IU photographer defines sexual slang in new dictionary

CEOs, Grammy winners and Pulitzer Prize recipients rank among the most prominent figures to ever walk IU’s hallowed halls. Now, graduate student Jordan Tate is paving his own path of distinction by adding a new title to the list: dictionary writer.\nTate, who is working toward his master of fine arts degree with a focus on photography, became a published author Jan. 9 when his work, “The Contemporary Dictionary of Sexual Euphemisms,” hit bookshelves. \n“I just finished my undergraduate thesis ... on the state of contemporary masculinity and contemporary masculinity theory,” Tate said about the initial inspiration for the book. “(I) was looking for something that was a little more lighthearted and a little more accessible to people.”\nThe compilation contains figurative and literal meanings for euphemisms ranging from “pearl necklace” and “checking the oil” to “little red riding hood.” Literal meanings are also depicted in photographs Tate took for some of the terms.\n“It’s just the amount of energy and effort people put in to disguise relatively benign sexual acts and sort of glorify them in the way they’re discussed that I found interesting,” Tate said about his literal portrayals of the euphemisms. “So it was my intention to illustrate in some senses the ridiculousness of the way they’re organized and some senses just the absolute humor.”\nTate ventured into the world of photography long before that of publishing, however. He first became interested in photography around age 13, when he took a manual camera given to him by his grandfather during a hiking trip with his family. His work has now been published in Playboy, CO-ED Magazine and Louisville Magazine and exhibited in galleries from Berlin to Chicago.\nIan Whitmore, Tate’s friend and a fellow photography graduate student, said Tate is technically proficient and has a high level of craftsmanship in his work. Whitmore said he admires Tate’s ability to learn from his work and move on. \n“Jordan really has the ability to follow through on the projects he takes on,” Whitmore said. “He tends to finish things out.”\nTate’s skill for completing projects also extends to community service activities. In November he and other members of the art department co-organized Liou-Apalooza, an art auction raising money for alternative leukemia treatments for Vivian Liou, the daughter of Arthur Liou an IU associate professor of digital media.\nDespite Tate’s other involvements, photography remains a primary focus. On March 30, he will present an exhibition in the School of Fine Art’s gallery called “Breaking News,” which focuses on his newspaper alteration work. Tate said he would also like to continue his photography career after graduation and teach at the University of Cincinnati or IU-Purdue University at Indianapolis. He would also like to venture into the book industry again.\n“I’m always working on something, but finding something that fits that well into book form is always a challenge,” he said. \nTo donate money to ‘The Support Vivian Project’ and help fund Liou’s leukemia treatments, visit www.supportvivian.org.