43rd Annual Student Photography Show and Student Portfolio Exhibitions

Santa Monica College to Host 43rd Annual Student Photography Show and Student Portfolio Exhibitions

Gallery festivities include free opening receptions June 4

SANTA MONICA, CA — Santa Monica College will play host to three concurrent photography exhibitions — the SMC Photography Department 43rd Annual Juried Student Exhibition, a Retrospective Portfolio Exhibition, and the Bi-Annual Spring 2022 Student Portfolio Exhibition — showcasing outstanding imagery by students in the SMC Photography Department. The photographs in each exhibition feature genres that include fine art, portraiture, still life, and more.

The three shows — in two separate locations — will be open to the public beginning Saturday, June 4. Free opening receptions will take place in both locations on Saturday, June 4, from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m. Before heading to the receptions, guests should check SMC's current requirements for vaccines and masks at smc.edu/coronavirus, as the requirements are subject to change.

The SMC Photography Department 43rd Annual Juried Student Exhibition will be presented in SMC's Pete & Susan Barrett Art Gallery, located at the SMC Performing Arts Center, 1310 11th Street (at Santa Monica Blvd.), Santa Monica. After the opening reception, Barrett Gallery viewings are available through June 20 by appointment only, which can be scheduled by sending email to SILVER_EMILY@smc.edu. The juried exhibition will display 181 prints from 68 SMC student photographers, along with a 97-image looping slide show highlighting work from 40 students in the Photo 1 class. The exhibition will also display prints from 15 students who completed the SMC Photography program in 2020-2021.

The Spring 2022 Student Portfolio Exhibition — featuring work from SMC's most advanced photography students — will be shown in the SMC Photography Gallery, located on the second floor of Drescher Hall on the main SMC campus, 1900 Pico Blvd., Santa Monica. After the opening reception, gallery viewings can be arranged through June 11 by appointment only, which can be scheduled by sending email to NELSON_HANNAH@smc.edu. The portfolio exhibition will present 28 professional still life and product photographs by four talented women — Linn Bjoerkstroem, Bailee Garver, Renee Hulett, and Ericka Young — all students completing the SMC Photography program and the Photo 43: Portfolio Development classes this spring.

The Retrospective Portfolio Exhibition, which will also take place at SMC's Pete & Susan Barrett Art Gallery, will feature the work of students who completed the Photography program during the spring 2020, fall 2020, spring 2021, and fall 2021 semesters.

 “These annual and bi-annual exhibitions are an exciting time for us,” said SMC Photography and Fashion Department Chair Josh Sanseri. “This will be the first in-person exhibition from the Photography Department since 2020, when COVID forced us online. We're excited to return to campus to celebrate our hard-working students and the amazing photographs they've created — most while taking photography classes online. We're extremely proud of these photographers, their determination, and the accomplishments they've achieved."

Selected images will be awarded special recognition by SMC Superintendent/ President Dr. Kathryn Jeffery, Vice President of Academic Affairs Bradley Lane, and Dean of Academic Affairs Jason Beardsley. Each year, the award recipients are honored for their accomplishments at an upcoming meeting of the SMC Board of Trustees.

For additional information, please call 310-434-4289.

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