New exhibition demonstrates technology’s impact on photography
Kent State University School of Art Galleries will present “Phone Photo Show,” curated by Kent State University Assistant Professor Gingr Vaughan, Oct. 3-27 in the Downtown Art Gallery. The gallery will host an opening reception on Thursday, Oct. 4, from 5 to 7 p.m., which is open and free to the public. The Downtown Art Gallery is located at 141 E. Main St. in downtown Kent. Free parking is available behind the gallery.
Vaughan, Brad Bolton, Bob Mayfield, Kent State University graduate student Bridget O’Donnell, and Kent State University Lecturer Albert Reischuck, have contributed phone photography to the exhibition.
“Phone Photo Show” features the products of the five artists’ experiences in mobile-phone photography and shows the exciting new opportunities produced by improved phone technology. Each artist will share eight photos, including one self-portrait—all of which were shot and edited completely on their phones.
Vaughan says that while she has been a serious photographer for 30 years, she has not made much use of her professional-grade camera since she purchased a smartphone. “My photos are very different now that I wear my phone/camera,” Vaughan says. “They have become both impulsive and compulsive reactions to my visual world.”
New technology has reduced the time and resources required to capture a moment in time. Now, a mobile phone user can snap a photo, edit and distribute it all within the phone’s software, saving the photographer the processing and printing time required of traditional photography.
“Perhaps no artistic medium has been more affected by rapid growth in technology than photography,” Director of Galleries Anderson Turner says. “Now, with the addition of higher-quality cameras installed in many people’s mobile phones, we are finding many artists taking the opportunity to ‘capture the moment’ in new and interesting ways.”
Prints, priced at $40, will be available for purchase at the exhibit. The Downtown Gallery’s hours of operation are Wednesday through Friday, noon to 5 p.m., and Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, call 330-676-1549 or visit http://galleries.kent.edu.