Virginia Intermont Faculty Photographic Exhibition

"Palm with Aluminum and Glass", an inkjet print by Joe Champagne

Joe Champagne was born in Miami and has spent the last 23 years in Bristol. He Joined the faculty in 1987 and is a Professor teaching primarily photography courses with a fine art emphasis. He has taught just about every course offered over the years except lighting studio. He is also Chair, Fine Arts Division (art, music, theatre, photography). He received an A.S. degree from Southeast Center for Photography, a B.F.A. from the University of Central Florida, and a M.F.A. from East Carolina University. Joe’s philosophy toward his photographs is “You don’t take a photograph, you make it. Photographs seem so realistic that it is easy to forget that we are looking at an object in and of itself, a print, not a reflection of something else that happened to look beautiful.” He further provides a quotation from photographer John Loengard: “...there is no subject in the world I have ever wanted to photograph. It's the picture, not the object, that is important to me.” This approach is evident in the Gicleé Prints (archival inkjet prints) of the “straight” digital images that Joe has on display. He reflects on his images: “ ’Landscape’ is one surface manifestation of reality. In these images I suggest an existence underlying surface appearances, in which the connection between the observer and the observed is one of interdependence, and where object and image reveal to the viewer a reality created in the relationship each shares with the other”.

Jay Phyfer is the Founder and Chair of the Photography & Digital Imaging Imaging Department having joined faculty in 1973. He received his B.S. from Southern Illinois University and a M.F.A. from Arizona State University. He specializes primarily in color processes, and teaches color photography, advanced imaged based classes (multiple images and experimental), film studies, PhotoVision (introduction to classic photographers), and western landscape. During this exhibit, Jay will be displaying a group of digital images printed on traditional photographic paper (C-Print, not inkjet) that come from a body of work about the Western Landscape that has continued over the past 30 years since he moved to Virginia from Arizona. It focuses on the contemporary landscape and the marks of people (society) on the land. It is not the traditional pristine pictorial landscape often captured by the modernist photographers of the past. When asked about his philosophy toward creating images, Jay says “My image making primarily occurs at the time of shooting. I do not manipulate images for content either in the darkroom or on the computer. I do find the dynamics of the square format offer more of a challenge and reward than the rectangle. I don’t have technique limits or favorites. I still shoot both color and black and white film as well as digital and I use a variety of printmaking techniques. I still make traditional black and white and color prints in the darkroom but also use a professional lab and inkjets for digital color.

"Cottonwood, AZ" a color print by Jay Phyfer

"Untitled" an inkjet print by Tammy Mercure

Tammy Mercure is from Sioux City, Iowa and is the newest member of the faculty having come on board as an Assistant Professor in 2009. She received a B.A. from Columbia College, Chicago, and a M.F.A. from East Tennessee State University, both specializing in Photography. Tammy teaches classes in contemporary photography, web design, Macintosh media. She has exhibited internationally, including solo shows at Chicago Cultural Center in Illinois and the Sioux City Art Center in Iowa and group shows at Catherine Edelman Gallery in Chicago. She has received numerous awards and grants, including a Polaroid Art Support Grant and several CAAP grants from the City of Chicago. She is a member and founder of the Appalachian Photographers Project. Images from her “Wonders” series were published in the book “Place, Art, and Self” by Yi-Fu Tuan. For the past ten years she has been exploring the topic of leisure. For this display, she is exhibiting images from the “Mountain Empire”. Tammy photographed men who are passionate about a hobby or leisure activity. The people range from Amtgard role players, (a live-action fantasy based largely on a Medieval-based combat system), valiantly fighting in the park on a Sunday afternoon to gun enthusiasts gathered for the world's largest civilian owned weapons festival. These activities have a historical basis and reflect many of the ideals and philosophies of the participants. She used both color film and digital media to shoot her images and printed them as large (20 inches by 30 inches) archival inkjet prints.

Neil Staples says “Having no apparent talent for drawing or painting, I discovered photography as an outlet for my creative energies while a senior at Adelphi University. After a two year break roaming the country, I returned to a commercial photography school in the hopes of making a living doing what I like best. The next 20 years were spent running a successful commercial studio in Florida while teaching an occasional class or two at the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. It eventually became clear that teaching was my true calling, so I returned to school as a part time student and earned a masters degree in studio arts from Barry University. I was lucky enough to land a job at Virginia Intermont College and have happily settled in Bristol. Neil is an Associate Professor who joined the faculty in 2001. He enjoys teaching classes in basic Black & white darkroom, large format, studio lighting, commercial and alternative processes (non-silver). He will be presenting a series of alternative processed images that were first shot digitally, then negatives were made by printing on an ink jet printer, and the final print was made by direct contact printing on watercolor paper that had been hand coated with platinum or palladium emulsions. This is an interesting mix of old and new photographic techniques that Neil says “frees me from the cumbersome view camera yet still allows me the intimate experience of crafting the final image by hand in the darkroom”.

"Creepy House", a palladium print by Neil Staples

"Untitled 1", a digital print by Chris Stewart

Chris Stewart is from Front Royal, Virginia and is an Associate Professor whose primary instruction focus is on digital imaging, professional studies, and lighting. He received his B.A. from Virginia Intermont College and his M.A. in Instructional Technology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Chris joined the faculty part time in 1998 and has been full time since 2000. His images present the coastal landscape as found through the altered effects of time, light and color. All are direct digital images that are straight photos with no physical alterations. They have been digitally printed. Chris says “These images are my best rebellion against the sun and the safe comfortable feeling that natural daylight imparts. They are a search for the unnatural qualities that alternative light sources create…both in the physical qualities of the final image and in the emotional interpretation. These images make use of long exposures in the middle of the night using available moonlight, mixed light from environmental "night lights", pre-dawn glow or added flash. The result is a surreal capturing of time itself instead of a factual moment in time”. He is constantly involved in a variety of projects that that span broadly across multiple mediums. His main concern is not subject or technique, but rather finding a way to impart his vision of the world in a manner that is artistic and meaningful. Chris’s photographic philosophy is “Photography began with a small pin hole as the functioning lens for the camera. The earliest images were captured this way, and it remains a viable image making photographic process. Through the years, technology has offered many “improvements” and most recently presents the Pixel as the preferred capture medium. None of these advances have reduced the necessity for CONCEPT and CONTENT to transcend a project to greatness. In all projects I undertake I try to use this as my basis. Regardless of what medium I am working in…let it be Photography, Video, Multimedia, Print Publication or Online Publication…I strive to not let the medium and its technologies get in the way of producing great concept and content rich products. So, I see the progression of image capture from Pinhole to Pixel as a symbolic representation of my own transitions and attention to the scope of possibilities that should never be ignored”.

Founded in 1973, the Virginia Intermont Photography and Digital Imaging Department has grown to five full-time faculty members currently serving around 65 students. Both Bachelor of Arts and Bachelor of Fine Arts degrees are offered. The focus of the program is to provide the student with the necessary space, equipment and time to explore the limits of the photographic medium in an atmosphere of intellectual and artistic exchange. The facilities provide specialized equipment and lab space for every aspect of the photographic process, from traditional small, medium and large format darkrooms to digital imaging labs, multiple lighting studios, and photo-finishing areas. For more information go online to www.photomajor.com for an in-depth look at the photographic programs offered. This highly regarded program’s students have participated in internships at National Geographic, Eastman Chemical, Magnum, Blackstar, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Valentine Museum, Newfound Harbor Marine Institute, East Carolina University the Library of Virginia, to name a few. Virginia Intermont’s Photographic alumni work in a broad range of photograph related fields, including positions at the Smithsonian Institution, National Geographic, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Eastman Chemical, U.S. News & World Report, Playboy, and have served as directors of non-profit arts organizations including The Light Factory in Charlotte and the 1708 Gallery in Richmond.

The Depot Artists Association is a non-profit volunteer organization that operates the Arts Depot and is dedicated to promoting the arts in the community and features the region’s artists. The Arts Depot is located in the historic Depot Square area of downtown Abingdon, VA. The gallery and artists studios are open for your viewing pleasure Wednesday thru Saturday, 11-3 pm, or by appointment. There is no admission charge. For further information, please contact the Arts Depot at (276) 628-9091, or e-mail at abingdonartsdepot@abingdon.com, or visit their web site at www.abingdonartsdepot.org. The Association is supported in part by grants from the Virginia Commission for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Arts.

Virginia Intermont Faculty Photographic Exhibition at the Arts Depot

Virginia Intermont Faculty Photographic Exhibition
at the Arts Depot