Black Hills State University’s Ruddell Gallery is currently featuring “Home – Land,” an exhibition of handmade cyanotype photographs by artists Ashley Jones and Danea Males. The exhibition will be on view through October 3 with a public reception Thursday, September 25, from 5:00 to 7:00 p.m.
The exhibition is a collection of handmade cyanotype photographs that are direct impressions of botanical specimens of the native and non-native plants that thrive across the southeastern landscape. Each print serves as a visual dialogue, exploring the intersection of history, ecology, and place.
Cyanotype is a historic photographic printing technique developed in 1842 that involves coating paper with light-sensitive chemicals. When exposed to sunlight, the treated surface reveals a unique blueprint. Early adopters, particularly botanists, found cyanotype invaluable for documenting plants and algae with remarkable precision, often favoring its accuracy over hand-drawn illustrations. In the digital age, contemporary photographers embrace cyanotype for its aesthetic qualities, and the allure of a handmade print.
“As transplants to South Carolina, we are both intrigued by the plant life that defines our new home,” explained Jones. “We began documenting specimens of the region through the cyanotype process, and this exploration encouraged us to revisit our home states of Florida, Georgia, and Texas to create cyanotype images that represent the places that we have previously called home.
Jones and Males are photographers and educators based in Greenville, South Carolina. Their work has been exhibited nationally at institutions such as the Southeast Center for Photography, Northern State University, and Lander University. Their collaborative series “Home – Land” was featured by Epiphany Knedler on Lenscratch and published in “Common Ground,” Issue 02 by Borderline Press.
In addition to the exhibition, the artists will be on campus to engage with students and the community. A special Artist Talk will be held Friday, September 26 at 1:00 p.m. in Club Buzz, Student Union.
This exhibition is funded in part by the Metropolitan Arts Council with funds received from the City of Greenville, BMW Manufacturing Company, SEW Eurodrive, and the South Carolina Arts Commission.