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 .

鈥淟eaf. Flower. Spiral. The Flow of Energy in the Natural World鈥� opened Sunday, Feb. 13 with a reception from 3-5 p.m.

Steven David Johnson, Scott Jost, and Howard Zehr are all experienced photographers with an interest in the natural world. Johnson and Zehr are professors at 草莓社区, while Jost, a former EMU prof, now teaches photography and design at Bridgewater College in Bridgewater, Va.

Portfolios focus on nature’s beauty

Johnson鈥檚 work focuses on whirlpools, natural spirals that form abstract patterns in the images he shot on the North Fork of the Shenandoah River.

Jost鈥檚 portfolio of photos, called 鈥淯n/Cultivated,鈥� uses very shallow depth of field to create lush, colorful images of emerging spring plants that evoke feelings of renewal and growth.

Zehr鈥檚 鈥淟eaf Portraits鈥� capture the personalities, textures, and individualities of leaves using portrait lighting in a studio setting.

鈥淩ather than seek 鈥榩erfect鈥� specimens at the peak of their development, I watched for leaves with personality, leaves that showed signs of having lived and were now moving toward 鈥榙eath,鈥欌�� Zehr explained. Many of the leaves came from his own yard.

Zehr鈥檚 photography has been included in a variety of publications and exhibits, including four books published by Good Books. Jost is a contributing photographer to 鈥淭he Great Valley Road of Virginia: Shenandoah Landscapes from Prehistory to the Present.鈥� Johnson is a featured artist in Ruminate Magazine and Rock and Sling, and his work has also been published in Orion, Shots, Blue Ridge Country, and National Geographic Traveler.

The exhibit is on display from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. daily in the dining room and will hang through March 27. All works are for sale, and range in price from $175 to $225. Small prints and cards are also available.

About the Arboretum

The State Arboretum of Virginia is part of historic Blandy Experimental Farm, a research field station for the University of Virginia鈥檚 Department of Environmental Sciences. Blandy Experimental Farm is on Route 50 in Clarke County, about 10 miles east of Winchester and 20 miles west of Middleburg. Directions and a calendar of events are online at .

The aspiration, "to see myself as others see me," has, to some extent, come to fruition for Scott Jost of Bridgewater, Va.

Jost, an associate professor of art at Bridgewater College, began a project in 2006 he calls "Teaching Through the Lens." This "work in progress" will be displayed in a photography exhibit currently on display through Feb. 6 in the public art gallery at EMU.

Jost has photographed himself and others in the college classroom while teaching and during formal and informal interactions involving students and colleagues. Other images include the Bridgewater College campus, his home life and interactions with family. He began the project on the anniversary of his tenth year of full-time teaching.

Jost captured the photographs in his exhibit with a Fuji FinePix F10 and F30, and Richoh GX100 and GX200, compact cameras he carries on his belt.

He took an informal approach to composition reminiscent of a genre known as street photography, with many images recorded "blind" without looking directly into the camera display.

"This venture will continue over time in order to experience constancy and change in myself and my family, in students and colleagues and, perhaps in the nature of academic life itself," Jost said. "I intend to use this project in creating a better, richer life for myself and in becoming a better teacher, colleague and family member. I believe ‘Teaching through the Lens’ will also be of interest to others wishing to reflect on teaching, learning and academic life."

Jost earned a BA degree from Bethel College, N. Newton, Kan., and an MFA degree from the University of Minnesota at Minneapolis. Before going to Bridgewater College he taught in the art department at EMU, 1996-2003.

The exhibit, in the third floor art gallery of EMU’s Hartzler Library, is open for viewing daily free of charge during regular library hours, and admission is free.

The first art exhibit of the fall semester will feature recent ceramics by Gregg Luginbuhl from Bluffton (OH) University.

Luginbuhl is professor of art and chair of the art department at Bluffton, where he teaches ceramics, sculpture, 3-D design and photography.

The exhibit will open Sunday, Sept. 5, with a reception for the artist 2:30-4 p.m. in the gallery on third floor of EMU’s .

The mix of sculptural forms to be displayed embraces a variety of approaches to the ceramic process: raku fired wall sculpture and free-standing forms, soda fired stoneware and porcelain vessels and cone 10 fired functional porcelain and stoneware.

Included in the show are wall plate sculptures which begin from a low wheel-thrown plate. Evolving from the energy of the potters’ whorl, clay slabs, textural stampings, coils, lattice, and graphic elements are added to the rim of the plates to create an ephemeral combination of form, color, texture, and movement. The titles of these works "are intended to evoke a variety of poetic associations and questions," Luginbuhl said.

Detail from "Farm Bureau," polychrome earthenware Photo Credit: Jerry Anthony

At 7 p.m. that day, Luginbuhl will give the C. Henry Smith Peace Lecture, "Mennonite College and University Artists Depict Peace," in room 123 of the seminary building at EMU. The illustrated presentation explores the art and thought of 15 artists and their vision of peace and peacemaking.

The 80 art works included in the presentation are from Bethel College, N. Newton, Kan.; Bluffton University; Goshen College, Goshen, Ind.; and EMU. Artists from EMU include and former instructor Scott Jost.

"My study seeks to discover how peace church theology is reflected in the work of Mennonite faculty artists and if they are, in any sense, spokespersons for peace through the process and products of their art activities," Luginbuhl stated.

The 45-minute Power Point lecture will give opportunity for audience questions. Admission to the program is free.

The annual C. Henry Smith Peace Lecture is named for the late C. Henry Smith, a prominent educator and pioneer in the comprehensive study and recorded history of Mennonites in America. Dr. Smith was dean at Goshen (IN) College, 1908-1913, then served at Bluffton as head of the history department from 1914 until his retirement in 1946.

Luginbuhl earned a B.A. degree from Bluffton and an MFA degree from the University of Montana. He has exhibited pottery and ceramic sculpture in regional and national exhibitions, receiving many awards for his work. An installation of eight ceramic plates with modeled imagery, "The Creation Series," and two bronze sculptures, "Jonah and the Whale" and "The Last First Draft," are permanently displayed on the Bluffton University campus.

Luginbuhl’s exhibit at EMU will be open for viewing daily during regular library hours through Oct. 1 free of charge.