VINCENNES, Ind. – An exhibition featuring the photography of Deborah Orloff and Kris Sanford will open Feb. 18 at Vincennes University’s Shircliff Gallery of Art.

Both artists will present projects created from found imagery. The exhibition runs through March 20 and admission is free. An artist talk and reception will take place with Orloff and Sanford on Feb. 20, 11 a.m.– noon (EST) at the gallery.

Memory and Imagination is a two-person exhibition that examines memory and connections through the recontextualization of family photos and found snapshots. Artist Deborah Orloff transforms forgotten family photos into cultural artifacts, while Kris Sanford brings a contemporary rereading to old photographs to address sexuality and relationships.

Orloff’s series, Elusive Memory reveals the complexity of memory and its relationship to photography. Specifically how discarded family photographs become stand-ins for all of our perceptions of personal history. The resulting large-scale photographs make commonplace objects monumental and emphasize their unique details. In their final representation, these banal objects become simulacra of loss and speak to the ephemeral nature of memory.

In Through the Lens of Desire, Sanford creates implied narratives using snapshots from the 1920s-1950s. Vernacular photographs from that era were created as private keepsakes and the unselfconscious intimacy they depict feels authentic and relatable. As modern viewers, we witness personal moments that were never intended to be public. In her skillfully selected imagery Sanford contemplates hidden relationships in vernacular photographs seen through gestures, touch, and proximity.

Deborah Orloff is a Professor and Associate Chair of the Department of Art at the University of Toledo. Originally from New York City, Orloff received her MFA from Syracuse University and her BFA from Clark University. Although her primary medium is photography, she has also worked in video and installation. Her artwork has been included in numerous exhibitions at national and international venues including: the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York City; the Toyohashi Museum of Art & History in Toyohashi, Japan; and the Royal Scottish Academy in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Kris Sanfordis a conceptual artist and educator. Sanford is an Associate Professor at Central Michigan University. She has exhibited work nationally and internationally, including exhibitions in Amsterdam, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Houston, London, Miami, and New York. She was a finalist for the 2018 Lange-Taylor Prize from the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University.

The Shircliff Gallery of Art is located in the Shircliff Humanities Center at the corner of First and Harrison street on the Vu campus in Room A103. Admission is free. Gallery hours are Monday-Friday 8 a.m.-6 p.m. and Sunday noon-4 p.m.

Contact:

Arthur Fields
Director of Shircliff Gallery of Art, Vincennes University
Phone: 812-888-4316
Email: afields@vinu.edu

VINCENNES UNIVERSITY - Indiana’s First College

VU is state-supported with campuses in Vincennes and Jasper, the Aviation Technology Center and American Sign Language program in Indianapolis, Early College Career and Technical Education Centers, and additional sites such as the Gene Haas Training and Education Center in Lebanon, the Logistics Training and Education Center in Plainfield, and the Gibson County Center for Advanced Manufacturing and Logistics in Fort Branch. A leader in developing Early Colleges statewide, VU also offers instruction at military sites throughout the nation.

In addition to offering a wide range of associate degree and certificate programs, VU also offers bachelor’s degree programs in technology, homeland security, nursing, secondary education programs in mathematics and science, and special education/elementary education.

VU enrolls students from throughout Indiana, 36 other states, and 21 other countries. Tuition and fees are the lowest among Indiana campuses with residence halls. VU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission.

Founded in 1801, VU is Indiana’s first college and is the only college in the nation founded by an individual who would later become President of the United States. William Henry Harrison, the ninth U.S. President, founded VU while serving as governor of the Indiana Territory. More information is available at www.vinu.edu.

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Vincennes University Newsroom

MARCIA MARTINEZ, University Life Reporter & Sports Information Director
   812-888-4164 office, 314-599-1519 cell, VUNews@vinu.edu, mmartinez@vinu.edu
VINCENNES UNIVERSITY, Department of University Relations, www.vinu.edu/newsroom