Renowned work comes to art gallery

November 2, 2009 —

Starting today, those in Arbury Fine Arts Center will notice a new attraction in the art gallery.

Through November, the art gallery will feature photographer Stephen Geffre’s artwork.

Featured work includes multipleexposure shots of rural North Dakota. Geffre said he created these without the help of Adobe Photoshop or “darkroom tricks.”

“With my artwork, I want to expose you to an entirely new way of seeing the supposedly mundane. I want to take the photograph that shows you how gorgeous [these] everyday objects actually are,” Geffre says on his Web site.

Geffre found photography an easier way to convey a feeling or message without words, as he suffers from a condition much like dyslexia called dysgraphia.

“It’s hard work finding the right spot to let a story tell itself. But when it works, there’s nothing more rewarding,” he said.

Geffre began his career as a staff photographer at the Minot Daily News.

He has done freelance work for national publications such as USA Today, The New York Times and the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

His artwork has graced multiple art shows throughout the Midwest and has been recognized by the Alternative Press, North Dakota Press, the Photographer’s Association and MSNBC.com.

Typically, artists find out about the University gallery through advertisements on the Internet, said David Littel, art gallery coordinator.

Interested artists are encouraged to send samples of their artwork to an art committee that reviews different artists’ work and collaborates on which should be displayed in the gallery.

From there, Littell said that he typically drives to pick up the artwork.

However, Geffre currently resides in Minneapolis working as the public relations photographer for Augsburg College, which made it difficult for Littell to obtain the framed artwork.

Thus, it was shipped to the University in crates and will be sent back at the end of the month.

The art gallery is open from 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday and Wednesday and 10:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Tuesday, Thursday and Friday.

The exhibit will remain open until Nov. 24.

The artist reception for Geffre is from 4:30 p.m. to 6:30 p.m. Thursday Nov. 12. There is no charge for admission.

To learn more about Stephen Geffre or view more of his artwork, visit Stephen Geffre's Web site.