EUGENE–An exhibition of photography that captures unintentional moments of hope will open Wednesday, Jan. 13, at the University of Oregon Museum of Art, 1430 Johnson Lane.

The traveling exhibition, curated by Alice Rose George and Lee Marks, will continue through March 7. George is photography editor of DoubleTake magazine, while Marks is former president of the Association of International Photography Art Dealers.

"Hope Photographs" showcases the work of 90 historical and contemporary master artists whose 107 separate images seek to dispel the malaise of contemporary society. A wide range of subject matter has been chosen by the curators to represent the theme of hope in both predictable and less expected places–childhood, science, the arts, sports, even death.

"We started with the belief that an act of creation–photography, in this case–is an act of hope," George and Marks write. "Hope is a future-oriented desire. Photography and hope share a common physical and metaphorical quality–light."

In close company with the fine-art practitioners of photography are the documentary and journalistic photographers whose work appears in the mass media. Photography is the only art form that allows artists to capture a moment without re-interpreting it in their own personal style. An intrinsic power of the medium, photography, is the ability to communicate unintentional moments of hope.

"Hope is a word we have known from the beginning," George and Marks say. "Even before the word, hope has been with us as an instinct, a feeling, an impulse, or a thought. We know it so well, yet we forget what an important role it plays in every aspect of our being."

Artists represented in the exhibition include Edouard Boubat, Christopher Bucklow, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, William Eggleston, Mitch Epstein, Larry Fink, Lee Friedlander, Flor Garduno, Alex Harris, Josef Koudelka, Max Kozloff, Reagan Louie, Mary Ellen Mark, Duane Michals and Richard Misrach.

Others are Patrick Nagatani, Lennart Nilsson, Barbara Norfleet, Martin Parr, Gilles Peress, Sylvia Plachy, Cristina Garcia Rodero, Cindy Sherman, Rosalind Solomon, Michael Spano, Joel Sternfeld, Thomas Struth, Hiroshi Sugimoto, Larry Sultan, Ruth Thorne-Thomsen, Philip Trager and Garry Winogrand.

The exhibit catalogue, which offers a collection of show photographs and thought-provoking essays, will be available to the public at the museum’s Precious Cargo Gift Store for $29.95.

Educational programming supporting the exhibit includes the following MusEvenings! programs, all at 6 p.m. at the Museum of Art unless noted otherwise:

• Jan. 13–Exhibit opening, with a 6 p.m. musical performance by the Bethel Temple Christian Family Center Youth Choir and a 7 p.m. lecture on "The Role of Hope in Rehabilitation Medicine" by Dr. Bryan L. Andresen, medical director of the Oregon Rehabilitation Center at Sacred Heart Medical Center in Eugene. The opening reception is sponsored by The Private Bank of Union Bank of California.

• Jan. 20–An artist lecture by Leon Johnson, UO assistant professor of fine arts.

• Jan. 27–A 6 p.m. talk on "Hope and Emerald Valley Special Olympics" by Jeff Gardner, area director of the Emerald Valley Special Olympics, and contemporary guitar music by Craig Einhorn from 7—8 p.m.

• Feb. 3–A "Hope Photography" tour led by teen docents. Started as a pilot project in the fall of 1998, the teen docent program provides hands-on museum training and experience leading tours to 8th through 12th grade students interested in working in the arts. Besides attending weekly training sessions, teen docents are expected to give three tours at the art museum or to make three outreach visits to area K—12 schools.

• Feb. 10–A talk on "Hope and International Adoption" by Susan Cox, Holt Children’s Services public policy director.

• Feb. 17–A lecture by Terry Toedtemier, Portland Art Museum curator of photography. "From the earliest days of the medium, photographers have endeavored to create images representing their hopes and beliefs," he says. "This creative response to photography has resulted in a compelling legacy of pictures that touch on virtually all aspects of the human condition."

• Feb. 24–A photography workshop on Polaroid transfers from 6—7 p.m. and contemporary guitar music by Craig Einhorn from 7—8 p.m.

• March 3–A photography lecture by artists Suzanne Bloom and Ed Hill aka "Manual" in Room 115 of Lawrence Hall, 1190 Franklin Blvd.

The UO Museum of Art, accessible to people with disabilities, is open from noon to 8 p.m. Wednesday and from noon to 5 p.m. Thursday through Sunday. Suggested admission is $3, except on Wednesdays when the MusEvenings! program offers free extended viewing hours from 5—8 p.m. Museum members, students, UO employees and children are admitted free.

The museum is supported in part by grants from the Frances A. Staten Fund of The Oregon Community Foundation, the Oregon Arts Commission and the National Endowment for the Arts.

For information, browse http://uoma.uoregon.edu or call (541) 346-3027.

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