U of S | Mailing List Archive | alt-photo-process-l | Re: alt process at the university level

Re: alt process at the university level



Diana,

Many schools teach a little cyanotype, vandyke, or pinhole. I think Chris was interested in more extensive programs and I am afraid that I am not aware of any beyond the already mentioned.

In the past, however, a number came to mind:
- Melanie Walker at U of Colorado at Boulder, following her dad Todd's foot steps
- Joan Lyon at Visual Studies Workshop
- Chuck Swedlund at SIU
- Scarlata at ASU (he showed me the first wet gum I saw and got me hooked)
- Wiley Sanderson at UGA (my former student studied there and showed me the first vandyke and cyanotype in ca. 1968)
- Craig Law at Utah, one of the first modern carbon experts
- the late Phil Davis at Michigan who was Dick Arentz' teacher and whose undergrad student got modern carbon techniques down
- Judy Steinhauser at Moore College of Art - she showed me how to expose gum WAY back when
- What about our Darrel Baird?
- I'm sure I left out a few important people and schools...

I didn't attend SPE this year, but from the previous conferences I got the impression that wet photography was very much alive and well, not being completely taken over by digital. That is, the trade school have gone completely digital, whereas art departments have not. And along with wet photography, there is a resurgence of interest in alt. However, if there is any school more committed to alt than Chris' MSU, I haven't seen it.

Sam



On Apr 9, 2008, at 10:22 AM, Diana Bloomfield wrote:

Chris,

East Carolina (Greenville, NC) has both undergraduate and graduate programs in photography, and I know they teach alt processes there, though I don't know how extensive it is. Sam might know. The dept is run by Gill Leebrick and Jacquie Leebrick. Tom Braswell was teaching a lot of the alt processes there, but don't know if he is still doing that. John Scarlata, at Appalachian State (Boone, NC), teaches alt processes in their dept; others may be teaching it as well. Again, I don't know how extensive it is. Frank Hunter at Duke University's Center for Doc Studies (Durham, NC), teaches *some* alternative processes, mainly platinum I think. They're not really dedicated to it, but he is the resident alt person there, I believe. I took a platinum and cyanotype workshop at ICP, many years ago, with James Luciana. He's at Marist College (Poughkeepsie, NY), and I'm sure he's teaching alt printing: http://foxweb.marist.edu/users/jzm3/Luciana/

That's all I can think of for now, but I'm sure there are more out there. From what I can tell (around here, anyway), photography/arts/ communication and even design schools are more about making sure their graduates secure well-paying jobs when they leave. So, for some reason, alt printing doesn't seem to be the driving force . . . They all seem to be more about computer technology, as far as I can tell. NC State has a very fine design school, but they removed their wet darkrooms about 10+ years ago, I think. Just ripped them right out. They're now *all* about computers, from what I can tell.

While teaching alt processes might be part of any university photography program, I doubt many universities dedicate a lot of time/resources to it. I may be wrong, of course . . .


On Apr 9, 2008, at 9:31 AM, Christina Z. Anderson wrote:

Good morning all,
Can anyone give me names of professors who are teaching alt at a university level either in the US, Canada, or abroad? In other words, where is there an extensive alt program?

I noticed in the Project Basho announcement a James Hajicek at Arizona State University. There is Sarah Van Keuren at U of the Arts. There used to be Sam at Clemson :) I assume that Craig Stevens and/or Steven Bliss teach alt at Savannah College of Art and Design. There's Mark Osterman who is developing one in Rochester....

Scott Weber, how about Florida?

My perception is it is not extensively taught--am I wrong on that?

I am wondering for students who want to go to an alt friendly undergrad or grad program.
Chris