A Message from the Program Director, Paul Runyon
Last March we were quickly asked to pivot to online instruction. Since then, we have taken the opportunity to develop new, remotely delivered classes. Professor Andrea Modica designed a class, “Looking at Photographs”, which explores the crucial role that visual literacy has in a world filled with images. Beth Huerta, an in-house editor and photography agent with the award-winning agency Candace Gelman & Associates in Chicago, will be teaching “Photographic Production”. Beth has years of experience; remote instruction has allowed us to have her as part of our program. Finally, Anna Graham, a documentary filmmaker, photographer and professor based in Boston, Massachusetts, will be teaching “Motion I” remotely. Anna currently teaches in the Art, Film & Visual Studies department at Harvard University. Once again, remote teaching is allowing us to create rich, meaningful content for our students.
None of the achievements of the past seven months would have been possible without the incredible efforts of our staff, faculty and students. In spite of all the challenges, everyone has risen to the occasion and the Photography Program has achieved things that none of us could have envisioned. The work produced in each of our classes remains exceptional. This is a testament to the hard work of our faculty and students. These months have tested all of us and remind us that showing up and doing the work every day is the only option we have. We cannot control what has happened, but we do get to choose how we react to it. I could not be prouder, seeing that everyone has chosen to remain resilient and pursue excellence. The results speak for themselves.
I look forward to the day we can all sit in a room together and enjoy the experiences we all miss so much. When that day arrives, we will all celebrate what we have achieved during these past months.
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High School Photography Contest |
The 2020 Drexel University High School Photography Contest is open for submissions. The contest is a great opportunity to show off your work and win cash prizes. (It looks great on college applications too!) The contest is open to all high school students, freshman – senior. It is a great event for all students who have an interest and passion for photography.
For more information about how to submit your images to the contest, visit our website.
The deadline for entries is November 13, 2020.
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Emily Frances Olson's work featured in Architectural Digest |
Emily Frances Olson (class of 2012) was was published in Architectural Digest last month accompanying an article titled "A PR Pro’s Garden in the Catskills Is Meant to Sustain—and Inspire."
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Our next Virtual Open House is on Sunday, November 15th from 3-5pm.
At the open house you will be able to meet our faculty and current students and learn about our program. We will cover what our students do on their Co-op, the course of study they follow and what our alumni are accomplishing in the field after they graduate.
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Virtual Portfolio Reviews for Students Applying to College |
One of the things we get to usually enjoy in the Fall is attending National Portfolio Days. We travel to cities all over the country and meet talented high school students and help them organize their portfolios. Sadly, due to the pandemic these in person events have been curtailed.
We know how important these days are for high school students, so we have decided to offer Virtual Portfolio Reviews. We will look at the work you are considering submitting to the schools you are applying to and help you organize it, so you can put your best work forward. Each review will be 15-30 minutes long and they are open to all high school students. The first one will be on December 6th from 12-5 and the second one will be December 12th 12-5. To sign up for a review please contact us at photog@drexel.edu. We look forward to meeting you and seeing your work.
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Westphal Makes Webinar Series |
The fall #WestphalMakes Webinar Series is aimed to help current high school students and instructors learn about the larger media arts and design industries, as well as to help build portfolios from home. These free one-hour webinars, taught by our award-winning faculty experts at the Westphal College of Media Arts & Design, range from faculty-led discussions and panels to easy projects for students to do with materials found at home. Explore subjects relating to the visual arts, music industry, game design, interior design, and more while building your portfolio for college admission.
All webinars are free and open to the public, and interested parties must pre-register for each webinar using the links below. Students and instructors can register for multiple webinars.
October 23rd, 2-3pm
Photographs have become more important than ever in our culture, they can inform, persuade, distort and reflect our world. In this webinar, Photography Professor Andrea Modica and current students will talk about how specific topics are addressed using photographic imagery. The goal of the webinar is to show how visual literacy can help us understand how we all consume, create and react to photographs.
Register here for Andrea Modica's "Looking at Photographs" Webinar on October 23rd at 2pm.
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Michael Froio, Facility Manager and alum, recently published an article with architect Timothy Kerner for WHYY Philadelphia. The essay explores several important historical and industrial sites along the Delaware River. The piece is part of a collaborative project where Froio's imagery and Kerner's writings interpret relics critical to Philadelphia's past industrial economy and how their remains are experienced in contemporary times.
Tyler Haughey, alum, donated an edition of his work "Gold Crest Resort Motel” to Artists for Biden, a fundraiser featuring works by 100+ leading contemporary artists to benefit the Biden Victory Fund and ensure Democrats across the country have the resources they need to win. The sale was hosted on David Zwirner’s Platform.art, and ran from 10/2 - 10/8. It included donations by artists such as Jenny Holzer, Ed Ruscha, Kehinde Wiley, Cindy Sherman, William Eggleston, Carrie Mae Weems, Jeff Koons, and many others.
Monica Hoover, alum, recently accepted a new position as the Creative Director and In-house product and lifestyle photographer for the surfboard brand Dark Arts.
Kara Khan, alum, has some of her photographs which cover recent protests in a show at the Liberty Museum opening October 13th.
Peter Murray, alum, recently moved to Savannah with his partner. Work picked up immediately and he was fortunate enough to shoot the cover for South magazine October/November issue as well as two big spreads in the issue. Peter also recently shot a story about an Army family for The Kitchn and a few interiors jobs for WeWork and Industrious.
Sarah Nuernberger Polansky, alum, has recently started a company in the wellness space. Photography is a big part of the brand identity and bringing product to life. Sarah did all the art direction, concepts, and prop styling.
Ashley Smith and Kara Khan, alums, will have their collaborative project Dear Mr. President on view through February 13, 2021 at The National Liberty Museum as part of the Philly's Freedom: Artists Speak Out exhibition. Through more than 75 works of art, Philly’s Freedom explores what freedom means to 50+ artists as they use stories, reflections, and images to inspire us to see freedom and liberty as an ongoing human quest we all share.
Sherri Young, alum, recently accepted a new position at IEEE as the Product Manager, IEEE Global Products & Marketing. This role includes overseeing IEEE's Open Access publishing efforts in technical and scholarly publishing.
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Alumni, please don't forget to let us know what you are doing. We would love to hear (and feature) any exhibitions, new work, contests, articles, or anything else that you have been doing. Send us an email or catch us on Facebook or Instagram with your news today.
Sincerely,
Paul Runyon, Sr.
Program Director
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