. You’ve likely already seen countless photos that fit into the former category, and if you follow me on social media, then all of the others have certainly popped up on your feed here and there.

Product shots:

Street photography:

9to5Toys’ Take

Clocking in at $1,700, the Fujifilm X-T5 isn’t going to be for every photographer. But if you’re like me and are looking for a new addition to your kit or just your first serious camera, there is so much to love. It may even clock in at a higher MSRP than the X100V that has captured the minds of photographers all around the world and the Internet, but that difference in price is so worth it to me.

I personally picked up the kit version that includes the XF16-80mm lens and then went out to get an even more compact XF23mm lens from Fujinon, which is what you see in the review photos above. That secondary pickup has served me so well that I almost don’t even reach for the XF16-80mm anymore – especially not when I am using the camera to capture street photography. I’d easily recommend getting just the X-T5 camera body alongside the XF23mm lens and calling it a day. You won’t be disappointed in the performance, and one of the improvements over the X100V is that you can, in fact, swap the lens.

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A Budget Way to Have a 3-Camera Live Stream

Apr 19, 2023 By Admin in Photography

Streaming has become a core part of our digital lives and serves so many purposes now. Having a 3-camera live stream has typically been highly expensive and difficult to setup. Well, if you’re interested in that, this is far more achievable.

Streaming feels as if it has been around for so long, but with every passing year, it establishes itself into the foundations of more areas. I have seen weddings, tutorials, behind the scenes of photoshoots, questions and answer sessions, and much more, live streamed. There has been a sharp rise in the uptake of this form of media with covid lockdowns which forced many people online.

In fact, since 2020, I have had to be on camera so much at my desk, I created a live stream setup, even though I don’t stream all that much — it was just a worthwhile expense given the more than weekly call for it. There have been many times when I would have liked to have more than one camera. Sometimes it’s simply for creative purposes, and other times it would be nice to have a camera on my face and then a camera on my hands to show what I’m looking at. This Logitech Mevo 3-camera live streaming kit could have solved that problem in a cost-effective way, though it would sacrifice some image quality.

UNK recognizes retirees, employment milestones at Celebrating Excellence luncheon

Apr 19, 2023 By Admin in Art World News

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The University of Nebraska at Kearney recognized 2022-23 retirees and employees who reached significant service milestones during an event Tuesday in the Nebraskan Student Union Ponderosa Room.

The annual Celebrating Excellence Retirement and Service Award Luncheon included a meal and ceremonies honoring numerous faculty and staff.

10 Years of Service

Sean Arnold, Facilities Management & Planning; Kristie Artz, Financial Aid; Aaron Blackman, Communication; Christopher Blocher, Facilities Management & Planning; Noelle Bohaty, Music, Theatre & Dance; Surabhi Chandra, Biology; Martin Christensen, Facilities Management & Planning; Ford Clark, Communication; Anne Cummings, Biology; Jonathan Dettman, Modern Languages; Jodie Fisher, Information Technology Services; Steph Gallaway, University Communications & Marketing; Todd Gottula, University Communications & Marketing; Patrick Hargon, Learning Commons; Staci Jacobson, Teacher Education; Tom Knott, Health Science Programs; Kristy Kounovsky-Shafer, Chemistry; Shawn Lienemann, Information Technology Services; Sandra Loughrin, Sociology; Dan May, Art and Design; Patrick McMahon, Facilities Management & Planning; Nathan Moore, Information Technology Services; Jeff Morehead, Facilities Management & Planning; Amy Nebesniak, Mathematics & Statistics; Aurora Ramirez Best, Facilities Management & Planning; Eric Rosenthal, Facilities Management & Planning; Whitney Ryan, Intercollegiate Athletics; Randy Slaymaker, Facilities Management & Planning; Christina Sogar, Social Work; Maria Van Renen, English; Phu Vu, Teacher Education; Michelle Warren, Modern Languages; Fletcher Ziwoya, Communication.

15 Years of Service

Megan Adkins, Kinesiology & Sports Science; Autumn Bartak-Jensen, Library; Doug Biggs, International Education; Sharon Campbell, Music, Theatre, & Dance; Mark Dahlke, Management; Lisa Dusatko, Student Health & Counseling; Tim Franco, Facilities Management & Planning; Jeff Halbert, Facilities Management & Planning; Ralph Hanson, Communication; Jayne Heimer, International Education; Steve Klein, WC Computer Lab; Margaret Klimek, Office of the University Registrar; Matt McDowall, Library; Grace Mims, Counseling, School Psychology & Family Studies; Matt Mims, Counseling, School Psychology & Family Studies; Jan Moore, Communication Disorders; Tammi Ohmstede-Schmoker, Counseling, School Psychology & Family Studies; Vanessa Rieck, COE-CIT; Noah Rogoff, Music, Theatre & Dance; Chelsea Swarm, Human Resources; Jody VanLaningham, Social Work; Julie Walker, Facilities Management & Planning.

20 Years of Service

Paul Burger, Geography; Darby Carlson, Biology; Kim Carlson, Biology; Michael Cremers, Facilities Management & Planning; Damon Day, Kinesiology & Sports Science; Megan Fryda, Academic Resources & Institutional Research; Jodi Holt, Admissions; Jake Jacobsen, Communication; Susan Jensen, Management; Dawn Mollenkopf, Teacher Education; Kaye Sorensen, Mathematics & Statistics.

25 Years of Service

Jolene Berg, Finance Office; Kurt Bochard, Sociology; Paula Fuestman, Procurement & Payment Services; Brandon Hammond, Information Technology Services; Patricia Hoehner, Educational Administration; David Hof, Counseling, School Psychology & Family Studies; Todd Jensen, Library; Matthew Johnson, Financial Aid; Lisa Neal, Office of the University Registrar.

30 Years of Service

Nanette Hogg, Communication; Richard Schuessler, Art and Design; Sri Seshadri; Marketing/Agribusiness/Supply Chain Management; Janet Steele, Biology.

35 Years of Service

George Lawson, Communication; Peter Longo, Political Science.

40 Years of Service

Sonja Darveau, Finance Office; Bruce Elder, Accounting/Finance/Economics; Tom Kropp, Kinesiology & Sports Science; Darla Morris, Nebraska Safety Center.

45 Years of Service

Colleen Lewis, Library

55 Years of Service

Jack Garrison, Theatre

2022-23 Retirees

Kristy Buchmeier, Educator Certification Office; Susan Jensen, Management; Joy Kutsch, Facilities Management & Planning; Colleen Lewis, Library; Thomas Martin, Philosophy; Judith Matyo-Cepero, Teacher Education; Dan May, Art and Design; Jerry Rodriguez, Facilities Management & Planning; Robert Scarborough, Facilities Management & Planning; Steve Schulz, Intercollegiate Athletics; Kaye Sorensen, Mathematics & Statistics; Joni Weed, Advising & Career Development.

‘You Shoulda Been There!’ Jazz photography exhibit hangs at Madison arts center

Apr 19, 2023 By Admin in Photography

MADISON – Running from April 7 through Sunday, May 7, all are invited to witness photographer Patrick Hilaire’s shots of prominent jazz musicians in rehearsal and performance at the Madison Community Arts Center, 10 Kings Road.

“I’m constantly drawn to live music to attempt to capture the relationship between images and sound,” says Hilaire, the latest artist to be showcased in the arts center’s “Roseum Gallery.”

Visiting artist showcases photography

Apr 19, 2023 By Admin in Photography

Lexi Grieder

Visiting artist Lisa Elmaleh speaks at a guest lecture on Monday.

An award-winning photographer on Monday showcased photos she took at places like the U.S.-Mexico border and the Everglades.

At the event, hosted by AACC’s Photography Club, photographer Lisa Elmaleh spoke about her time taking photos and meeting asylum seekers at the Southern border.

“I’m really glad that Lisa was able to talk about a topic that a lot of people maybe don’t want to talk about … which was the border wall,” photography professor Matthew Moore said. “And so I’m kind of really glad that she went there and used photography in a way to have that conversation.”

Elmaleh’s work is featured in publications including Harper’s Magazine, CNN, Smithsonian Magazine and The New York Times.

“I mean, the turnout was great, the questions were really poignant,” Elmaleh said. “And I’m appreciative of all the students that showed up.”

Fifth-year photography student Graig Bracey, who takes photos for Campus Current, agreed the event had a good turnout.

“I feel like it inspired a lot of people who are into photography as a media form just more so and just learning from someone outside of a professor who does this for a living professionally,” Bracey said. “I felt [it] was really beneficial.”

Moore said the event was a good learning experience for photography students.

“The exciting thing for these students is that they’re getting access to … a professional photographer, a well-known photographer … that is not one of their professors,” Moore, coordinator of AACC’s photo program, said. “And so they’re getting opinions that are very sort of fresh and objective and outside of what they would normally have access to.”

First-year environmental science student Brendan Orlove said his main takeaway from the event was, “I think, for the most part, it was the impact of seeing, … the photos of the border, that was my main thing.”

Peter Spurrier, the Dean of Rowing Photographers, Passes

Apr 19, 2023 By Admin in Photography

Peter Spurrier, the indisputable father of modern rowing photography, passed away on April 18 at the age of 77, with his longtime partner Karon by his side.

Pete had a long and storied career as the dean of rowing photographers, starting in 1982 after having rowed in school and at British clubs. Pete’s photographs have been published in countless newspaper, magazines, books, and websites; he was given an exhibit at the River & Rowing Museum in 2011, given a Sports Journalists Association Award in 2015, and published one of the first (and few) coffee table books of rowing photography. If I have the math right, Spurrier photographed at least nine Olympics.

Peter took countless rowing photographers under his wing, sharing with them with tricks of the trade, teaching how to read the ‘room’ at the start line, finish line, and medals stand, and bringing his hard working but calming presence into play.

After a World Championships week with Spurrier, you knew what to do, where to be, who to trust – and what not to do, where not to be, and who not to trust. Peter had the situation wired, and held none of it back from young photographers who could use and appreciate the master’s touch.

A superb storyteller, Peter told serious, hilarious, historical, and even ribald stories along the banks of racecourses worldwide; never a bore, a session alongside Spurrier was a don’t-miss opportunity at Henley, the Charles, Worlds, the Olympics, and anywhere he was working.

Spurrier was also a consummate pro, never getting caught up in politics, rivalries, or petty arguments; he got the job done beautifully and with humor – his sly, sometimes nearly silent laugh was legion, and the perfect play and antidote for a long day on the starting pontoons.

Even in the most intense situations in photo scrums at the Olympics and elsewhere, Peter kept his head and humor in ways that most of us could only aspire to, and be forced to admire without matching.

Peter and his partner Karon Phillips have been fixtures at international events for years, Peter behind the lens and Karon working with WorldRowing and in other capacities. At the end of each day they met in the media center before leaving the venue for the day, and sent the lot of us off with warm banter and warmer feelings until the next morning of racing.

Peter was a mentor and friend to truly every row2k photographer and writer who has spent time with him on the international racing circuit; row2k takes a lot of photos obviously, and Peter’s tutelage and friendship is embedded in every one of them. Talk about the one guy you will miss spending time with on the racing circuit, Peter is that guy.