BHSU PHOTOGRAPHY STUDENTS PARTICIPATE IN INTERNATIONAL EXHIBITIONS FOCUSING ON WOMEN ARTISTS

Three Black Hills State University students in the photography program will have their work on display at international exhibitions.  

Two students had their work accepted at the “22nd Annual Julia Margaret Cameron Award for Women Photographers” in Barcelona, Spain. Seniors Ashley Beguin of Gordon, Neb., and Hope Schumacker of Devil’s Lake, N.D., received Honorable Mentions in their respective sections. 

“It has helped me understand that my hard work will pay off. There are ups and downs, but it all works out in the end. I think it’s awesome to be part of a show that is all women and one that is international. I’ve never been involved in one of those before. I’m also hopeful that I will get to go and see the work and exhibition in person!” said Beguin.  

As a part of the Worldwide Photography Gala, the photographs by Beguin and Schumacker will appear in Barcelona, Spain, at the FotoNostrum, Mediterranean House of Photography gallery, along with others who had their work selected by jurors Ameera Mills, Leonor Fernandes, Laura Vilanova, and Ariadna Royo.  

“I’m so excited that my work, which is so personal, has been so well received by others. I appreciate that I’m able to be in an exhibition with other women from around the world – there are such strong stories in each of their works, and it’s amazing to feel that about my photographs,” said Schumacker. 

A third student, Sydney Robinson of Gillette, Wyo., will have her work exhibited at the “Women in Photography” exhibition at the Glasgow Gallery of Photography in the United Kingdom. The importance of being included in an exhibition with a focus on female-identifying artists was not lost on Robinson. “Female-identifying photographers, and most photographers I know, have this stereotype that has been put on them that everything they make has to be beautiful or emotional in photography,” said Robinson.  

However, according to Robinson, the work included in the exhibition goes against these expectations. “I am hoping that my work shows people that their work doesn't have to be this pretty little perfect masterpiece. Things can be messy or gross and still appeal to an audience.” Robinson’s work can be viewed at glasgowgalleryofphotography.com. 

All three students have their work on display in the group exhibition “Beneath the Surface,” a show of artwork created by the Contemporary Issues in Photography class. The exhibition is on display in the Photographer’s Gallery in the basement of Jonas Academic Hall.