BHSU photography professor earns international accolades

 "The Barber Shop," a photograph by BHSU assistant professor Jerry Rawlings, was selected from over 700 entries for a portrait exhibition at uBe Art Gallery in Berkley, Calif.

Jerry Rawlings, assistant professor at BHSU, received the bronze award in the International Art Forward Competition for his photograph from the 2014 Sturgis Rally. More than 800 photographs were submitted in the competition.

Black Hills State University assistant professor Jerry Rawlings has been juried into an international competition and exhibition at the uBe Art Gallery in Berkley, Calif. Rawlings also received the bronze award in the International Art Forward Competition.

Rawlings' portrait, "The Barber Shop," was selected from over 700 entries for the uBe Art Gallery portrait exhibition titled "In My Absence."

Winn Taylor, uBe Art's proprietor and curator, said the exhibition is full of emotion, humor and soul with a wide range of imagery. The exhibition launches in May and showcases 46 portraits covering a wide spectrum of medium and genre from artists around the country.

Rawlings said it is an honor to have his photography recognized by peers.

"The portrait is a telling glimpse into an individual. I prefer shooting portraits when the individual is not aware that they are being photographed. I feel that gives me greater insight into the individual and does not give them time to put up the "faccedilade" that most of us put on when being photographed," said Rawlings.

Rawlings was also selected as the Bronze Award winner in the International Art Forward competition titled "Show and Sell." Rawlings was selected for the third place award from approximately 800 submissions with his photograph from the 2014 Sturgis Rally.

The goal of the Art Forward contest is to provide exposure to contemporary artists and photographers. Rawlings' work will be published and seen by an estimated 700,000 art patrons through the Blouin International Gallery Guide distributed in galleries and museums throughout the world.