Conrad Yutzy and Justin Roth, students in the Visual and Communication Arts (VaCA) students at 草莓社区, will open the shows in the Margaret Martin Gehman Art Gallery in University Commons.

Yutzy combines interviews with digital media and stained glass sculpture to provide powerful insight into the nexus of spirituality and sexuality.

Roth’s digital photography and collage on matte paper explores how action impacts identity. “My work visually represents the idea of how our actions form who we are,” says Roth. “Our actions define us, our hands are the tools that create action.”

Admission to the gallery is free.

Full schedule of exhibits

March 17:

Conrad Yutzy,”The Other Side”: Mixed-media installations

Justin Roth, “Formed”: Digitally-collaged portraits

March 24:

Katie Weaver:聽 Photos under the macro lens

Laney Garcia:聽 Underwater photography

March 31:

Katie Landis, cinemagraphs

Kayci Detweiler, collaged illustrations

April 14:

Travis Duerksen: Digital media

Chris Stauffer: “Selah”: A digital animation

Corey Martin: Cinemagraphs

Chelsea Kight, Installation with paintings (in the Hartzler Library Gallery)

April 21:

Kelby Miller: The Consu(M3)d Project – photography and digital media

Erica Lehman: The Consu(M3)d Project – paintings

Susan Alexander: The Consu(M3)d Project – animation

In addition, there will be a group installation drawing.

The show, “Down to the River,” documents the Shenandoah River and tributaries of the Chesapeake Bay. A reception for the artists will be held 4-6 p.m., opening day in the gallery.

Steven Johnson and are professors at EMU. Johnson is an associate professor in the Visual Arts and Communications department while Zehr is a professor in the Center for Justice and Peacebuilding.

Jost, a former EMU professor, teaches photography and design at Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, Va.

The exhibit is open for viewing daily during hours when Common Grounds is open through Oct. 9, free of charge.

A preview documentary was produced by Tim Kauffman, a 2011 EMU Visual and Communication Arts (VaCA) graduate and Conrad Yutzy, a student in VaCA. Their work can be found on .

For more information contact Paulette Moore at paulette.moore@emu.edu.

About the photographers

Steven Johnson

Johnson is a featured artist in RUMINATE and Rock and Sling magazines and his work has been published in Orion, Blue Ridge Country and National Geographic Traveler. His work in this聽 聽exhibit centers on whirlpools and swimming holes.

鈥�Like our own bodies, whirlpools take the molecules of the material world and organize them into temporary dynamic systems,鈥� said Johnson. 鈥淔or me, these abstract images of whirlpools on the north fork of the Shenandoah River serve as metaphors for the energy, beauty and brevity of life.鈥�

Referring to swimming holes, Johnson added, 鈥淣estled in the deep bends of rivers and creeks, the swimming holes of Virginia invite a diverse company of water lovers seeking respite from the summer heat. Some areas are crowded and public, while others are jealously guarded secrets.鈥�

“As a photographer, I鈥檓 drawn to the freedom of bodies in water and the acrobatics of bodies hurtling through space,” said Johnson. “In an age of polarization, I鈥檓 also fascinated by the short-term communities that develop in these common areas. Political and cultural differences temporarily fade in the cool waters.”

Additional photos may be viewed at

Scott Jost

Jost is a contributing photographer to The Great Valley Road of Virginia: Shenandoah Landscapes from Prehistory to the Present. Jost鈥檚 portfolio of photos, called 鈥淪ource and Confluence: Exploring the Chesapeake Bay Watershed,” looks at 45 confluences and the origins rivers and streams in Virginia, West Virginia and Maryland.

“The Chesapeake Bay and its watershed represent a vast historical, agricultural and ecological treasure,鈥� said Jost. 鈥淯ltimately, I hope my work can contribute to an enhanced awareness of and appreciate for our local, regional and national waterways.鈥�

This past summer, Jost followed the Susquehanna River 鈥� one of the Chesapeake Bay鈥檚 largest confluences 鈥� from its origin in Cooperstown, N.Y., to Duncannon, Pa. The 聽confluences Jost photographed along the way will be revealed in the show.

鈥淚 hope to contribute, through photography, to a greater understanding of the historical Chesapeake Bay and its watershed and to reflect on its prospects for the future,鈥� said Jost.

Additional photos may be viewed at

Howard Zehr

Zehr has appeared as photographer and author in three books published by Good Books and has had his work featured in a variety of publications and exhibits. His portfolio, called 鈥淭he Little Shenandoah,鈥� chronicles the north fork of the Shenandoah River.

鈥淭here are two fixed points in the project so far,鈥� said Zehr. 鈥淔irst, each photograph includes direct evidence of the river鈥� Second, I am using a panoramic format because it seems both appropriate and challenging.鈥�

Zehr focused on historical and contemporary interactions between the river and humans.

鈥淣umerous remnants of mill races, dams, bridges and other artifacts point to the river鈥檚 history. I am fascinated by these signs and the interplay between private and public spaces,鈥� said Zehr.

Additional photos may be viewed at .