Seven students in Wilmington College’s Advanced Photography course had submissions of their work selected for inclusion in the art exhibition, "Signal Fires," at Gazala Projects in Gettysburg, Ohio.
“Signal Fires” is a juried exhibition for regional (Ohio and Indiana) artists who have something to say about the world in which they live. Themes address racial, social and environmental justice.
The exhibition runs on Sundays through April 26 with an opening reception planned for March 17, from 1 to 3 p.m., at Gazala Projects, 101 E. Main Street, Gettysburg, Ohio.
Musical artist Nina Simone said, “An artist’s duty, as far as I’m concerned, is to reflect the times.” Twenty artists explore topics from genocide to gender-affirming care and take viewers from landfills to statehouses.
Dr. Jeffrey Hazelden, assistant professor of communication arts, said the works he submitted with his students are titled “To Alter (to Burn, to Blast, to Shell, to Cut) Humankind.“
“Inspired by Oraib Toukan's writing on cruel images, we manipulated found imagery to evoke empathy and challenge our distant, screen-mediated experiences of the violence happening in Palestine,” he said. “Through our act of collage (cutting, ripping, burying, etc.), we grapple with the complexities of representing these horrific experiences while being careful to not further victimize the subjects.”
Oscar and Emmy Award-nominated director Josh Fox said, “Art is always political. To anesthetize your work is, in fact, a political statement. And in this day and age, that means you’re affirming the status quo. ... It’s window dressing on the tyranny."
