ALUMS EXPLORE SHADOW AND LIGHT IN EXHIBITION

Merri Lawrence ’77 and Ann Beason H’14 were surprised to learn many “nuisance” plants make interesting subjects for a photo technique called photogram. The result of their work, “Chiaro Ombra” at Lamar Dodd Art Center, featured more than 100 photograms and prints of those materials. 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. 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.

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.”