ART EVENT # 2: Photojournalism Class: Beneath the Surface

This art event was the opening of the exhibition in Boyden Gallery featuring the work of the Photojournalism Class. The work revolved around the student’s experiences with local St. Mary’s Community members. The focus being on local residents who are either underrepresented, unknown, or unappreciated. The setting of the exhibition was intimate and quite, but the visitors to the gallery were filled with excitement and interest. One example of a student’s work comes from Michelle Ladis who spent most of her semester documenting firefighters from a local volunteer station. She not only got to learn about firefighting but she also learned about the firefighters and their lives and commitment. In her work one can see the attachment michelle aquired while being with the firefighters. The images were personal almost. Often focusing on the faces of the firefighters and tense moments during drills and real emergencies. This exhibit definitely reminded me of images from newspapers and the like. It’s definitely a different genre of photography but it never lacks meaning, message, or artistic content. Many of the photographs are images of the figure caught in action.