New Developments — Digital Photographer Appears At Utah State University

Digital Photographer John Paul Caponigro will be on the campus of Utah State University as part of the Department of Art Visiting Artist Program for a two-day residency. His public lecture is Monday, March 21, at 7 p.m. in the Eccles Conference Center, room 216. Caponigro will show images and speak about his artwork. The lecture is free and all are invited.

 

Caponigro combines a background in painting with traditional and alternative photographic processes in his artwork, said Visiting Artist Program director Marilyn Krannich. He is known nationally and internationally as an artist working with digital media processes. His work is included in many private and public collections, including Princeton University, the Houston Museum of Fine Arts, the Estée Lauder collection and others.

 

Caponigro has taught  at prominent workshops, including the Santa Fe Photographic Workshops, the Maine Photographic Workshops, Toscana Photographic Workshops, The Ansel Adams Workshops and the Rocky Mountain School of Photography, to name a few. He has lectured frequently at universities, museums and conferences, including locations at MIT, Penn State, Peabody Essex Museum and Photo Plus East.

 

Writing in an artist statement, Caponigro said he is often asked, “Where did you get that idea?”

 

“Where do ideas come from,” Caponigro responded.

 

“I secretly wonder if I should ask, ‘How did that image find me,’” he said. “Inspiration comes from a variety of sources. Influence is incessant. Amid the myriad impressions and experiences I am subject to, I try to find the eye of the storm, that special place where inspiration rings clearly and purely. It is in these transcendent moments that I feel we are able to access our fullest potential and are able to come in contact with the greater mysteries of life.”

 

Caponigro will spend several days at Utah State working with students. In addition to his lecture, he will present a digital workshop for advanced photo students. During the workshop students will speak one-on-one with the artist and will have a chance to observe his photographic techniques. Advanced photo students will have the opportunity to have Caponigro discuss and critique their artwork.

 

This opportunity for interaction between artists and the students is invaluable, Krannich said.

 

“He bridges the gap between traditional landscape and contemporary photography with his color and digital artworks,” said Sara Northerner, professor of photography in the art department. “It’s a wonderful opportunity to interact with a modern master.”

 

Additional guests in this spring’s program are Romanian printmaker Bogdan Achimescu (March 28-30) and San Francisco painter Ed Musante (April 5-7).

 

Artists in the Visiting Artist Program are selected for their national and international reputations, the ways in which their art reflects the media used and their diverse backgrounds, Krannich said.

 

The Visiting Artist Program is supported by a generous from the Marie Eccles Caine Foundation. Additional funding is provided by the Utah Arts Council, an affiliate of the National Endowment for the Arts. All events are free and open to the public.

 

For more information about the Visiting Artist Program at Utah State, contact program director Krannich at (435) 797-7373.