WASHINGTON, PA (May 25, 2012)—Samuel Fee, Ph.D., associate professor of computing and information studies at Washington & Jefferson College (W&J), is exhibiting his award-winning photography at the Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts in New Castle, Pa., through June 29.
Through images of textures and landscapes from the American West, Fee’s work illuminates the record of human activity on the natural world. His photographs draw upon his research in archaeology and expertise in digital media. His current show, Desert Textures, considers a specific landscape in New Mexico. As a result of sunlight and wind, this area is constantly changing its visual representation throughout any given time.
“My work is designed to challenge two common misperceptions: the first is that the desert is a lifeless and bleak landscape, and the second is that a landscape is still and without narrative,” Fee said. “On the contrary, the desert is full of life, but that life takes different—and I would argue, more dazzling—forms from what many viewers might expect. And the sudden emergence of those forms provides the action in the narrative that I believe landscape photography can tell,”
At W&J, Fee enjoys the blend of artistic production, technical development, and student interaction that characterizes his daily activities.
The Hoyt Institute of Fine Arts is a regional arts center and museum in two stately 1917 mansions. Hosting exhibits, festivals and classes throughout the year, Hoyt’s mission is “to encourage an awareness, understanding, appreciation and practice of the arts and humanities.”
Admission to the gallery, open 11 a.m.-4 p.m. Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays and 11 a.m.-8 p.m. Tuesdays and Thursdays, is free. For more information, call 724-652-2882 or visit www.hoytartcenter.org.