An exhibit of photographs taken by Harding University Professor of Art John Keller while he taught watercolor in China last May is on display in the University’s Stevens Art Gallery until Sept. 27.
The exhibit, titled “One Month in China,” displays photographs featuring the culture of China. During his monthlong visit, Keller taught watercolor to 22 Chinese students, 18 of whom are pictured in one of the 227 photos in the exhibit. Keller’s exhibit features 17 themes with an average of 13 photos per theme.
“There are so many places, people and stories that I could have told with the photographs that I took while in China,” Keller said. “That’s why I settled on telling the story with thematic boards. It allowed me to give a little more breadth to the story.”
During their month in China, Keller and his wife stayed in Loudi City, which locals referred to as a “village” despite its population of four million. Keller used a Nikon D300 and a Nikon D7000 camera to take the photographs, ranging from photos of Chinese students to terraced rice fields.
“I have something of a reputation for taking a lot of photographs,” Keller said. “In my defense, it’s how I take it in. I go back and look at the photographs, recalling the places, and will years from now. They remind me of events and details that otherwise would have been long forgotten.”
Keller serves as chair of Harding’s department of art and design and has taught at Harding since 1978. He focuses mostly on watercolor — as he is a signature member of Mid-Southern Watercolorists — but also works in oils and photography.
The Stevens Art Center is located between Harding’s student center and the Olen Hendrix building. The gallery is on the first floor and admission is free. For more information, call the art department at 501-279-4426.
Harding is the largest private university in Arkansas and attracts more National Merit Scholars than any other private university in the state. Harding also maintains campuses in Australia, Chile, England, France, Greece, Italy andZambia. For more information visit www.harding.edu.
