(Posted January 8, 2018)

Courtesy: Stephen Althouse

Courtesy: Stephen Althouse

Huntingdon, Pa. -- Starting Jan. 18, the Juniata College Museum of Art (JCMA) will exhibit the work of artist Stephen Althouse. The exhibition, titled “Transfigurations: Large-Scale Photographic Works,” as well as the opening reception Jan. 25 from 5-6:30 p.m., is free to view and open to the public.

The new exhibit will feature eight large-scale photographs by Althouse. The photos are black and white, and present individual objects, some draped with white fabric, in high resolution against a black background. Althouse’s photography takes ordinary objects such as shovels, tools and wheels out of their context and transforms them into images that invite contemplation. According to Kathryn Blake, director of the JCMA, the pieces “allow us to focus on the details of very simple and humble objects and give them a metaphorical quality by presenting them as art instead of everyday objects.”

Althouse often superimposes languages unfamiliar to many in the U.S. on to the objects, including Braille, German and Pennsylvania Dutch. Due to the large scale of the photographs, viewers are more likely to notice the small details in each object, and “think of each aesthetically instead of just considering how it was useful,” says Blake.

Althouse is a sculptor and photographer who grew up in Bucks Water, Pa., and currently lives near Rebersburg, Pa. He has also worked as a professor. He has traveled extensively and lectured on art in places such as France, England, Spain, Ecuador and the Galapagos Islands. He was also an artist-in-residence in Belgium for a year. His work has appeared in museums across the United States as well as abroad.

Juniata's Museum of Art is located in Carnegie Hall, a Beaux-Arts structure built in 1907 as the College library through funds provided by Andrew Carnegie and the citizens of Huntingdon. The building was renovated with the founding of the museum in 1998, yet retains the original elegance of its rotunda and Tiffany-styled dome. This architectural gem hosts exhibitions drawn from the museum's collection, loaned or traveling exhibitions and annual presentations of student work. Programs for a broad range of ages and interests encourage connections between the college and local community and demonstrate the benefits of regular engagement with the visual arts. 

 

--Written by Isabella Bennett ’20-- 

Contact April Feagley at feaglea@juniata.edu or (814) 641-3131 for more information.