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WCSU Virtual Art Faculty Talk features photographer Elyse Shapiro

Public invited to join April 13 online presentation by WCSU adjunct professor

DANBURY, CONN. — The Western Connecticut State University Department of Art will present photographer Elyse Shapiro in an online lecture streaming live on Tuesday, April 13, 2021, in the concluding event of the spring semester Virtual Art Faculty Talks series.

Shapiro, an adjunct professor of Photography at WCSU, will discuss her techniques and philosophy as a veteran photojournalist and artist during a Zoom presentation beginning at 6 p.m. The public is invited to register in advance at no charge by accessing the Eventbrite web page for the event at www.eventbrite.com/e/art-faculty-lecture-series-elyse-shapiro-tickets-148076477731. Registrants will be sent the Zoom invitation link to attend the event online.

Shapiro began her career in 1974 as a photojournalist for the Westport News and seven affiliated publications of Brooks Community Newspapers in Fairfield County, serving as chief photographer before leaving the group in 1991. Over the past three decades, she has been a commercial photographer and owner of a studio based in Redding as well as a photography instructor who has taught at WCSU, Norwalk Community College, PhotoGraphics Workshop in New Canaan and continuing education programs in Fairfield County. She has participated in exhibitions of her works at the Cultural Arts Center in New York and at sites across western Connecticut, most recently at the Visual and Performing Arts Center Gallery at WCSU, Silas Bronson Library in Waterbury and the Gallery at Still River Editions in Danbury.

“My approach to photography is shaped by my years as a photojournalist,” Shapiro observed in her artist statement. “My work is truthful, respecting the integrity of the subject and recognizing the moment in a fraction of a second when the disparate parts come together to form an image that communicates maximum potential.”

“Today my work is more personal, my subjects more to my choosing, my technique more varied,” she said. “I explore qualities in my subjects that go beyond surface characteristics, taking a more studied approach. What interests me most is what lies in front of or behind the plane of focus and how the layers of light, color and form play off each other and the frame that contains them.”

Shapiro earned her bachelor’s degree at the University of Bridgeport. She pursued advanced studies at the School of the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston, the Art Students League of New York, Aces Media Center in Orange and the International Center of Photography in New York.

For more information, contact Lori Robeau of the Department of Art at robeaul@wcsu.edu or Sherri Hill of the Office of University Relations at hills@wcsu.edu.

 

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