Light Work is featuring the “2018 Transmedia Photography Annual” exhibition, featuring photographs by seniors from the art photography program in the Department of Transmedia within the College of Visual and Performing Arts. The exhibition will be on view in the Hallway Gallery at Light Work through March 2. There will be an opening reception on Thursday, Feb.1, from 5-7 p.m. Refreshments will be served.
“Quarry Loc” by Lashelle Ramirez, named Best in Show in the 2018 Transmedia Photography Annual
Light Work is located in the Robert B. Menschel Media Center at 316 Waverly Ave.
Exhibiting students include: Nora Alexandra-Young, Sydney Aliza Howard, Carly Bova, Anna Braun Heckler, Danielle A. Brown, Kendall C. Cooleen, Ericka Lynne Jones-Craven, Aman M. Kurien, Yvette Marie Moreno, Everett Putnam-Mackey, Lashelle Ramirez and Michelle Velasquez.
Paula Tognarelli, executive director and curator of the Griffin Museum of Photography, served as juror to select images for Best of Show and Honorable Mentions. Best of Show went to Lashelle Ramirez, and Honorable Mentions went to Nora Alexandra-Young, Danielle A. Brown, and Ericka Lynne Jones-Craven.
According to Tognarelli:
“In a gathering of photographic submissions, a juror can sense the pulse of a community. From a sampling of photographs, I try to approximate what is on the minds of the artists of the 2018 Transmedia Photography Annual. ‘Who am I?’ and ‘Where do I belong?’ are common interrogatives of youth. From Socrates to every generation hence there is a constant to explore the reason to be. An examination of self is evident in this exhibition.
“In some cases, the artist deliberates the body as in ‘Quarry Loc’” by Lashelle Ramirez, who received Best in Show. Theirs is a study awash in brown color variations and compositional movement. Our focus travels from sand to coils of hair and along the linear turn of the shoulder and neck. The subject remains anonymous.
“In other images, artists are attuned to their surroundings and family and friends that bind them to a place. ‘Hors’” by Nora Alexandra-Young received an Honorable Mention. The strength of this photograph comes from a gesture that implies comfort, connection and empathy. A girl places her hand on a horse’s heart. Touch, not sight, unite the two.
“Ericka Lynne Jones-Craven received an Honorable Mention for ‘Water’” In hindsight, the photograph of ‘Mary’ should have received an award, as ‘Mary’ informs ‘Water’ and vice versa. The brown skin, the outstretched arms and the blue of water and veil complement both photographs. The figure floating in water, almost an abstraction, is reminiscent of a painting by Rubens called ‘The Assumption: The Feast of Mary the Virgin’ and another by Rubens in 1516 called ‘The Assunta.’
“Finally, ‘A Borne Silver Lining’ by Danielle Brown also received an Honorable Mention. The subject stands on a train platform. She confronts the viewer with confidence. What I respond to is the photograph’s mystery, its steel-gray pallet and the process of uncovering the artist’s intent.”
Light Work’s close partnership with the Department of Transmedia provides art photography students with full access to its production facilities, lectures and workshops. Many students have worked with Light Work throughout their undergraduate careers and have become an integral source of the energy, passion and excitement that defines the organization. “The Light Work staff and community congratulate all of the seniors on their accomplishments, and wish them the best in their bright futures within the field of photography,” says Cjala Surratt, promotions coordinator at Light Work.
Tognarelli is executive director and curator of the Griffin Museum of Photography. The Griffin Museum of Photography, located in Winchester outside Boston, is a nonprofit photography museum whose mission is to promote an appreciation of photographic art and a broader understanding of its visual, emotional and social impact. Tognarelli is responsible for producing over 60 exhibitions a year at the Griffin and its surrounding satellite spaces. She holds an M.S. in arts administration from Boston University, B.A. from Regis College, is a graduate of the New England School of Photography and is a current candidate for her master’s in education at Lesley University. She has juried and curated exhibitions internationally, including American Photo’s Image of the Year, Photoville’s Fence, Flash Forward Festival, Deland Arts Festival, Center for Fine Art Photography, PDN’s Photo Annual, PDN’s Curator Awards, the Kontinent Awards, the Filter Festival in Chicago, San Francisco International Photography Exhibition, Your Daily Photograph for Duncan Miller Gallery and the Lishui International Photography Festival in Lishui, China.
