Faith, Reason, and One-Hour Processing 2015
The photographs in this exhibition are from the Marian Apparitions Collection. They are housed in simple cardboard boxes and plastic notebooks, are unassuming and appear to carry no special significance, but I found these small, mostly 4x6 inch photographs, extraordinary. They struck me as going to a deeper meaning, something of significance. They become something greater. Like any photograph of want, they achieve the level of fetish and artifact. For me these photographs address the intersection of the sacred, aesthetic, and descriptive aspects of the photograph. As well as the role the camera and photographic processes play in the making of the photograph and giving meaning to the photograph prior to the onset of digital photography; hence the title Faith, Reason, and One-Hour Processing.
This exhibition does not attempt to prove or disprove what is claimed to be evident in the photograph. It displays the original photograph, enlarged for exhibition but not altered in any way other than making a digital scan and inkjet print.
In addition to photographs, the collection houses objects that were too intriguing or tempting to be left out. I photographed several of these objects with the intent of including them in the exhibition. Although these items are not personal photographs, they function in a similar way nonetheless, and are interspersed throughout the exhibition, thus adding to the depth of the material exhibited and the resultant conversation.
A very special thanks for the generous support and assistance of: the Graul Chair for Arts and Languages; the Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences; the Department of Art and Design; the Department of Religious Studies; Fr. Johann G. Roten, Director, Marian Library; Anthony B. Smith, Associate Professor, Religious Studies; Jillian Slater, Archivist, Marian Library; Julie Jones, Media and Facilities Coordinator, Department of Art and Design; Francis Schanberger, Gallery Coordinator, Department of Art and Design; Emily Downey, Graphic Designer, Department of Art and Design.