Hats Off salutes trail-blazing photographers

La Sierra University is proud to present in its Brandstater Art Gallery a photographic exhibition of collaborative works by Amy Bystedt and Sally Egan.  This exhibition, titled Hats Off, is curated by former Exhibitions Curator for the Riverside Art Museum, Andi Campognone now of AC Projects in Pomona, Calif. It will include an essay by art historian and critic Peter Frank, adjunct senior curator for the Riverside Art Museum and arts editor for the Huffington Post.

The exhibit will take place Nov. 8 - Dec. 9 with an opening reception on Nov. 8, 6-8 p.m. La Sierra University is located at 4500 Riverwalk Parkway, Riverside, Calif. Gallery hours are Mon. - Thurs., 10 a.m. - 4 p.m., Sun., 2 - 5 p.m. Admission is free.

For the past fifteen years Bystedt and Egan have served as a sounding board for one another, and have often used each other as subjects in their own personal work. Stepping in front of the camera started out as mere convenience but ended up playing a significant role in their collaborative work.

In this series, Bystedt and Egan give reverence to icons of photography that have influenced and inspired them throughout the years, playing the role of both photographer and subject in these emulations. The attention to detail in these recognizable photos was just as significant as choosing which photographer and image to replicate. Hats Off is a salute in the highest form to those who have come before them, whose trail blazing in the arts have paved the way for some of the most progressive images in photography. Bystedt and Egan literally tip their hats to artists such as Diane Arbus, Richard Avedon, John Baldasarri, Nan Goldin and more.

“What Sally Egan and Amy Bystedt reveal is that photography is, invariably, a performative undertaking. Someone or something has to do or be something or somewhere, and someone else has to point a camera at it. If you're aiming a camera at something, you're working in and with time. Doesn't matter if it's your cell phone, doesn't matter if you mess with it later in Photoshop, you're shooting into time, not just space,” says art historian Peter Frank.

Bystedt and Egan received their Bachelor of Arts from California State University, San Bernardino under the direction of Sant Khalsa.  This is their second collaboration and first exhibition at La Sierra University.

La Sierra's Brandstater Gallery exhibits a variety of different work ranging from contemporary art to student work throughout the year. For more information and or images please contact Beatriz Mejia-Krumbein at bkrumbei@lasierra.edu.

PR Contact: Larry Becker
Executive Director of University Relations
La Sierra University
Riverside, California
951.785.2460 (voice)