Two photography exhibitions_ the first exhibitions of the fall semester_ will open in the Mesaros Galleries at the Creative Arts Center this week. The photographers are Nate Larson, a faculty member at the Maryland Institute College of Art in Baltimore, and Michael Sherwin, who is currently assistant professor of photography and intermedia in the Division of Art and Design at WVU. Both exhibitions will be open Sept. 2 through Oct. 8.

Sherwin will present a visiting artist lecture at the Creative Arts Center on Thursday (Sept. 2) at 5 p.m. in the Bloch Learning and Performance Hall (200A). The opening reception for the exhibition will follow at 6 p.m. at the galleries.

Sherwin’s exhibition, titled “Experiments in Wonder,” will be on view in the Paul Mesaros Gallery.

Using the mediums of photography, video and installation, Sherwin makes art that reflects on the experience of observing nature through the lenses of science and popular culture. He has won numerous grants and awards for his work, and his work has been exhibited widely, including recent shows at CEPA Gallery in Buffalo, N.Y., SPACES Gallery in Cleveland, PUNCH Gallery in Seattle, Wash., and the Center for Emerging Visual Artists in Philadelphia. Sherwin earned a Master of Fine Arts from the University of Oregon in 2004, and a Bachelor of Fine Arts from The Ohio State University in 1999. He has been a faculty member at the University of Oregon and Central Washington University.

“In recent years, the lives of my children have inspired a growing portion of my creative activity,” Sherwin said. “I value the quiet instances of discovery and revelation I observe as they innocently define their own relationship with the natural world. The photographs in ‘Experiments in Wonder’ are an expression and reminder of the wonder we encounter daily while exploring the boundaries between here and there, the known and unknown.”

Larson’s exhibition, titled “Mapping the Data Stream,” will be on view in the Laura Mesaros Gallery, and Larson will present a lecture about his work Thursday, Sept. 23, at 5 p.m. in the Bloch Learning and Performance Hall (200A) of the Creative Arts Center. A reception will follow at 6 p.m. at the Galleries.

“Mapping the Data Stream” features three recent series of technologically enabled photographs by Larson. The newest series, “History Lessons,” is a photographic exploration of significant historic sites, coupled with references and messages to the site gathered from online social networks.

The second series, “Geolocation,” monitors public Twitter tweets and the associated Geotag information. Upon viewing a particularly compelling, poetic or personal Twitter update, Larson and his colleague Marni Shindelman traveled to the GPS coordinates and made a photograph to mark the location of the update in the real world and paired the image with the originating text.

The third series documents recent site-specific GPS drawings made by Larson and Shindelman and uses invisible technological threads to create virtual drawings and writings in urban landscapes.

Larson’s work with photographic media, artist books and narrative video has been widely exhibited across the United States and internationally. Numerous publications have reviewed and published his projects, including “Exposure,” “Art Papers,” “The New York Times” and “Afterimage.” He has received grants from the Ultimate Eye Foundation in California; Visual Studies Workshop in New York; the Banff Centre for the Arts in Alberta, Canada; the City of Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs; and the Illinois Arts Council. Larson earned a Master of Fine Arts from Ohio State University in 2002 and a Bachelor of Arts from Purdue University in 2000. He was recently elected to the board of directors for the Society for Photographic Education.

Managed and programmed by Curator Robert Bridges and the WVU Division of Art, the Mesaros Galleries organize a diverse and exciting schedule of exhibitions throughout the year. The galleries are committed to showing experimental work that is innovative both in terms of media and content. The Mesaros Galleries and the WVU Division of Art and Design also host contemporary artists of important or growing reputation who work in all media in the Visiting Artist Program.

All Mesaros Galleries events, including art lectures, exhibitions and receptions are free and open to the public.

Gallery hours are Monday through Saturday, from noon to 9:30 p.m. The galleries are closed Sundays and University holidays. Special individual or group viewing times may be arranged upon request.

For more information, contact Robert Bridges, curator, at (304) 293-2312 or see the artists’ websites at www.michaelsherwin.com and www.natelarson.com.

-WVU-

CONTACT: Charlene Lattea, College of Creative Arts
304-293-4841 ext. 3108, Charlene.Lattea@mail.wvu.edu

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