Chuck Isenhart's "Frog Eyes" in “Hint of Spring: Photos by Chuck Isenhart, Gerald Podraza, & Debra Runkle" at the University of Dubuque's Bisignano Art Gallery -- through January 27.
Through Friday, January 27
University of Dubuque's Bisignano Art Gallery, 2255 Bennett Street, Davenport IA
If you find yourself already exhausted by the bitter temperatures of winter, consider a visit to the University of Dubuque's Bisignano Art Gallery from now through January 27, when the warm venue will be celebrating the incipient arrival of another season in Hint of Spring: Photos by Chuck Isenhart, Gerald Podraza, & Debra Runkle.
With the photographs on display including those of Dubuque Camera Club member Isenhart, the Bisignano's gallery director Alan Garfield says of the Hint of Spring works, "We can't escape from these images. They require us to examine them in detail whether we want to or not. They speak to us as nature and maybe more. These works seem almost religious in their humble message of love in God's world. They remind me of Psalm 96: 'Let the heavens rejoice, let the earth be glad; let the sea resound, and all that is in it. Let the fields be jubilant, and everything in them; let all the trees of the forest sing for joy.' Perhaps you don't feel this way. I get it. But I would be surprised if the photographers disagreed with me."
In his artist's statement, Hint of Spring contributor Podraza says, "Vintage farm buildings cry out for restoration while at the same time, urban voices through expression of freight car graffiti scream for recognition. Overlay of rural and urban voices creates a visual tension simultaneously harmonious and discordant. Voices drive a counterpoint while seeking to establish a dialogue. Separate sets of documentary photographs were harvested. Images were captured at freight yards and in isolated rural areas within the Tri-State, Northeast Iowa, Southwest Wisconsin, and Northwest Illinois. This process culminated in experimentally pairing and imbedding visuals to establish mood, ethnographic message, and voice. Final works were labeled with bluesy sounding names."
Hint of Spring photographer Runkle, meanwhile, says in her artist's statement, "In photography, I discovered a passion that I had not considered before. This display I have created allows me to express myself and communicate with others through photography. That could be a bud, a drop of pollen, a petal, color palette, the pistils, the geometry that the beholder sees. I believe the vision field holds deep beauty. I am able to take my love of planting a flower bed to a level that is able to be enjoyed by others. It is beyond interpretation what one views when walking by a garden, a weed, a park, receiving a bouquet. In viewing a photo an individual will relate to the disciplines of art, science, music or simply the world of imagination. Looking at the 'photographs,' one can see that many titles reflect science and art."
Hint of Spring: Photos by Chuck Isenhart, Gerald Podraza, & Debra Runkle will be on display through January 27, and regular gallery hours are noon to 5 p.m. on Monday through Friday. Admission is free, and more information is available by calling (563)589-3267 and visiting DArt.dbq.edu/gallery.
