MEDIA RELEASE
CSUN Exhibit Explores the World as Captured
by 20 Southern California Photographers
(NORTHRIDGE, Calif., Feb. 27, 2008) — If a picture speaks a thousand words, then the images in Cal State Northridge’s latest exhibition speak volumes—of love, war, art, beauty and the triumph and pain of life.
"Camera and Community: Photographs from the Collection of the Institute for Arts and Media" opens Monday, March 10, in CSUN’s Art Galleries. It features the work of 20 Southern California photographers, some legendary artists while others are still building their portfolios.
Their subjects range from such personalities as the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr., and Cesar Chavez to the grounds crew at the Enterprise School District, and include communities from the San Fernando Valley to the mountains of Columbia and the jungles of Chiapas, Mexico. They capture the tensions of a riot, terror of war and the exhilaration of making music.
"As we look at these photographs, we are reminded of what we have accomplished and what we have endured," said Kent Kirkton, curator of the show and director of CSUN’s Institute for Arts and Media. "We can’t help but think about what they are telling us and ponder the questions that they are asking us. We are soon led, then, to thinking about the individuals who produced them, about their motivations and the circumstances of their lives. It is at this point that the richness of the collection presents itself."
Among the photographers whose works are featured in the show are Harry Adams, David Blumenkrantz, Herb Carleton, Roland Charles, Emmon Clarke, Richard Cross, Guy Crowder, Jack Davis, Bob Douglas, Maxie Floyd, Bill Harvey, James Jeffery, John Kouns, Enrique Romero Olivas, Ringo Chiu, Augustine Tabares, Jason Warner and Charles Williams.
Works by all these photographers are part of the approximately 1.5 million images currently in the research collections of the Institute for Arts and Media at Cal State Northridge, which focuses on the work of Southern California photographers. This is the first exhibition to explore the range and depth of the institute’s holding.
"I have spent much of the last 15 years developing the collections from which the photographs in the exhibition are drawn," Kirkton said. "There are so many wonderful and significant images in the collections that narrowing down the selection to 100 for the exhibition was excruciatingly difficult. In the end, I tried to bring together a set of photographs that represent the significance and diversity of images found in the collections housed by the institute."
The exhibition includes Bob Douglas’ portraits of such jazz greats as Billie Holiday, Thelonious Monk and Dexter Gordon; Harry Adams’ photos of King speaking at the Second Baptist Church and Malcolm X at the funeral of Ronald Stokes; David Blumenkrantz’ riveting images from the Sudan; John Kouns’ documentation of Robert Kennedy assisting Chavez as the farm labor leader breaks a 25-day fast; and the arresting images of the destruction of the World Trade Center taken by three young photographers.
"Musicians, entertainers, politicians, civil rights leaders, authors and artist of note as well as the everyday events that make up our history are depicted in this exhibition, which chronicles the rich tapestry of life in California," Kirkton said. "As we consider and celebrate the photographs and the stories they tell, let’s not forget the people who took them. They sacrificed, sometimes their lives, so that we might better understand the subjects to which they dedicated themselves."
"Camera and Community" runs through April 12 in the galleries located at the north end of the campus off Plummer Street. A galley talk about the exhibition is scheduled for 10 a.m. on Monday, March 10. An opening reception is scheduled for 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. on Friday, March 14.
The exhibition and talk are free and open to the public. Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, noon to 4 p.m. and Thursday from noon to 8 p.m. Parking is available in Lot D6, E6 and student lots for $5. A parking permit may be obtained at the university entry gates or at a self-serve kiosk in the lots.
For more information, contact the gallery at (818) 677-2156.