Natural or Man-Made or One in the Same, a photo exhibition by Michael E. Smith, will be shown from June 9 to June 24 in the Visual Arts Gallery. A closing reception will be hosted by the artist on Wednesday, June 24th from 6 to 9 p.m. in the gallery.As a lifelong chronicler of nature and the outdoors, Smith uses his photography as a means to understanding the environment and our role in it. In a series of large format photographs Smith illustrates our effect on the natural world. Subjects range from national parks and golf courses to urban blight. The saturated palette lends a heightened reality to the pieces that gives an altered feel to the landscapes. Each photo shows how humankind has directly impacted the natural world, but each also shows the unremitting strength of Mother Nature. The photographs ask the question: do we recognize what we have wrought in our world?
Natural or Man-Made’s goal is to engage the viewer in a debate about natural versus artificial and wilderness versus civilized. Smith’s photographs show the sometimes messy, sometimes beautiful world we made. Are we a part of nature? Or are we apart from nature?
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