these wild ecstasies (for A Siskin), 2010, 14.5 x 22 inches, waxed cyanotype

Alternative Photographic Processes Exhibit at W&L   Washington and Lee University’s Staniar Gallery is pleased to present Tell Me Again the World Will Be Beautiful, an exhibit of works by photographer Alyssa Salomon. The show will be on view April 21- May 23. Salomon will give a public artist’s talk on Wednesday, April 23, at 5:30 p.m. in Wilson Hall’s Concert Hall. The lecture will be followed by an opening reception for the artist. Since receiving a camera for her eighth birthday, Salomon has been testing how photography records and interprets the visible world. She uses 19th century photographic processes on handmade surfaces to exploit the medium’s potential for romantic nostalgia, abstraction and quiet beauty. In this exhibition, inspired in part by the writings of British Romantic poets, Salomon investigates her place in the natural world by likening her approach to that of the birdwatcher: “disciplined by skill, attuned to sight and gifted by chance.” Salomon’s work is held in public and private collections including the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Capital One and The Valentine Richmond History Center. She has been awarded two professional fellowships from the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts and the Theresa Pollak Award for Excellence in the Arts. Staniar Gallery is located on the second floor of Wilson Hall in Washington and Lee University’s Lenfest Center for the Arts. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, please call 540-458-8861.

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