Gheesling Shares Images of Solitary Suwannee River Adventure in TCC Exhibit

VALDOSTA — On June 14, 2013, Dominick Gheesling launched his canoe from Fargo, ready to begin his 240-mile journey down the Suwannee River to the Gulf of Mexico. His goal was to photograph the river’s 96 or so springs in black and white and color, above the water’s surface and below, using both film and digital technology.

Gheesling completed his expedition in 29 days, and through March 27, he shares the images captured during his solitary adventure along the wild black-water river in a one-man exhibition, “Way Down: A Photographic Survey of the Suwannee River,” at the Tallahassee Community College (TCC) Fine Arts Gallery.    

“Photographing the length of this historic and iconic southern river connected me to life and to the earth in a manner that I had been missing for some time,” he shared. “The photographs are meant to serve as documents of the actual conditions of the Suwannee during the summer of 2013. Beyond that purpose, I hope that they allow the viewer to have some sense of what it is like to exist in the spaces in which they were made or to remember/understand why it is important for humans to spend time in these spaces. I am more convinced that ever that there is an intrinsic need in humans to spend time much closer to our natural state on this planet.”

Gheesling joined the Valdosta State University Department of Art faculty in 2010. As an assistant professor, he primarily teaches photography courses. He is no stranger to TCC, having earned an associate’s degree from the institution of higher education in 1999, followed by serving as an adjunct professor from 2007 to 2009. He also holds a bachelor’s degree and a Master of Fine Arts, both in studio art, from Florida State University.

The TCC Fine Arts Gallery is open from 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.

Contact Dominick Gheesling at (229) 259-2074 or jdgheesling@valdosta.edu for more information.

On the Web:

http://www.valdosta.edu/colleges/arts/art/

https://www.tcc.fl.edu/College/ArtsAtTCC/Pages/TCC-Fine-Art-Gallery.aspx

Visit http://www.flickr.com/photos/valdostastate/sets/72157642351845083/ to view images.

Dominick Gheesling was featured in the September 2013 issue of Valdosta Scene magazine. Visit http://issuu.com/valdostascene/docs/valdosta-scene-september/31?e=8568384%2F4641341 to view that four-page spread.

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