Diana Dopson 2003
 refuge meditation desire
Texas photographer Diana Dopson holds a Master of Fine Arts in Photography and a Master of Arts in Art History from the University of Oregon. She also received a Bachelor of Arts and a Bachelor of Science from the University of Texas. Ms. Dopson received over 30 scholarships and awards and is a member of four honor societies including Phi Beta Kappa.

Ms. Dopson is included in a traveling exhibition, "New American Talent," and her photographs were chosen by curator Jamie Lynn Davis to represent Texas in the soon to be released book, "50 Photographers / 50 States." In August 2003 she will exhibit new work at Women and Their Work in Austin, Texas.

Ms. Dopson's first exhibition at McMurtrey Gallery includes two series: "Emerald and Other Avenues," which are out-of-focus chromogenic prints adhered to board and layered with wax giving the illusion of Impressionist paintings; and "Biota," which is comprised of archival inkjet prints displayed in tri-fold specimen boxes.

About "Emerald and Other Avenues," Ms. Dopson says,"For me these photographs are places of refuge, meditation, and desire. They are substitutes for my intereior states of being; images from even more transient inner visions. Occasionally, something magical happens in the translation from the world around me to the ground glass to the photograph, and it is this magic I seek.

The statement about "Biota" (the flora and fauna of a region) takes the form of a report found centuries from now. An excerpt from the official report regarding the rediscovered, 21st-century specimen boxes from the Austin, Texas, archives:

"In other societies, such as the one from which these samples came, aggressive measures were put in place to eradicate insects that were viewed to be pests.

In doing so, the poisons released also started working on the human immune systems, causing ever-increasing die-offs and lower birth rates in the human population. In fact, research has indicated that the paternal grandfather of the museum keeper was an early casualty in the attempt to eradicate the fire ant (Solenopsis invicta) in Lousisana, a possible explanation for the keeper's interest in and collection of these boxes. These artifacts represent the last known images of the majority of these insects. Interestingly, the museum keeper used a remnant of the early altar form for the boxes, placing images of potential habitat or food sources for the isects at the sides. This researcher is inclined to believe that these functioned as quasi-religious objects - a primative way of mourning the loss of the insects or trying to call them back. Each cell has been sealed with wax in a rather antiquated, but effective, method of preserving the specimens. The materials of the bug altars match closely those of specimen boxes of the time in which actual insects that had been collected were stored for closer study. We are not certain why some of the images have a problem regarding focus. We do not think it was a deficiency in the cameras, as they were quite advanced at that time. From study of the museum keeper's papers, we do know that she was interested in how insects perceive the world and how their vision differed from the much more limited perception of humans. . . ."

 		 Interactive Exhibition