Fish on a stick and famed photography visit campus

By KC Crouse · The Mainstream
Published November 22, 2010

From salmon and roses to birds and oil or cats and leaves – recent colorful additions to campus art have been catching attention.

The first addition is the newest Whipple Gallery showing of local photojournalist Robin Loznak, which opened Nov. 1.

Loznak’s lens

Loznak’s work is viewed nationwide. He made MSNBC’s “The Week in Pictures” Oct. 31 – Nov. 7 for his photograph of Scooter the house cat in a pile of leaves, a picture taken just outside of Roseburg.  Loznak was also recently interviewed for an MSNBC video chronicling ten years of “The Week in Pictures” feature.

Loznak’s Whipple show includes a series of iconic photos from the Gulf Coast covering the Deepwater Horizon oil spill. He skillfully captures the beauty as well as the tragedy in this series.

Also included are pictures of the Roseburg’s Veteran’s Day parade taken with a creative viewpoint from the tops of buildings.

A lot of the gallery content is wildlife. Loznak describes these photos as “pretty pictures of nature. ” Loznak, who works professionally as a photographer, studied biology at the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor. Many of his nature photos celebrate the detail of animals at work—whether they’re collecting food, protecting their families, or even entertaining humans – and Loznak’s lens views life from their perspective. With vibrant colors and a keen eye, he brings the viewer up close and personal with the animal.

Loznak is also known for his skill as a media photographer. Formerly a photographer for The News Review, he has also worked for the Great Falls Tribune and the Daily Inter Lake in Montana  as well as the Center Daily Times in Pennsylvania.  He has also been the National Press Photographer’s Association Region 9 Photographer of the Year.

Flying Flowered Fish

The other new art swims in the air right in front of the entrance to the Jacoby parking lot. A rose covered fish, strange but true, perched atop a 10 foot pole. It is one of eight decorated salmon sculptures recently added to Douglas County public spaces such as the college, the Douglas County Library, Mercy Medical Center and City Hall.

The salmon sculptures were decorated by local artists and sponsored by local residents as part of the Ford Institute leadership program. UCC English instructor Amy Amoroso and her family sponsored one of the eight fish. “Public Art is an outward expression of a community’s values. The Salmon Project is great because it is a community-wide link between our regard for art and the importance of our native natural resources.”