When Things Go Missing: Photographs by Joel Whitaker
A solo exhibition of photographs by UD Photography Professor Joel Whitaker, presented around 4 narratives about loss.
Event details
* this page may be updated if event is repeated in the future *
When Things Go Missing: Photographs by Joel Whitaker
The Dayton Visual Arts Center is proud to present When Things Go Missing, a series of color and black and white photographs, capturing a complex collage of objects, ephemera and landscapes that record or allude to themes of memory and loss. The exhibition is presented in conjunction with the FotoFocus Biennial. , October 4–7, 2018, a photography initiative that encompasses more than 90 projects at museums and galleries across Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, Dayton, and Columbus, and features more than 200 artists, curators, and educators—and is the largest of its kind in America.
When Things Go Missing opens September 7th and runs through November 3rd. An opening reception will be held on September 7th from 6 -8 p.m. and a gallery talk by the artist will be presented on September 20th. There will also be an Open House on October 3rd for area high school and college photo students at which they will be introduced to the myriad of workshops and events happening throughout the region as part of the FotoFocus Biennial.
When Things Go Missing is presented in four sections; each representing a certain passage of time. The first section, Spaces Between (2013-2015), is inspired by a series of tornados in the American South that all occurred in a single day. Witnessed but not experienced, Whitaker set out to document things lost.
The second second, In Memoriam (2015-2017, is a collection of images inspired by the loss of Whitaker’s parents. More specifically, it is a study of the ornate flowers and decorations left after funerals and other memorials.
The third section, Dirt and Air (2016-2017), explores the space, literally, where dirt and air meet. We stand on the ground or dirt and we breathe the air that meets it.
The final section, Shovels (2017), contrasts the abstract nature of the previous groupings with a very literal collection of images of shovels. This is indented to ground viewers. Shovels is a blank canvas for the audience’s imagination to run wild.
This exhibition is accompanied by a catalog of the same name, featuring 22 black and white and full color photographs. The catalog includes an introduction written by Executive Director of the Dayton Visual Arts Center, Eva Buttacavoli, and curator statement by Assistant Professor of Photography Glenna Jennings.
The artist, Joel Whitaker, is an artist and professor of photography at the University of Dayton. He received BFA from the University of Montevallo, AL and MFA from Florida State University, Tallahassee. Working in photography for 30 years, Whitaker has been selected to participate in a NEH funded re-photographic survey of FSA photographs of Ohio; was selected for inclusion in Photography Now/One Hundred Portfolios – An International Survey of Contemporary Photography; and was highlighted in the Elements of Photography. He has exhibited his work throughout the US, is featured in several public collections, and has received a multitude of state, regional and university grants.
Links & Tags
The Contemporary Dayton
