{"id":1028,"date":"2025-01-31T11:26:21","date_gmt":"2025-01-31T19:26:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/photoland\/?page_id=1028"},"modified":"2026-01-04T15:15:18","modified_gmt":"2026-01-04T23:15:18","slug":"currently-on-view-in-gallery-photoland","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/photoland\/currently-on-view-in-gallery-photoland\/","title":{"rendered":"Currently on view in Gallery Photoland"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Curious Devices: An Exhibition by Jeanette May<\/i><\/h2>\n
Running December 17th 2025 through March 21st 2026<\/strong><\/h5>\n

Artist Statement:<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

I use a critical,\u00a0often\u00a0playful, approach to\u00a0investigate\u00a0contemporary culture. Although I now work exclusively in photography, my background in painting informs\u00a0my\u00a0subject matter and my method of art production. My projects begin with\u00a0a concern.\u00a0Currently,\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0very concerned\u00a0about technology, designed obsolescence, e-waste, and the \u201cright to repair.\u201d<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>My\u00a0still\u00a0lifes\u00a0reveal our complicated relationship with obsolete technology by\u00a0juxtaposing\u00a0the\u00a0seductive\u00a0designs\u00a0and\u00a0the\u00a0inner\u00a0workings\u00a0of\u00a0<\/span>Curious Devices<\/span><\/i>.\u00a0These\u00a0photographs\u00a0display a\u00a0reverence for\u00a0finely crafted\u00a0merchandise, industrial design,\u00a0and\u00a0scientific wonders.\u00a0The technological tableaus span antique stereoscopes\u00a0and art deco clocks to Bluetooth headphones.\u00a0Each object\u2019s style, color, and construction\u00a0epitomize\u00a0a period of both\u00a0aesthetic\u00a0and technological\u00a0advancement.\u00a0Just as 17<\/span>th<\/span>\u00a0century still life paintings\u00a0reflect\u00a0the abundance afforded a prosperous culture, My\u202f<\/span>Curious Devices<\/span><\/i>\u202facknowledge the fleeting nature of earthly pleasures.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The original vanitas still life celebrated the new wealth of the Dutch in the 17th century. Their paintings exemplify the advantages of fortune and international trade: silk fabrics, porcelain dishes, Venetian glass, silver goblets, and cultivated flowers. These paintings proudly displayed possessions made available by local craftspeople and exotic imports. Were trade practices fair at that time?\u00a0Under what labor conditions have\u00a0our own\u00a0domestic wares\u00a0been\u00a0acquired?\u00a0My\u00a0copious arrangements\u00a0compel\u00a0one to contemplate manufacturing, abundance, waste, and\u00a0the environmental\u00a0impact.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Curious Devices<\/span><\/i>\u00a0furthers\u00a0the\u00a0exploration of beautifully designed vintage technology begun in\u00a0my\u00a0earlier\u00a0<\/span>Tech Vanitas<\/span><\/i>\u00a0series.\u00a0Curiosity led\u00a0me\u00a0to\u00a0open some\u00a0of the\u00a0devices, exposing\u00a0the archaic gears of movie projectors and the enigmatic architecture of circuit boards.\u00a0Other objects are clearly broken and in desperate need of repair.\u00a0What\u00a0becomes of\u00a0the beloved tech that stops working or\u00a0can\u2019t\u00a0be updated?\u00a0Including\u00a0screwdrivers and other tools\u00a0underscores\u00a0our desire to revive the\u00a0damaged\u00a0or deceased, as well as\u00a0a\u00a0culture of designed obsolescence.\u00a0My\u00a0most recent still\u00a0lifes\u00a0employ\u00a0the\u00a0bird\u2019s eye view of\u00a0\u201cflat lay\u201d product photography, allowing the viewer to stare down at an arrangement of expiring tech and\u00a0promising\u00a0repair tools.\u00a0The\u00a021<\/span>st<\/span>\u00a0century\u00a0still life\u00a0exists\u00a0in the form of advertising imagery; the newest gadget is carefully styled\u00a0and photographed to entice potential buyers. My disassembled tech contradicts the expected reward and elevates the promise of repair.\u00a0<\/span>Curious Devices<\/span><\/i> examines the present and the past of technology without easy answers but rather, like the Dutch vanitas painting, with a sense of wonder and trepidation.<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

About the Artist:\u00a0<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Jeanette May is a photo-based artist using a critical, often playful approach to examine visual representation in the form of still\u00a0lifes, portraiture, and figurative narratives. Her early training as a painter is\u00a0evident\u00a0in her careful compositions and rich color palette. Her current photographic projects\u202faddress the material culture of technology, its planned obsolescence, and\u00a0possible redemption.\u202f<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0<\/span>May received her MFA in Photography from CalArts and her BFA in Painting from the University of Illinois. She has been awarded\u00a0grants,\u202ffellowships, and residencies from the NEA Regional Artists\u2019 Projects Fund, Brooklyn Arts Council, New York City Department of Cultural Affairs,\u202fIllinois Arts Council, Chicago Department of Cultural Affairs, Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts, and Ms. Foundation.\u00a0May\u2019s\u00a0work is\u00a0exhibited\u00a0in galleries and museums internationally, including New York\u00a0City, Washington, DC, Chicago, Los Angeles, Toronto, Milan, Athens, Barcelona, and Shanghai.\u00a0She was recently included in the exhibition \u201cArt about Art: Contemporary Photographers Look at Old Master Paintings\u201d at the Princeton University Art Museum. May\u2019s photographs are included in the collections of\u00a0the MTA Arts & Design, Oakland Museum of California, Fort Wayne Museum of Art, and Center for the Study of Political Graphics in Los Angeles.\u00a0<\/span>Aesthetica\u00a0Magazine,\u00a0Mus\u00e9e\u00a0Magazine, Audubon Magazine, Barbara, PDN Photo District News,<\/span><\/i>\u00a0and\u00a0<\/span>LENSCRATCH<\/span><\/i>\u00a0have published\u00a0her photographs.\u00a0May lives\u00a0and works\u00a0in Brooklyn, NY.<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

\u00a0About the Gallery:<\/strong><\/span><\/h4>\n

Gallery Photoland is a non-traditional exhibition space that showcases established photographic artists who represent diverse experiences and world views. The Gallery functions to spark ideas and support connections across the Evergreen community; it is a place for inspiring students about possibilities in fine arts beyond the shores of Eld Inlet.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

The Gallery hosts exhibitions aligned with the mission of The Evergreen State College.<\/span><\/i>\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Curious Devices: An Exhibition by Jeanette May Running December 17th 2025 through March 21st 2026 Artist Statement: I use a critical,\u00a0often\u00a0playful, approach to\u00a0investigate\u00a0contemporary culture. Although I now work exclusively in photography, my background in painting informs\u00a0my\u00a0subject matter and my method of art production. My projects begin with\u00a0a concern.\u00a0Currently,\u00a0I\u2019m\u00a0very concerned\u00a0about technology, designed obsolescence, e-waste, and the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8246,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_mi_skip_tracking":false},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/photoland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1028"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/photoland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/photoland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/photoland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8246"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/photoland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1028"}],"version-history":[{"count":8,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/photoland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1028\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1204,"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/photoland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/1028\/revisions\/1204"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sites.evergreen.edu\/photoland\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1028"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}