ABC, 1-2-3, NYC
An exhibit at the Rike Center Gallery shows the ABCs and 1-2-3s in a new way with photographs of New York City.
Image Gallery
The cover of Joanne Dugan's '123 NYC: A Counting Book of New York City.' Dugan's photography and other works are on display at the Rike Center Gallery now through Oct. 29, 2009.
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October 15, 2009 - When New York City photographer Joanne Dugan sought a creative way to teach her son the alphabet, she also found a new way of looking at the world.
Dugan walked the streets of New York with a camera in hand and took photos of the signs and words — the urban typography — that surrounded her. She then paired those letters with photographs of what they represent in a child's eyes ("C" is for Chrysler Building, "G" is for Grand Central).
An interpretation of her book ABC NYC: A Book About Seeing New York City and a similar counting book, 123 NYC: A Counting Book of New York City, is the basis of the exhibition On Seeing What's Right in Front of You: ABCs, 123s and New York City, on display through Thursday, Oct. 29, in the Rike Center Gallery.
Dugan will be present at a closing reception 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, at the gallery. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.
Although the ABC and 1-2-3 works were originally created with children in mind, Dugan said, they have proven to have equal appeal for adults interested in urban photography and typography.
"The result was an interesting view of New York people had never seen before," Dugan said. "We walk by signs every day, and we rarely consider them, but when you literally and figuratively zoom in to the details of these everyday sights, it causes a bit of a surprise and transformation."
Dugan will also lead a course on the theme of tuning in to one's surroundings. It's from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, at ArtStreet Studio E. The fee is $10 per person, but it's free for University of Dayton students, faculty and staff. Register by clicking on the related link.
The Rike Center Gallery exhibit also contains 20 black-and-white images of New York City Dugan shot and processed on analog film. Five books published with her photographs, including a humorous collection of wisdom overheard in beauty parlors and taxi cabs, will also be on display.
"People often tell me that after seeing the collections, they can't walk down the street without seeing their own life in a different way," Dugan said. "They experience their daily world in a new way it seems."
Dugan, a full-time visual artist since 1992, is on the faculty of the International Center of Photography in New York City and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Mass.
Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday; and by appointment. For more information, contact Todd Hall, gallery coordinator, at 937-229-3261 or via e-mail.
The University of Dayton department of visual arts is presenting the exhibit.
Dugan walked the streets of New York with a camera in hand and took photos of the signs and words — the urban typography — that surrounded her. She then paired those letters with photographs of what they represent in a child's eyes ("C" is for Chrysler Building, "G" is for Grand Central).
An interpretation of her book ABC NYC: A Book About Seeing New York City and a similar counting book, 123 NYC: A Counting Book of New York City, is the basis of the exhibition On Seeing What's Right in Front of You: ABCs, 123s and New York City, on display through Thursday, Oct. 29, in the Rike Center Gallery.
Dugan will be present at a closing reception 5-7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 29, at the gallery. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.
Although the ABC and 1-2-3 works were originally created with children in mind, Dugan said, they have proven to have equal appeal for adults interested in urban photography and typography.
"The result was an interesting view of New York people had never seen before," Dugan said. "We walk by signs every day, and we rarely consider them, but when you literally and figuratively zoom in to the details of these everyday sights, it causes a bit of a surprise and transformation."
Dugan will also lead a course on the theme of tuning in to one's surroundings. It's from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 28, at ArtStreet Studio E. The fee is $10 per person, but it's free for University of Dayton students, faculty and staff. Register by clicking on the related link.
The Rike Center Gallery exhibit also contains 20 black-and-white images of New York City Dugan shot and processed on analog film. Five books published with her photographs, including a humorous collection of wisdom overheard in beauty parlors and taxi cabs, will also be on display.
"People often tell me that after seeing the collections, they can't walk down the street without seeing their own life in a different way," Dugan said. "They experience their daily world in a new way it seems."
Dugan, a full-time visual artist since 1992, is on the faculty of the International Center of Photography in New York City and the Fine Arts Work Center in Provincetown, Mass.
Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday; 10 a.m. to 7 p.m. Thursday; 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Friday; and by appointment. For more information, contact Todd Hall, gallery coordinator, at 937-229-3261 or via e-mail.
The University of Dayton department of visual arts is presenting the exhibit.
