Date: Dec. 16, 2010
Contact: Carol Connelly, Director, Media & Communication Services, ext. 5267, cconnelly@pnc.edu

 

"Dancers" by Ron Schmid

PNC Odyssey Presents “Portraits in Time” by Ron Schmid

WESTVILLE – The Purdue University North Central 2010 – 11 Odyssey Arts and Cultural Events Series will feature the exhibit, “Portraits in Time” by photographer Ron Schmid from Jan. 10 to May 20 in the PNC Library-Student-Faculty Building Assembly Hall, Room 02 in the building's lower level. It is free and is open to the public and may be viewed by appointment only.

Schmid, a photographer for more than 40 years, is noted for his black and white photographs. This exhibit will include photographs of individuals, landscape and wildlife. He explains that he attempts to photograph each individual in an honest way, with a natural expression as opposed to an artificial scene and prefers to use existing, natural light. He places a two-dimensional frame around three-dimensional reality while interpreting existence from an individual's experience. The viewer is encouraged, through details in the photographic frame, to derive his or her own interpretation about the subject. Communicating information about the subject and his or her life is central.

His work, as well as his education, is from the photojournalism and documentary tradition. He has degrees in Photojournalism from the University of Minnesota and Visual Communications from Southern Illinois University-Carbondale. His publications include two books of photo essays, each in conjunction with an anthropologist. The book, “Corn Fests and Water Carnivals” features small town festivals and “Someone to Lend a Helping Hand: Women Growing Old in Rural America” looks at rural older women and how they adapt to aging.

Schmid has had numerous shows across the globe, including Croatia, Costa Rica and Mexico. One of his main bodies of work is on aging, in particular, aging in different cultures. These exhibits have been shown at the International Gerontological Association, Acapulco, Mexico, the International Congress of Anthropological and Ethnological Sciences Conference, Zagreb, Croatia, the Gerontological Society of America national conference, the International Conference of Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly and on Croatian television. Schmid has worked with many organizations serving the elderly, including Little Brothers-Friends of the Elderly, Catholic Charities and the Minnesota Agency on Aging.

He worked for the governor of Minnesota and photographed such notables as Hubert Humphrey, Princess Margaret, Lord Snowden and John Denver. Schmid's commercial work earned numerous Addie (Ad Federation) awards.

He taught undergraduate and graduate courses and led educational travel groups to the Pacific Northwest and western Canada, Mexico, Martinique, Puerto Rico and the Bahamas. He's worked as a naturalist and photographer at Voyageurs National Park in Minnesota and on other work for the National Park Service.

To schedule an appointment to view this exhibit or to obtain further information, contact Judy Jacobi, PNC assistant vice chancellor of Marketing and Community Relations, at 785-5200, ext. 5593. Persons with disabilities requiring accommodations should contact Jacobi.