Posts tagged photography

Did you know that Sally Mann, named ”America’s Best Photographer” by TIME magazine in 2001, went to Bennington (‘73)? Her works are part of the permanent collections of the Met, the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Whitney, and SF MoMA among others.

~ Holly, ‘13

How is the photography program? — Asked by Anonymous

Wow, well, there are so many reasons that I love the photo program here (I study photography & sculpture), but I’ll narrow it down to these three:

  1. The Faculty
  2. The Facilities
  3. The Courses

1. The photography teachers here are incredible. As you might know, Bennington employs a “teacher as practitioner” model, which basically means that our art teachers are all still working artists. They are actively creating, installing, curating. In addition to this simply being a really cool way to discover new work (Click here to watch an interview with one of our amazing photo teachers, Liz Deschenes, talking about her work in the Whitney Biennial ) it also brings a sort of “real world” insight to each class, which is a really cool way of learning and provides context for making and presenting work. Click to see work by photo teacher Jonathan Kline and visiting photo teacher Elizabeth White.

2. When I think back to when I first visited Bennington, one of the things that stood out most about my tour was seeing the photo facilities, and being blown away by the potential they held. In VAPA we have a traditional B&W group darkroom with three individual enlarger stations, three private darkrooms for processing film, a traditional analog color darkroom (an old school process for sure), and alternative processes darkroom with a taller enlarger for making mural prints as well as bigger trays and sinks for less conventional darkroom techniques (cyanotypes, etc.), a digital “lightroom” equipped with flatbed scanners, printers, photoshop & bridge, and an entire lighting studio with backdrops and all the equipment. Check out my photoset of all these spaces here. Additionally, our Photo Technician, Jon Barber will rent out photo equipment (woohoo large format!) to students with photo experience.

3. Lastly, the photo classes that we offer are enlightening and rewarding and inspiring. Even in an introductory level class which is largely assignment-based, your teachers value and welcome a personal artistic insight and aesthetic. From your beginnings in Photo Foundations to wherever you end up, you are not only creating your own work, but are participating in all-class critiques and presentations as well.  

Hope this helps!

-Amira ‘13

At long last…pictures of our photography facilities!! 

-Amira ‘13

does bennington have a darkroom? could you take pictures of it/any photography-based room? — Asked by Anonymous

We have a traditional B&W darkroom/film processing rooms, an analog color darkroom (one of the last!), an alternative processes darkroom (bigger enlarger/tubs for mural printing, etc.), a digital “lightroom” (equipped with photoshop, scanners, and large printers), and a complete lighting studio. I’ll do a photoset early next week…check back for pics!

-Amira ‘13

For the "Form and Fabric" final project, are the models all Bennington students? — Asked by Anonymous

Courtenay ‘13 responds: “对。他们都是本宁顿的大学生.”

(She is participating in nearby Middlebury College’s summer language program, in which all participants sign an oath to only communicate in their language of study for the duration of the program).

According to Google Translate, that Mandarin equates (more or less) to a ‘yes.’ Hope that helps!

-Evan ‘13

courtenayhouk:

“Form and Fabric” by Courtenay Houk ‘13

(Final project for Digital Photography Foundations)

***Check out the complete installation on the first floor of VAPA, next to the ladies’ room!

tarragonshenanigans:

My final for Digital Photography Foundations. By only using subjects on campus, I took 100 pictures to create a gradient through color and light to dark. Cus I’m cray cray and decided to think of and tackle such a thing. But I’m really happy with how it came out and it totally looks like I’m in the Chromophilia class. Hours and hours and hours of my life right there.

Top: Final project.

Left: Me showin’ it some lovins and givin’ it some scale.

Right: The aftermath; 100 little blobs of putty.

[reblogged by Ellie]

thegrocery:

Vermont, the last time it was warm like this

Edit photos by me, left: Woo house backyard, right: the porch of a friend’s house

[reblogged by Ellie]

madamex-files

Here are some photos from the class of 2012’s senior visual art show!

All images were taken by Kate!

- Ellie

[Part 3 of the Posters at Bennington Series]

One of the most common questions I’m asked on tours is “What is there to do at Bennington?” I know that before I came here I couldn’t for the life of me imagine what one would do all day at a small liberal arts school in Vermont. But when I visited campus I realized that everywhere I looked, the walls were plastered with posters advertising clubs, performances, discussions, lectures, films, and more. 

So I thought, for those of you who can’t visit campus just yet, that I’d start a weekly series where I showcase some of the posters around campus over the past year or two. All photo credits go to the folks behind the Bennington College Flickr!

-Ellie

above: Carolyn in her incoming class photo from 1933; Crossett Library today; the original announcement about Crossett Library from the November 1959 alumni mag

Carolyn Crossett Rowland, mother of photography at Bennington and part of the namesake of our library, passed away yesterday.

Affectionately known in our community as Crossie, she attended Bennington in the 1930s as one of the first incoming classes. In the 1950s, she donated the money for Bennignton to build Crossett Library and it opened in 1959. She named it after her father, and a drawing of him with a plaque still hangs in the library now.

Carolyn was one of the first photo students at Bennington College. She set up the first darkroom the school ever had. She also had many amusing and fascinating anecdotes from her connection to the photo world outside of Bennington. Oceana Wilson, our current director of the library, tells me this: “She knew Ansel Adams and even had some of his prints. She also went to Stieglitz’s photo studio when she was on Field Work Term in NYC and boldly asked him to look at her work. After answering the door in a cape, he critiqued her work for an hour and a half.”

Through perseverance, Carolyn was able to create an interest for photography on campus and give the option of studying it to others. As a photography student, I feel like I owe many parts of my life here to her. When I walk down the photo and darkroom hallways in our art building, I pass a sign on the front of the darkroom doors that says “The Carolyn Crossett Rowland Black and White Darkroom.” She is definitely on our minds.

Taking action, getting things done for herself, and pioneering uncharted grounds in her education: a true Bennington girl! She will be greatly missed.

-India K, ‘12
with much help from Oceana Wilson, Joe Tucker, and Kathy Williams of the amazing Crossett Library

[reblogged by Ellie]

[reblogged by Ellie]

There is a surrealism that is inherent in photography - it’s a dead moment.
Photography professor Jonathan Kline in my class Historical Processes (India K, ‘12)

Happy 1000th post, Tapped In!

In celebration, please enjoy these old photos from a feature LIFE magazine did on Bennington in 1937. The photographs were all taken by renowned photographer  Alfred Eisenstaedt. The magazine was intrigued by the college’s new approach to the liberal arts, so a comprehensive photo essay was put together.

There are some real gems! Click through the whole series. Here’s to the history of the college and what’s to come.

-India K, ‘12

sepc:

Julia Sub ‘15 took these pictures to explore how she could capture movement on film for her final project in her Photography Foundation class. 

She choreographed a dance with her peer Nina Brindamour ‘15 and photographed parts of the piece with long exposure.
Do you have student work you want to share on this Tumblr? Contact us!

SEPC (the Student Educational Policies Committee) has started a Tumblr for current students to showcase student work (as seen above), advertise academic-related events, and discuss and answer questions about academic matters.

[full disclosure: I’m the Head of SEPC, but I swear I’m impartial in choosing to reblog this…]

-Ellie