Sabrina Toto, Untitled, 2019
Light Work announced the 2020 Transmedia Photography Annual exhibition of photographs by seniors from the art photography program in the Department of Transmedia in the College of Visual and Performing Arts. The exhibition runs through Saturday, March 7, at Light Work, with a reception with the exhibiting artists to be held on Thursday, Jan. 30, from 5-7 p.m.
The reception is free and open to the public, and includes refreshments. Gallery hours are Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m.-9 p.m., Friday from 10 a.m.-6 p.m. and Saturday and Sunday from 1-9 p.m. We invite educators and community groups to schedule guided tours of exhibitions with our curatorial staff. The gallery closes on Syracuse University and Federal holidays. Light Work is located in the Robert B. Menschel Media Center at 316 Waverly Avenue in Syracuse. Visit suart.syr.edu for information about parking and directions to the galleries.
The exhibiting artists are Nathan Baldry, Andrea Bodah, Kali Bowden, Molly Coletta, Laura D’Amelio, Ohemaa Dixon, Jordyn Gelb, Charlotte Howard, George Lambert, Samantha Lane, Meilin Luzadis, Timmy Ok, Jamie Pershing, Duke Plofker, Eliot Raynes, Scott Robinson and Sabrina Toto.
Laura D’Amelio, Spaulding, 2019
Jon Feinstein, independent curator and co-founder of Humble Arts Foundation, served as juror and selected images for Best of Show and Honorable Mention awards. Laura D’Amelio took Best of Show and Honorable Mention went to Timmy Ok.
Feinstein notes, “It was an honor to review thesis work by seniors from the art photography program at Syracuse University. While I didn’t have the opportunity to see it develop over the course of the year, diving in makes me want to know more, to spend more time with each series, to see it continue to grow and evolve. The photographs in this exhibition demonstrate a thoughtful range of approaches, from Honorable Mention Timmy Ok’s mysterious yet empathetic portrait of his brother to Sabrina Toto’s sad yet optimistic photos of her newly divorced parents. I selected Laura D’Amelio as Best in Show. D’Amelio photographs objects that she finds in repo’d cars, whether it’s discarded family photos or a weathered Spalding Basketball, transforms them into living portraits. Congratulations to all of the photographers on their thoughtful and sophisticated work.”
Laura Heyman, associate professor of art photography in the Department of Transmedia, spoke to the importance of the annual collaboration, saying, “Art photography’s close partnership with Light Work benefits students in so many ways. All of our students become members, with access to Light Work Labs and their exceptionally skilled staff. On any given day, students may be working alongside major international artists, forging important relationships and learning how to print, edit and exhibit work by watching working artists do the same thing. Students get to test these skills in the annual TRM Light Work exhibition, which is not only the first exhibition for many art photography majors, but also an important learning opportunity for them. In addition to giving students the space to imagine how their thesis work might develop over the following months, the TRM Annual show introduces their work to their peers, the local community and the renowned curators and critics who jury the exhibition. Light Work is an invaluable intellectual, professional and technical resource for art photography students, providing them with an extraordinary and unique range of real-world skills and experiences.”
Timmy Ok, Flower, 2019
Many students work with Light Work throughout their undergraduate careers and become an integral source of the energy, passion and excitement that defines the organization. The Light Work staff and community congratulate all of these young artists on their accomplishments and wish them the best in their bright futures in the field of photography.
The bachelor of fine arts degree in art photography emphasizes creativity, intellectual development and the acquisition of skills to build professional, technical and visual abilities within the broad and varied field of photography. Art photography students exhibit their work nationally and establish careers working with art galleries, advertising, educational institutions, fashion, magazines, museums, photo studios and other visual industries.
