Faculty behind the lens – The NAU Evaluation

In each {photograph}, there’s a story—not simply concerning the topic, but in addition concerning the particular person behind the digicam. This month, NAU images professors will unveil an exhibit that reveals their creative journeys, showcasing that they’re not solely instructors but in addition storytellers, documentarians and artists. 

The biennial exhibition titled “Here, Together” showcases the work of seven school members and highlights a variety of types and methods.  

“Thematically, it encompasses a range of styles, including portraiture, landscape, adventure sports and documentary approaches,” stated Michelle Carpenter, govt director of the School of Communication. “These works invite us to reflect on place, identity and connection, reminding us that photography is not only a tool for seeing, but also for understanding ourselves and one another.” 

A lens for element 

Caleb Churchill, assistant professor and exhibit organizer, needed to indicate a mannequin of the type of studying he desires college students to have: “rigorous, curious and job-ready.” 

“The exhibition is an array of knowledge with different processes of photography,” Churchill stated. “It shows industrial skills for career preparation, different workflows, printing for clients and galleries, as well as what kind of work goes behind an exhibition. But there is also the community engagement aspect that students get to see and the public-facing component.” 

Churchill began taking photos as a teen and located he had a knack for it. His work has been exhibited internationally, together with on the Museum of Fine Arts Houston and the Brighton Photo Fringe, and is held in collections such because the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the RISD Museum and the Contemporary Arts Museum Houston. His pictures remodel acquainted particulars—building websites, stairways, and even tattoos—into photographs that invite reflection on the sweetness and complexity of every day life. 

“A lot of the stuff that I’ve done is conceptual,” Churchill stated. “What this community looks like and some inside glances. I like to take pictures of things you would pass by and not notice.” 

Sharing information 

Another school member who’s showcasing her work is Beth Staub, assistant instructing professor within the School of Communication. Originally from Michigan, she moved to Kayenta, Arizona, for her first instructing job. There, her love for the Southwest took root. She received the chance to fulfill many cowboys on the Navajo reservation and fell in love with their work ethic and life-style. Staub’s pictures are a part of a challenge she did with Beau, a current NAU graduate, that aimed to painting the true soul of a cowboy. 

“I was inspired by one of my favorite artists, Ryan Bingham, and got the concept from his ‘Mescalito’ album cover,” Staub stated. “When I met Beau, I showed him the concept and asked if he would like to do it. He agreed and found the perfect location downtown, where there are some defunct train tracks. These were his senior pictures.” 

Staub began taking photos in junior excessive after a instructor instructed her she might “hide behind the camera” to assist her develop out of her shy nature. Now, she is open to letting others see the world by her lens.  

Documenting life 

For Laura Camden, professor within the School of Communication, the journey began at a a lot youthful age; nonetheless, her skilled profession took form after she graduated with a photojournalism diploma on the University of Texas at Austin. 

“I started working as a professional photojournalist for various newspapers across the United States,” Camden stated. “I later returned to graduate school to focus on longer narrative documentary projects and ended up working for Reuters. During that time, I interned in D.C. and covered the Clinton administration and later the run for the presidency of George W. Bush. However, my passion was spending time with people in communities much less noticed.” 

As a part of a thesis challenge, Camden spent greater than a 12 months attending to know a Mennonite group in Seminole, Texas, and protecting a photographic journal of their lives. Her work was later revealed within the e-book “Mennonites in Texas: The Quiet in the Land.” Camden stated these explicit photos had been chosen for the exhibit as a result of that group was the origin of the present measles outbreak within the area.

“This particular Mennonite community was directly affected, and the national and international press have contacted me for insights into their community,” Camden stated. “Showing the images now is still important and relevant so that everyone can see and learn about the different cultures and communities. That is how my work started, and I have traveled with my students around the world to places such as India and Cuba to help broaden their horizons and learn about cultures much different than our own. I am interested in documenting people and places lesser known. I love learning about them and experiencing it all through my camera lens.” 

Teaching by expertise 

By showcasing their work within the exhibition, these school members wish to display the huge number of types, processes and methods college students can use, whereas displaying them that they’re staying present of their craft. 

“We have to stay on top of how methods are done because the technology and the industry keep changing,” Churchill stated. “It is important for students to have a full picture of who their faculty are, an introduction, instead of just standing in front of a room. They get to see what their professors do and what they gravitate toward. They can also find who aligns better with what they want to do.” 

“Here, Together – Photography Faculty Exhibition” is open to the general public on the School of Communication Gallery positioned on the second ground of the Communication constructing till Sept. 30. The grand opening is 4-7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 1. 

“This exhibition highlights the richness of creative and professional practice within our faculty, inspires students through example and offers the community an opportunity to experience the power of images to shape meaning,” Carpenter stated. ‘Here, Together’ demonstrates the shared dedication of our images school to storytelling, exploration and the continued dialogue between artwork, tradition and lived expertise.” 

Mariana Laas | NAU Communications
(928) 523-5050 | mariana.laas@nau.edu