This content was published: February 2, 2005. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
Panoramic photography graces PCC's art gallery
Photos and story by James Hill
SYLVANIA CAMPUS – An art exhibition is showing the effects of mining on the Illinois landscape through panoramic photography at Portland Community College’s Northview Gallery.
Jonathan Long’s "Pre-law Wastelands" is a solo installation of 360-degree photos documenting the environmental effects of strip mining in southern Illinois prior to environmental protection acts of the 1970s. Using a rotating panoramic camera, Long creates an environmental installation that is 16 feet in diameter, but because of its spiraling construction creates an image that is approximately four-feet tall by 45-feet wide.The "Pre-Law Wastelands" will be on display from Feb. 17 through March 20 at the gallery, located in Room 214 of the CT Building of the Sylvania Campus, 12000 S.W. 49th Ave. Long will give a talk about his work at 2 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 17 in Room 113 of the CT Building. A reception will follow in the gallery."In the 1940s, no environmental laws protected southern Illinois," said Long. "Coal miners cleared forests, dug up the earth and changed the entire landscape without regard to the potential impact on water, air and life. My work demonstrates the importance of modern environmental laws in ensuring that the nation’s most valuable natural resources will be enjoyed by all future generations."The Northview Gallery is open from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday through Friday. For more information on this exhibition, contact Marie Sivak, gallery director, at 503-977-4829.
About James Hill
James G. Hill, an award-winning journalist and public relations writer, is the Director of Public Relations at Portland Community College. A graduate of Portland State University, James has worked as a section editor for the Newberg Graphic... more »