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Rochester Contemporary Art Center
137 East Avenue
Rochester, N.Y. 14604   Map

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Natura

Rochester Contemporary Art Center: February 6- March 22
Opening Reception: February 6, 6-10pm

Rochester Contemporary Art Center is pleased to present Natura, an exhibition of photographic works by artists who examine and critique the contemporary natural environment, its substance, qualities and character. This exhibition was conceived by John Pfahl and is co-curated by Therese Mulligan. Natura also continues the annual "Maker/Mentor" exhibition series at Rochester Contemporary Art Center. All participating artists studied with John Pfahl at Rochester Institute of Technology where he taught photography from 1968 to 1985.

Artists included in Natura:

John Pfahl (Maker/Mentor), John Pfahl’s former students from RIT:Marilyn Bridges, Barbara Bosworth, Dean Chamberlain, Grey Crawford, Alida Fish, Richard Gray, Paul Lange, Sylvia Lizama, Forest McMullin, Steve Mosch, Judy Natal, Jeannie Pearce, Stuart Rome, Alison Rossiter, Jane Wattenberg

Natura Exhibition Essay:

From the Latin, the word “natura” is wide-ranging in its definition. It encompasses phenomena of nature, from the microscopic world of atoms to the boundless regions of the cosmos. In the hands of poets, it also identifies material nature with human nature as verse plumbs the human heart and soul. Aptly, the exhibition Natura takes up many of the natural and human attributes aligned with time-honored interpretations of nature. As viewed through the photographic medium, the work displayed here offers a diverse and compelling artistic commentary on the natural environment, as well as the intervening role of humankind, science and technology. Thus nature is seen as both place and space, public and private, concrete and transformative. Importantly, another kind of “nature” informed the organization and presentation of this exhibition—the mentor-student relationship. The featured fifteen artists studied with renowned photographic artist and educator John Pfahl during his tenure as professor in the School of Photographic Arts and Sciences at Rochester Institute of Technology. From 1968 to 1985, Pfahl provided guidance and inspiration to a generation of young photographers. He fueled artistic development with an understanding of the decisive role of the artist as an agent of discovery and change. Similarly, he advanced photography as a medium of ideas and revelations. In their turn, Pfahl’s students emerged as exceptional practitioners and educators in their own right. Their work is an important contribution to the persuasive power of the creative image in art and culture, especially when its subject intensely examines the context and content of our surrounding natural world.

Therese Mulligan
co-curator with John Pfahl
Administrative Chair,
Photographic Arts Rochester Institute of Technology