Taxidermy is my friend.

Who: Amy Stein
What: Artist Lecture
When: March 4th, 2009
Where: VCU Student Commons Theater
WHY?

As we all spend majority of our days in the Pollak building, we are well aware of the many fliers and posters hung on the cork boards in the hall. Well when I stumbled upon Amy Stein's artist lecture flier, I finally had the courage to admit that Fine Art Photography could be worth while.

As most of our views were very unenlightening when Stein first admitted she jumped right into the photography scene due to unemployment, I believe we all came out of this lecture with a since of change. To be honest, this lady is inspiring. For one, I don't like Fine Art Photography, I am more commercial, but Stein works with this aspect. Her series entitled Stranded are portraits of individuals caught with flats or blown heaters. What got me is that Stein went out to travel the roads, meet strangers in uncomfortable situations and was able to shoot these photographs that captures the humiliating sides of these poor, stranded people.

I like the way Stein works. In her series called Domesticated, Stein became one with a community, learning about a small town place outside of her own state of residence, and made brilliant art. At first you may want to believe the animals placed in each frame are living, wild animals, but in fact they are not. Taxidermy is very helpful in times like these. So much that even myself have been out on the search looking to find a bird to use in a piece I am submitting to a show soon.

All in all, I believe Stein to be a strong figure and artist in my mind. After leaving her lecture I jumped up and said "let's go and make a series." And so I have yet to find that one thing I want to capture.