Posted on Thursday, September 30, 2021
Who knew poison ivy and kudzu were photogenic?
Merri Lawrence ’77 and Ann Beason H’14 were surprised to learn many “nuisance” plants make interesting subjects for a photo technique called photogram.
Beason had become intrigued by the process where a photographic print is made by laying objects onto photographic paper and exposing the paper to light. Wanting to learn more about it, she asked Lawrence to collaborate with her on a project.
At first, Lawrence was a bit reluctant.
“I took photography in college and absolutely hated being in the darkroom,” she laughed. “But it was an opportunity to learn something new while working with Ann.”
Once getting Lawrence on board, Beason knew exactly where to go for advice.
“Merri and I asked her husband (retired photography professor John Lawrence) to teach us how to make photograms,” she said. “He set up a darkroom for us in an old storage room in the barn on our farm.”
They then began gathering items for their project, deciding to begin with plant materials. They later expanded their materials to bones, feathers, insects and marine life.
“Light passes through most plants, so they work well for photograms,” Lawrence said. “And they are readily available and incredibly interesting.”
Their collection included materials from gardens, roadsides, fields, woodlands and the beach.
“The search was often as interesting as the process of making photograms,” Beason said. “It took us from Florida to Maine.”
Beason said it didn’t take long to discover that many of the weeds and vines that are usually pulled and pruned in gardens and fields made for good subjects.
“In the exhibition, you will see kudzu, cat’s briar, wild strawberry and many other plants that most people find undesirable in the garden,” she said. “We discovered beauty in the ordinary.”
The result of their work, “Chiaro Ombra,” featuring more than 100 photograms and prints, is on display at Lamar Dodd Art Center from 2-4 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays. The exhibition also will be featured during Homecoming activities on Oct. 30 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. To learn more about Homecoming 2021 activities, visit here.
Beason and Lawrence appreciated the unexpected rewards from their creative partnership.
“Besides slowing down and paying more attention to our surroundings, we both agree that the project has given us a greater appreciation for plants we have been disdainful of in the past,” Beason said.
“But we still don’t encourage anyone to plant kudzu.”
Don’t forget the Fall 2021 Service Saturday this weekend from 8-10 a.m. Registered participants will meet at 7:30 a.m. in Dickson Assembly Room for a brief orientation before being divided into teams and sent to the service location. Transportation will be provided. Participants will receive Sustainability CE credit.
George Lankford ’11 is October’s online speaker in the LC Young Alumni Virtual Interview Series. Lankford is a system engineer at Infinimetrics Corp. and owns a company called Neomax.
The American Red Cross will host a blood drive from 11 a.m. until 4 p.m. Wednesday in Turner Hall. Open to all students, faculty and staff. Sign up here to register for an appointment time. Type LAGCOL in the zip code search and it will pull up Turner Hall.
Political Science majors and minors Kristina Calixto, Chase Davis, Kenya Ellington, DeQueze Fryer, Jacob Jeffords, Shedrick Lindsey, Mason McLaughlin, Erik Moran, Brennan Oates, Abbey Reese and Tamino Schoeffer joined Dr. John Tures, Political Science Professor, in researching for the article “When People Soured on Afghanistan and What Polls Say About War Withdrawal” for news columns.
Want a piece of LC history? There are a few patio bricks left after the space was transformed into the Glover Garden. Go here to order your own memento of the Hill with a $25 donation to the LC Fund. Bricks can be shipped domestically for $35. To make a qualifying gift and receive a brick, go to http://3plx.vko29.com/giving/index1.html and put “brick” in the comments or call the LC Development Department at 706-880-8244.
Check LC Connect for Virtual CE events and instructions. For in-person events, all COVID guidelines apply.
THROUGH OCT. 31
LC Young Alumni Virtual Interview Series – George Lankford ’11
Lankford is a system engineer at Infinimetrics Corp. and owns a company called Neomax.
TUESDAY
Writing a Winning Personal Statement
11:15 a.m., Corn Auditorium in Lewis Library
Women’s Soccer
Sydney Dailey scored two goals to lead LaGrange (2-4, 1-2 USA South) to a 4-1 win at Agnes Scott on Wednesday. Lauren Williamson and Briana Suarez each had a goal for the Panthers.
Men’s Soccer
Enrique Hernandez accounted for all the scoring as LaGrange (4-2, 1-0 USA South) blanked Berea 3-0 on the road last Saturday. Hernandez’s second hat trick of the season earned him USA South Player of the Week honors.
Cross Country
Freshman Joseph Grubbs finished ninth out of 60 runners at the Coach Gary Wilson Invitational last Saturday in Carrollton, Georgia. Holly Moreland led the LC women with a time of 24:23.86 over the 5K course.
Golf
Senior Thomas Bird tied for 17th in the individual standings to lead LaGrange at the Royal Lakes Invitational in Flowery Branch, Georgia. As a team, the Panthers were 14th in the final standings.
Football
N.C. Wesleyan defeated LaGrange (1-3, 1-1 USA South) 26-21 last Saturday at Callaway Stadium. Quarterback Shedrick Lindsey passed for 157 yards and two touchdowns. Jaden Jones had 10 tackles, including a quarterback sack.
Volleyball
LaGrange (1-9, 1-2 USA South) lost to Covenant 3-1 and to Piedmont 3-0 in a USA South tri-match last Saturday in Demorest, Georgia. Kirsten Boyd had a double-double of 21 assists and 14 digs in the Covenant match.
CALENDAR
Friday (today)
Saturday
Wednesday
LaGrange College continues its run as an outstanding college in annual rankings released by U.S. News & World Report. The institution was rated in the top 10 among 93 Regional Colleges in the South, the only Georgia college in the category’s top 20.
LaGrange College awarded CACREP accreditation – WRBL-TV, Columbus
http://www.wrbl.com/top-stories/lagrange-college-awarded-cacrep-accreditation/
Category: Community, Arts and Culture, Events, College
Keywords: art photo photogram alumni
