John Wood: On the Edge of Clear Meaning

September 10, 2008-January 11, 2009

George Eastman House, in conjunction with the Visual Studies Workshop (VSW) and Memorial Art Gallery (MAG), are participants in John Wood: On the Edge of Clear Meaning, a multi-institution retrospective of John Wood’s career as photographer, artist, and educator.

This selection of more than 213 pieces is the most comprehensive display of Wood’s work to date, and encompasses the full range of his prolific career from the late-1950s to present. In Rochester, the works will be displayed in three different locations. Eastman House’s portion, “Quiet Protest,” contains work dealing with social and ecological issues. VSW will exhibit Wood’s serial investigations including selected book works, collages, and montages as well as his sand and rock drawings. MAG will present selected works on paper, including watercolors, blue prints, cyanotypes, wax drawings, mixed media, and some “whirligigs.”

Wood, a Professor Emeritus at Alfred University where he taught for nearly 35 years, has a style that refuses to be shoehorned into one category. A master of straight photography, collage, cliché verre, solarization, mixed media, offset lithography, drawing, and more, he decisively incorporates a variety of media with ease.

Wood’s unique artist books are acclaimed for bringing the power of his ideas into a cohesive whole. Wood set the stage as a pioneer in the field of mixed media in fine-art form, as well as aggressive merging of multimedia collage concepts in digital form. He has exhibited extensively and is represented in most major photographic collections, including George Eastman House, MAG, Museum of Modern Art, San Francisco Museum of Modern Art, Center for Creative Photography, National Gallery of Canada, and Museum of Fine Arts Houston.

This exhibition, its national tour, and accompanying catalog are curated and coordinated by Wood’s former student Nathan Lyons, Director Emeritus of the Visual Studies Workshop, in collaboration with Marie Via, Director of Exhibitions, Memorial Art Gallery, and Alison Nordström, Curator of Photographs, George Eastman House.

Read the press release

Opening Reception and Events:

Friday, October 17
Multi-Institutional Opening
5:30-6:30 p.m., George Eastman House, Entrance Gallery, "Quiet Protest"
6:45-7:45 p.m., Memorial Art Gallery, Lockhart Gallery, "Works on Paper"
6-9 p.m., Visual Studies Workshop, Siskind Gallery, "On the Edge of Clear Meaning"

Saturday, October 18, 10-11:30 a.m.
John Wood Symposium
Location: Visual Studies Workshop. Moderated by Jessie Shefrin, Provost, Rhode Island School of Design