Photo Exhibit Celebrates 10th Anniversary of Raymond Walters Program

Sometimes the most interesting comparison is how things change over the years. Come take a quick trip through the past 10 years at RWC's "Ten Years of Student Photography from Electronic Media Communications" which will be on exhibit at the University Galleries on Sycamore, 628 Sycamore St., through March 9, 2007. The photographs are by students at the University of Cincinnati Raymond Walters College as a celebration of the 10th anniversary of the Electronic Media Technology program at Raymond Walters College.

Over 125 photographs will be displayed as prints in the gallery with more than 750 additional images displayed as digital slide shows on four video screens. The student work selected for exhibition was drawn from an archive of approximately 9,000 images collected over the past ten years by Professor H. Michael Sanders. The work was generated in a variety of courses including Photographic Principles & Lighting, Digital Photography, and photo seminars such as Tao of Photography, Studio Photography, and Pinhole Photography.

The work was selected from this enormous archive by Sanders and a group of Electronic Media Communications students including Drew Bowen, Lauren Bowser, Brandon Farmer, Melissa Kyrlach, Jason Levy, Brittany Lindenschmidt, Mike McKeown, and Kristen Santel.

The images selected for the show were digitally prepared by Electronic Media Communications production manager and adjunct instructor, Pete Bender, with the assistance of Kerrie Leigh, producer/director, and student staff members Joe Bou, Ashlee Lyons, Camille Sheets, Todd Uttley, and Rick Yerigan.

As curator of the exhibit, Sanders noted that the wide range of visual style and technique used, and the technical quality evident in the work is impressive. He added, "The core of our photographic studies in Electronic Media Communications is gaining technical control over the processes of exposure, lighting, and depth of field. The fact that the design and aesthetic qualities of the student work is so well developed clearly suggests that they have learned more than just which button to push."

Sanders added, "They’re thinking about how images communicate and express ideas. It’s clear that the technical work accomplished is laying a good foundation to proceed into the realm of artistic expression."

Sanders was also impressed with the dedication and hard work of the handful of students working with him to curate the exhibit by reviewing the thousands of images archived over the past ten years. The group screened 35mm slides or digital image files, and pored over prints in portfolio books all last summer to evaluate almost 9000 photographs produced by Electronic Media Communications students since 1997. All of the images to be considered for the final review by Electronic Media Communications faculty were then digitally scanned and prepared for either printing or use in a digital slide show format.

"The amount of logistical organization, technical preparation, and decision-making to contend with was boggling," said Sanders. "The student curatorial team accomplished this monstrous task with dedication, professionalism and immense good humor. I am extremely proud of what they have accomplished to help make this exhibit possible."

The poster for the show includes a photograph of over twenty students representing all ten years of the photography program reflected in the exhibition. A catalogue of the exhibition will be published on DVD by Electronic Media Communications, which will include all the exhibited prints and digital slide shows, along with a list of participating photographers, an essay about the exhibit, and promotional materials for the show. Details about the exhibition catalogue, including price and ordering information will be available on the department web site [www.rwc.uc.edu/rwcmedia] in January, 2007.

More information and selected images are available at the Electronic Media Communications web site, or contact the department or curator at 513-745-5717 or email rwcmedia@uc.edu.