We get to use photography as a communication tool. To tell stories and learn from each other. The challenge is to keep it innovative, to have the ability to engage and respond with students in real time.
Now through May 17, members of the ϡȱ State University community can travel to the (PRC) in Cambridge, where BSU art professors Douglas Breault and Amy Lovera’s work is on display as part of the PHOTO/FACULTY exhibit curated by Catherine LeComte Lecce.
“To be part of this exhibit, to be included with so many amazing artists, I feel honored,” said Lovera, an associate professor in the department.
The show features the work of 52 photography faculty members from 14 institutions. The work ranges from conceptual explorations to documentary storytelling. According to PRC’s online description, the exhibit is intended to honor educators who shape the future of photography through their dual roles as artists and mentors.
“Sometimes being a professor or artist can feel isolating,” Breault said. “To be brought together through this exhibit, it’s revitalizing to see how others approach things. It offers us a chance to share ideas and take suggestions that help to keep that creative energy flowing.”
Lovera’s piece featured in the exhibit, “18 Wishes” was created using an older process where an object is placed on top of photographic paper then exposed to light to create a “white” shadow. The 16 X 20 piece is part of a larger “Securing Shadows” series that Lovera has been working on for the past four years.
“The whole series is about childhood from my perspective as a mom. The temporality of childhood,” she said.
Instructor Breault’s piece, “Slow Swirl at the Edge of the Sea” focuses on the idea of memory, how things change, evolve, and fade over time. He created it as the pandemic began to slow down and his son was just a newborn.
“I was in this period where I was alone and up at night a lot, thinking about how to make things, what happens when I have reflections with mirrors and manipulate scenes,” Breault said.
Aside from having their work featured, both professors look forward to networking with the other artists, many of whom they admire and respect and bring new ideas, generated from conversations, back to their BSU classrooms.
“Our photography program at ϡȱ is unique,” Lovera said. “We have a large dark room, something that not a lot of universities have anymore.”
Located in Hunt Hall, the department also features newer equipment, which allows students to work fluidly between the digital world and other photography techniques.
“We spend a lot of time teaching multiple media practices,” Lovera said. “Our students work physically, digitally…it all helps create something magical, an alchemy.”
Breault said he looks forward to bringing new ideas back to his students, that were created through conversations with the other faculty-artists featured in the exhibit.
“We get to use photography as a communication tool. To tell stories and learn from each other. The challenge is to keep it innovative, to have the ability to engage and respond with students in real time,” he said. “I look forward to helping students figure out their own path, being able to use my knowledge to help them figure out what they want to be.”
Do you have a BSU story you'd like to share? Email stories@bridgew.edu