Local photographers show work at Waldron

Competition for a photography exhibition is not something reserved entirely to big cities. Bloomington, too, features an exhibition of local photographers who applied for the display.\nThe John Waldron Arts Center has recently opened a new display that presents work from three local artists as part of the center's 2005 Gallery Season. The exhibition is also a part of Bloomington's Downtown GalleryWalk Season, which includes nine downtown galleries. \nLining the walls of the Flashlight Gallery are the drawings of Elizabeth Bays. Downstairs. The Rosemary P. Miller Gallery now hosts the work of local photographers Roger Pfingston and Michael Finger.\nBays, Pfingston and Finger, whose work was has been displayed there since April 22, were chosen from those who applied and submitted work to the Bloomington Area Arts Council during the 2004 call for entries. The BAAC accepts submissions each year by artists from Monroe, Brown, Greene, Lawrence and Owen counties. The artists must \nsubmit slides to the council as well as information about themselves and the work to be considered.\nMiah Michaelsen holds a seat on the council as the Gallery Director for the Waldron Arts Center. \n"We see submissions from a good number of artists," she said.\nMichaelsen said both amateur and professional artists have applied and been accepted. A panel of jurors reviews the work and decides what work will be displayed the next year. Once on display, the artists can have their work sold if they choose.\n"We have had people come in who want to buy a piece that is part of the exhibition," Michaelsen said, "They just have to wait until the show is over."\nIn addition to deciding which pieces will be shown, the panel of jurors also decides when and where the pieces will be shown. \nThe Rosemary P. Miller Gallery is a room on the 2nd floor of the arts center that typically hosts the work of two professional artists, while the Flashlight Gallery is a dedicated hallway on the third floor that is customarily used for displaying the work of "emerging artists."\nBays' art is currently on display in the Flashlight Gallery. Bays studies Shodo, a Japanese form of character writing likened to calligraphy. All the pieces exhibited are characters from the art of Shodo which she has learned from years of studying with masters in the art form. The art form aims to "condense all of human experience into a few intense seconds when the brush encounters the paper."\nPfingston is a photographer, poet, and teacher whose photos have appeared in publications such as American Photo, Camera & Darkroom, Orion and Shots. He has also had his work exhibited at The Gallery, located at 109 E. Sixth Street. His photos in this current exhibition at the Waldron Arts Center present depictions of land and seascapes in color from the Bloomington Area and around the world.\nFinger has been a photographer for over 25 years and his work that is currently on display chronicles the coexistence of nature and industry. Many of the photos were taken from different areas in Indiana and show the ruins of past industrial "hot spots."\nThe work of the three artists will be displayed until May 21.\nThe John Waldron Arts Center is located at 122 S. Walnut. The Rosemapry P. Miller Gallery is open Monday-Friday 11 a.m.-5 p.m and Saturday 11 a.m.-3 p.m. The Flashlight Gallery is open Monday-Friday 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Admission is free. For further information, call 334-3100.