Responding to Social Concerns through Photographic Works
Ron Tarver & Julia Blaukpf
Artists’ Talk
Thursday, September 20th @ 6pm
Marlin Gallery, Lincoln Hall
Free and open to the public thanks to the generous support of the Cultural and Heritage Commission of Camden County
Photographers Ron Tarver and Julia Blaukopf are currently exhibiting work in the Marlin Gallery. Both artists will give a presentation on Thursday, September 20th, at 6:00 p.m. discussing their work, their methodologies, and their careers in the arts. This event is sponsored by the Camden County Cultural & Heritage Commission and admission is free. A closing reception will take place on Wednesday, September 26th from 5:00-7:00 p.m. Refreshments will be served and admission is free. The exhibition is also open Monday through Thursday from 12:00-5:00 p.m. now through September 27th.
Ron Tarver
Ron Tarver is a nationally and internationally known photographer, author, and fine artist. His work has been featured in National Geographic, Time, Life, Sports Illustrated, and the Philadelphia Inquirer. His fine art photography has been exhibited in the Philadelphia Museum of Art and the Smithsonian American Art Museum in Washington, D.C. He is co-author of the book We Were There: Voices of African American Veterans, published by Harper Collins, which was accompanied by a traveling exhibition that debuted at the National Constitution Center in Philadelphia. He currently serves as Visiting Assistant Professor of Art at Swarthmore College, Swarthmore PA.
“An Overdue Conversation with My Father” is currently on display in the Marlin Gallery. “This work involves the appropriation of photographs my father, Richard Tarver, produced in the 1940s and 50s to construct contemporary images that comment on the pervasive legacy of social and racial strife in this country. The more than 300 photographs and over 1000 black and white negatives he made of the African American residents in the small Oklahoma town of Fort Gibson represent a time when Jim Crow laws were still in place. While those laws have since been abolished, their legacy lives on. These reimagined images tie together a troublesome past with an equally troublesome present.” – Ron Tarver
rontarverphotographs.com
Julia Blaukpf
Julia Blaukopf is a photographer, artist and designer whose work has been exhibited nationally and internationally. Her photographs have been exhibited internationally in Germany, the Netherlands and Denmark; and nationally in New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Portland, Oregon. “I create socially concerned work and focus on visual storytelling through photographs, mixed media works, and large-scale installations. Blurring the lines between fine art and documentary, my focus is on emblems that compose the everyday, i.e., workers, farmers, and families. I have photographed for a women’s empowerment organization in Ghana, a reforestation project in Kenya, and collaborated with artists and organizations alike in Lithuania, Sri Lanka, and the United States. Most recently I documented a collective of indigenous women artisans in Panama called Bonöre. My photographs and installation works are created to raise awareness and foster a mutual understanding between communities on an international level. I implement this into a social arts practice by working as a creative partner with non-profits, ethically-minded businesses, media outlets, and educational institutions.” – Julia Blaukopf
juliablaukopf.com
Meet Kojo Abanyie (18), a pharmacy student transferring to Rutgers this year. Kojo is a member of the Chemistry Club and Phi Theta Kappa. Kojo started as a dual credit student, which made it easy for him to get his high school diploma and college credits at the same time. “There are a lot of professors here that work at other institutions of higher learning,” which means he is getting the same education someone else is paying much more to obtain. Kojo wants the Rohrer Foundation to know that he is thankful for the recognition of his hard work. He promises to continue to work hard in the future. Kojo believes donating to a scholarship fund “is a good thing to do because it not only helps with someone’s money situation, but also gives them encouragement to continue to do well.”
Meet Kristin Burke (37), an elementary education major transferring to Stockton to major in liberal studies. Kristen wants to become a middle school teacher. She is a member of Phi Theta Kappa and is secretary for Kappa Delta Pi. Kristin remembers, “I had a job that I hated and had to drive past the College to get there. One day I decided, I’m going to apply to this college and change my life. And I did. And I don’t regret it.” She wants her donor to know, “It’s a wonderful thing that you’re doing and it’s changing peoples’ lives. It’s changing future generations as well. My children are watching me work hard and my students are going to know that I got scholarships. I plan on telling everybody about how CCC did this for me and you don’t have to go hugely in debt at a four-year university right away. It’s affordable and workable, and the scholarship really is changing lives.”
Meet Ashlee Dever (32), is a nursing major who will continue her studies here in Blackwood as a Rutgers University nursing student. She decided to attend CCC because of the convenience. “I took morning classes, afternoon classes, weekend classes, online classes. It was just totally flexible. It was easy to fit it in my schedule.” She wants her donor to know that her Rohrer scholarship “really did make a huge difference and helped make it possible for me to go on and get a four-year degree.”
Meet Elizabeth Doan (20), a double major in education and foreign languages. She wants to transfer to Rowan and major in musical education so she can travel the world and teach music. She chose CCC because she was a NJ STARS recipient, and it was close to home, but once here, Elizabeth realized, “it’s so sophisticated. There’s so much going on and it’s such a vibrant campus with so many different programs.” She is thankful to Linda Rohrer and the Rohrer Foundation. “Thank you so much to Linda Rohrer. This isn’t the first scholarship I received from her. I’m so honored that her foundation supported me as an incoming CCC student and now a transfer student.”
Meet Mia Sanchez (20), a business administration student at CCC transferring to Rutgers-Camden to earn her bachelor’s degree. Mia also has been an intern at the US embassy in Azerbaijan. She currently works at The Center and is an executive board member for Phi Theta Kappa. Regarding her scholarship, Mia wants her donor to know: “This scholarship made my future education possible and took away a lot of the financial burden placed on me.” She believes, “People who are capable should invest in students like me, so we can focus on school without having to worry about money.”
