Rash Photographs Selected for East Carolina University Photo Biennial
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
John Rash, digital photography instructor at Randolph Community College, has had two photographs selected for exhibit at East Carolina University's 6th Photographic Image Biennial Exhibition, which runs Jan. 20 - Feb 18 in the Wellington B. Gray Gallery on the ECU campus.
One piece, titled "Night Bastard," was selected as one of five top works to receive a monetary award and publication in the exhibition catalog. Rash said the image "was captured in the park beside the Grand Street metro station in New York. Local youth gather here to play handball and socialize on a daily basis. I observed the lighting conditions created by overhanging trees combined with available light reflecting from the park wall. The effect was a natural silhouetted image of the kids interacting under the tree canopy."
The other work that will be on display is titled "Connection Xi'An," which Rash took while walking along the city wall in Xi'An, China in May 2008. "I peered at eye level into a kaleidoscope of repeating cell-like apartment buildings, high above the ground level," said Rash. "This particular image captures a man speaking on his cell phone, caged behind the bars of his apartment window. He is placed into context of the Xi'An cityscape by means of a backdrop of rooftops, windows, TV antennas, and satellite dishes. Here, a lone man reaches for communication among a nation of billions who have been reeling from the quickest and most dynamic societal shift of our past century."
Rash has spent the past 10 years exploring the world through visual images captured by both traditional and digital photographic processes. A North Carolina native, he was born and raised in the mountain highlands of Avery County. After graduating with a BFA in Art Education from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in 2000, Rash worked for several years as a public high school AP art instructor. In 2004, Rash accepted a full-time faculty position as instructor of digital photography at RCC. Since 2006, he has embarked on several trips to China for both language and photographic opportunities. Rash has been invited to visit Nanjing Normal University, Nanjing, China, in March 2009 to present a lecture on digital photographic workflow.
If you would like to view Rash's work, the Wellington B. Gray Gallery is located off of Fifth and Jarvis Streets, Greenville, N.C., in the Jenkins Fine Arts Center. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m. and Saturday, 10 a.m. - 2 p.m. An opening reception and lecture by the jurors will take place at 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 22.
http://www.randolph.edu/