Colorado Mountain College professional photography students and alumni display work
From the wild waters of Colorado to the expressive eyes of a child in Africa, a new exhibit on display at the CMC ArtShare gallery features a collection of work produced by students and alumni of Colorado Mountain College’s professional photography program.
“We wanted to create an opportunity for our alumni to participate in an event and a bridge for our current students and alumni to connect with each other by providing a way to show their work together,” said Derek Johnston, associate professor and program director of the college’s photography program.
The show includes works by more than 20 different students and alumni, a collection of the diverse genres and range of interests that develop in the renowned photography program that is now under the umbrella of the college’s prestigious Isaacson School for New Media. The exhibit features the work of three photographers: student Andrew Braun’s portraits from Africa, alumnus Copi Vojta’s fly-fishing images and alumna Elizabeth Moreno’s work on the rancheros of Baja California.
The exhibit includes portraiture, commercial, illustration, scenic, journalism and other pieces either produced through a class in the CMC professional photography program or from the artists’ personal collections.
Support of instructors nurtures photographers’ individuality
“Our program philosophy and small, intimate environment allow for a lot of individual attention and one-on-one instruction,” Johnston said. “We believe this greatly benefits the students’ ability to develop unique and individual styles in the genres they desire to pursue careers in.”
Braun spent the fall teaching photography to a class of 24 students in the slums of Nakuru, Kenya, as part of a project with the Roaring Fork Valley nonprofit The Child’s Eye.
The CMC student shot portraits of the Kenyan students and will be sharing a few of the images from his trip abroad. He said it took time to develop a connection with the students. Most of his portraits were taken the last month of his trip, from the doorway to one of the classrooms.
“I included these portraits because there is a connection between the viewer and the child,” he said. “Their expressions are raw and soulful.”
Alums bring skills to American Northwest, Mexico – and back
CMC alumnus Vojta will be featured along with his images of the sport of fly-fishing. An avid fly fisherman, Vojta graduated from Colorado Mountain College in 2009 and began submitting photographs to fly-fishing publications.
The work paid off: A year ago, he got a call from “The Flyfish Journal,” a coffee table-publication based in Bellingham, Wash., and was asked to be their new photo editor. Vojta accepted the position and now works remotely from Carbondale.
His photography is mostly of Colorado’s rivers, he said, and his fresh style for fly-fishing photography is what he describes as “candid images of the people, landscapes and equipment in fly-fishing.”
“It’s a great opportunity to have my work be seen in a different format and stay involved with the school and what they’re doing,” Vojta said. “By seeing the work of students, I can tell the bar is still very high for students in the program. I was lucky to have been part of it.”
CMC alumna Moreno, who graduated in 2005, is an award-winning, freelance documentary photographer in La Paz, Mexico. Her work has been seen in exhibits in Mexico, Colorado and at Duke University. She currently works for non-governmental organizations and local publications.
Her work in the current exhibit is culled from a project titled “Close to Earth: People from the Sierras and Desert,” which documents the culture and life of the Baja California’s rancheros in Mexico.
The photographs at the CMC ArtShare Gallery at 802 Grand Ave. in Glenwood Springs will be on display through March 2.
The ArtShare Gallery is open weekdays from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 947-8367 or visit cmcartshare.com.
By Stefanie Kilts