Nearly forty years ago photographer Deborah Bright challenged landscape photographers with the statement that “photographers must begin to take responsibility for their part in producing and invoking cultural meanings… to discover how photographs reinforce, oppose, or reconstruct our notions and assumptions about ourselves”? How has landscape and nature photography changed? What cultural meanings are valuable today? Is there a role for conventional landscape imagery in today’s world?
The aim of this course is to explore contemporary landscape photography contextualized by critical awareness of traditional landscape imagery. A portion of each session will be dedicated to the work of one or more photographer-artists and the remaining time will be available for open discussion about themes and concepts found in the work and provided reading materials. There are no assignments or projects to complete other than reading insightful essays outside of seminar hours. This seminar is intended for those interested in an extra-curricular dialogue on visual culture, the concept of nature, photography, the environment and inspiration for making new work.
This is a synchronous, online seminar with a total of 5 meeting dates. Participants must attend the first session to remain enrolled in this educational opportunity.
Instructor: Frank Meuschke, artist and educator
Dates: Sunday, June 5th, 2022 and Mondays, June 6th through June 27th, 2022
Time: 7:00 p.m. - 8:30 p.m. Central Time
Meet: Online, via Zoom
Prerequisite Skills: Interest in and open to new ideas, comfortable engaging in discussion
Required Equipment: Due to its visual nature, this seminar is best viewed on a computer, laptop or pad
$20 Student/$69 Non-Student
Available Seats: 16
Frank Meuschke is a fiscal year 2021 recipient of a Creative Support for Individuals grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. This activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation from the arts and cultural heritage fund.
