Photo Archives exhibits 25 Years of UofL Photography

LOUISVILLE, Ky. — Starting Oct. 6, the University of Louisville Photographic Archives will exhibit photos that university staff photographer Tom Fougerousse has taken over the last 25 years. More than 40 of his favorite images will be shown with detailed captions of how they were made.

Perhaps no one has shaped the university’s visual image over the last quarter-century more than Fougerousse. As the official university photographer, he’s shot nearly every conceivable angle of campus life – staff, faculty, students, buildings, grounds, events - for nearly every piece of communication the university produces.

“We are fortunate to have such a gifted photographer to chronicle the history of our university. Tom’s images are a delight today, but will also provide future generations with a wonderful sense of who we were and what we did. This exhibit celebrates that work,” said Carrie Daniels, director of Archives and Special Collections.

Of particular interest are his portraits, like his award-winning picture of Louisville sculptor Edward Hamilton, in which Hamilton sits casually in perfect focus, but his sculpture blurs behind him, as if moving in effervescent light.

Fougerousse, a self-described commercial photographer from Southern Indiana, has seen lots of changes in his time. When he started at the Health Sciences Campus, there were six staff photographers and they worked on developing film and making slides and presentations, things the digital era wiped away.

Now, he’s the sole full-time photographer and has enjoyed capturing all the changes the campus has undergone over time.

“I hope I’ve put the university in a good light,” he said. “I hope I’ve stirred emotion.”

“Tom Fougerousse: 25 Years of UofL Photography” continues through Dec. 23 at the Photographic Archives Gallery in the lower level of UofL’s Ekstrom Library. The opening reception is 5-6:30 p.m. Oct. 11. Exhibition hours are 8 a.m.-5 p.m., Mon.-Fri. For more information, contact Janet Cappiello at 502-852-1104 or janet.cappiello@louisville.edu.

EDITORS NOTE: A photo of Fine Arts student Charlotte Pollock painting is attached (2012).

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