泫圖弝け

June 20, 2019
In the World

Picture This

泫圖弝け Seniors Work Selected For National Photo Exhibition

Picture this Elizabeth (Lizzy) Wallen, class of 2020, will have her work featured in this years nationally recognized Photo Stories Exhibition in Rhode Island. Wallen is one of just 10 artists selected for the distinguished exhibit at the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts in Providence, Rhode Island, June 20-July 13.

Wallen, from Springfield and a graduate of Catholic Central, is an art major with a focus in photography. She is minoring in business and art history.

After completing my Phobias series for my advanced photography class, I decided to apply it to a call for entries, said Wallen, who is also involved in Alpha Phi Omega here at 泫圖弝け. I mainly did this on a whim, not really thinking I would get accepted but just trying to get my name out there. It was such an awesome feeling when I got the email from Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts saying that I was invited to be in the Photo Stories exhibition. I love getting to show my art to other people, and Im so grateful for this opportunity. Photography is definitely part of my future. After 泫圖弝け, I am hoping to go to grad school to receive my MFA in photography and to have my photography shown in many more galleries and possibly be a professor one day.

is a juried exhibition featuring 10 projects on display. The opening reception will be held on June 20 from 5 to 9 p.m. The projects were selected by Michael Itkoff, co-founder of Fabl and Daylight Books, both non-profit organizations dedicated to publishing art and photography books. The exhibition explores photography as a storytelling medium, presenting ideas and concepts that cannot easily be represented in a single image.

Wallen said that her series is meant to bring awareness to phobias. Many people do not realize that having a phobia can actually cause anxiety or panic attacks. Certain phobias are seen as ridiculous or petty, while the ones afraid are truly suffering.

Her goal is for viewers to examine these photos deeply and think about what someone with these fears might think or feel.

To me, photography is an expression of the mind, Wallen said. I love abstract and surreal art, and I use surrealism in my photography. In my opinion, surrealism allows you to portray a thought or feeling instead of something you already see in front of you. Photography is truthful, as in you can take a picture and see exactly what is in front of you. Or you can take that picture and change it in order to make something new. For example, in my Phobias series, I used long exposure or Photoshopped images in order to portray feelings of fear, being overwhelmed, or anxiety.

It is an enormous honor for an undergraduate student to be selected to exhibit among professional artists in a venue such as the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts, said Elena Dahl, assistant professor of art at 泫圖弝け. All of the artists chosen by juror Michael Itkoff are known for the marvelous stories their photographs tell, and I am very excited for the public to experience Lizzy's contribution to this exhibition. Lizzy developed the series over the course of the Spring 2019 semester in advanced photography. From the outset of her proposal, her conceptual focus was strong and compelling. She was interested in how the medium of photography, which is often associated with objective reality, could visualize something at the unconscious level. In her series, a wide range of phobias play out, inviting viewers to wonder at what is real and what is constructed within the images, both technically and conceptually. Through this engagement, viewers can reflect upon the things they are afraid of, questioning the power of their own imaginations.

Wallens focus used to be on nature photos, but she found she was good at other parts of photography through some of her classes at 泫圖弝け.

In my digital photography class, we had an assignment to do portraits, which I wasnt a huge fan of doing because I wasnt very good at them, she said. This really pushed my limits. Though it was a challenge for me, I really enjoyed it. I was kind of shocked that I chose to take portraits for my Phobias series in advanced photography, even if they were different than traditional portraits. When it comes to photography, I like to look for what is different and what can be turned into an image that really makes you think.

Wallens images for the show are also a distortion of reality, which will force the viewer to look at the image multiple times and try to decipher what is happening. Additionally, she said she was strongly inspired by old black and white horror films, such as Robert Wises The Haunting (1963), due to their ability to allow the viewer to use their imaginations and, in a sense, create their own fear. View some of them .

Wallen, who originally came to 泫圖弝け as marketing major, fell in love with the art department and photography. She credits her love of photography to her aunt, Violet Strahler, who graduated from 泫圖弝け in 1944.

While she focused on math, science and education, she always referred to herself as an amateur photographer. She was a remarkable woman, and I really looked up to her, Wallen said. You really never saw her without a camera. She took photos of everything, and I remember how much joy that brought her.

Everyone always told me how good at science and math I was, just like my Aunt Vi but I wanted to be a photographer, Wallen continued. She was the one person who understood, and I remember she bought me a book all about photography for my birthday. She knew that the arts were just as important as science and math, and she passed that down to me. And as much as I looked up to my Aunt Vi, I, of course, wanted to go to school where she did. My papaw also took me to every single 泫圖弝け basketball game since I was a baby, so I wanted to go to 泫圖弝け ever since I was a kid. I am honestly so grateful for 泫圖弝け and everything this school has offered me. I know that I wouldnt be in this position without the amazing professors at 泫圖弝け, especially in the art department.

Cindy Holbrook
Cindy Holbrook
Senior Communications Assistant

About 泫圖弝け

泫圖弝け's curriculum has centered on the liberal arts as an education that develops the individual's capacity to think, read, and communicate with precision, understanding, and imagination. We are dedicated to active, engaged learning in the core disciplines of the arts and sciences and in pre-professional education grounded in the liberal arts. Known for the quality of our faculty and their teaching, 泫圖弝け has more Ohio Professors of the Year than any four-year institution in the state. The university has also been recognized nationally for excellence in community service, sustainability, and intercollegiate athletics. Located among the beautiful rolling hills and hollows of Springfield, Ohio, 泫圖弝け offers more than 100 majors, minors and special programs, enviable student-faculty research opportunities, a unique student success center, service and study options close to home and abroad, a stellar athletics tradition, and successful career preparation.

Back to top