By Marianne Luedeman
Photos by Marianne Luedeman
BOILING SPRINGS, N.C. – The Dover Library at Gardner-Webb University is currently hosting a photography exhibit celebrating the work of Chris Scruggs, a GWU doctoral student pursuing his Doctorate of Education in Educational Leadership.
The exhibit opened on Aug. 28, 2024, and featured a walkthrough of Scruggs’ work and a live question-and-answer session about each piece. The exhibit is currently open and will remain open until the end of September.
The exhibit features over 15 works of photography taken at various locations across the United States. It further features a sculpture as well as a display showcasing the cameras Scruggs has used in his work.
Scruggs describes the exhibit as highlighting “rural, suburban, and isolated landscapes (to) document and memorialize deteriorating geography and man-made iconography.” He further noted that his work is meant to capture “traditional Americana.”
At the opening showcase, Scruggs provided details about each of his works and shared insight into his photographic process. He noted that a lot of his ideas are based around his journaling and pre-planned visits to various spots around the country.
Although Scruggs often goes in with a plan, he noted that he sometimes ends up “with over 2000 pictures” with only a few being up to his standards. To decide which meets his artistic criteria, Scruggs describes that he “just has to start playing with the image, then I’ll just know.”
The photographer elaborated that much of his published work is spontaneous and comes from the unexpected spots he finds in his travels.
Scruggs described that “some of the places I plan to go, I don’t get a single picture,” while his most cherished photos like “Hot Dog Stand, Times Square, New York, NY” are born out of being in the right place at the right time.
For that specific photo, Scruggs said that “everything was just right. There was a police car in the background and this lonely soul was just there to get a hot dog at four in the morning.” He noted that the simple, unseen things of life often make his best photos.
When publishing his photos, Scruggs described that he often thinks about color and what a photo means with and without it. Many of his selected photos in the exhibit feature black and white images, which he claims is “very intentional.”
Indeed, Scruggs has found that some images tell a better story or perspective when seen without color. He further said that “sometimes there will be two versions of a particular photo,” as some photos deserve to have both of their perspectives shown.
Following this art exhibit, Scruggs has plans to have more exhibits up heading into 2025. He hinted that his next show will showcase moments captured from the perspective of both him and his son, with whom he often travels with and shares a close bond.
The exhibit is available for free to Gardner-Webb students, faculty and staff as well as community members during normal library hours.
Scruggs is available to answer any questions about the exhibit and can be reached at [email protected].
For more information about the library and its hours, a staff member can be reached at (704) 406-4295.
Photographs of Scruggs’ work can be viewed in the gallery below.
To see the full-size image, please click the photo you wish to view.
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