Light Work exhibition “Digital Transitions” features work from permanent collection beginning Jan. 23

Light Work exhibition “Digital Transitions” features work from permanent collection beginning Jan. 23January 10, 2006Jaime Winne Alvarez jlwinne@syr.edu

Light Work will feature work from its permanent collection in the exhibition “Digital Transitions” Jan. 23-April 1 in the Robert B. Menschel Photography Gallery at the Hildegarde and J. Myer Schine Student Center. A gallery talk with John Mannion, digital lab manager for Community Darkrooms, and a reception will be held Jan. 30 at 6 p.m. in the gallery. The exhibition, gallery talk and reception are free and open to the public.

“Digital Transitions” was funded in part by SU’s U Encounter Grant program and encourages dialogue within the community about the influence of digital technology and changing processes on contemporary artists and image making. The work, all created over the past 15 years, explores the direction some artists are taking in incorporating digital technology in their photographic process. In each piece, digital technology was used somewhere in creating the images.

The artists primarily featured in the exhibition have participated in Light Work’s Artist-in-Residence program or are past Light Work Grant recipients. Light Work encourages participation by a variety of emerging artists and those from underrepresented populations, and as a result the Light Work Permanent Collection is an extensive and diverse archive for the mapping of trends and developments in photography. It includes all genres of expression in contemporary photography, including documentary, abstract, experimental and conceptual work.

In his gallery talk, Mannion will use images featured in the exhibition to discuss the digital process, what decisions need to be made when working digitally, and what has helped influence the work of the artists. He has worked hand-in-hand with many of Light Work’s artists-in-residence to produce high-quality digital prints, including some in the show.

Christopher Secor ’06, a history of art major in the College of Visual and Performing Arts, curated the exhibition. He received a 2005 Robert B. Menschel Internship Award, created to provide support for undergraduate students who are working in the not-for-profit world, supplement student income, and make internships competitive with work in the for-profit sector.

Gallery hours for the exhibition are Sunday-Saturday 10 a.m.-10 p.m. and by appointment. Light Work is a nonprofit, artist-run organization dedicated to the support of artists working in photography and electronic media. For more information or to schedule an appointment, contact Light Work at (315) 443-1300.