The Purdue University North Central Odyssey Arts and Cultural Events Series will present the exhibit “People and Places – Places and People” featuring the work of photographer John Horwitz in the first floor, north study area of the PNC Technology Building. It is free and open to the public.
Building hours are Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.; Saturday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. during the school semester; otherwise the building is closed on Sunday.
The exhibit will feature “People and Places” through December, concentrating on photographs of cities and buildings. It will transition to “Places and People” in January and continue through May and features photographs of people.
Horwitz is the president of the Northern Indiana Artists Association, is director of the Washington Street Gallery and curator of City Market Studios and Gallery. His work has been included in exhibits that include the Art Institute of Chicago, the Guggenheim, the Carnegie Center for the Arts, CBS TV in New York, the Lubeznik Center for the Arts in Michigan City and many other galleries across the county.
He explained his inspiration for his work, “Before you look at the photographs there is a story that needs to be told about the pieces that are in front of you. We often see a final image and are struck by the color, light or texture of a world interpreted by the artist. It may be real, surreal, an abstraction or an impression. We compare it to the experience itself and decide if it is truth or beauty, brutal reality or unjustly critical. It is in this end result of a lifetime of learning and a continued quest for understanding that we stand and gaze at a photograph, canvas or sculpture and wonder what brought this work together as we see it.
“I have always been fascinated by the ability of photography to show minute detail and puzzled by those who are unable to see that it can also be a serenely soft media, not only hiding our faults but becoming a fantasy as well. This compelling dichotomy is an inspiration and completes all of my visions.
“The camera is fully capable of exactly reproducing whatever is placed before it and anyone skilled in image enhancement would find scarce challenge in manipulating an image; but in what context should this or any other embellishment be done?
“I have always felt that photography has been used too often to simply document our lives and the inherent creativity of the medium has been overlooked or dismissed as ‘easy’ when compared to more traditional art forms. It is a process whose many practitioners debate form or content yet rarely achieve technical competence or aesthetic clarity. It is my desire to find a balance between these two cognitive contents and a deep and meaningful personal expression. In this context my work continues to evolve, encompassing abstract and formal ideation.”
For information about this exhibit or the Odyssey Arts and Cultural Events Series, contact Judy Jacobi, PNC assistant vice chancellor of Marketing and Campus Relations, at 219-785-5593. Persons with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Jacobi.