Scott Conarroe
May 2008

Scott Conarroe spent September through December 2007 working on a photographic study of North America's rail infrastructure, and he is dedicating his residency at Light Work to working on these images. In Conarroe's words, "At this point in history, railroads connecting the settlements and mythic landscapes of this continent exist in various states from development opportunity to stubborn lifeline to artifact." This project has taken him through both urban and rural areas. Conarroe believes that the changes in rail travel over time can be discussed in relation to topics of climate change, globalization, as well as urban sprawl, and that the popularity of rail travel may grow given the difficulties of the current car culture. This project was supported by a Canada Council for the Arts Grant which Conarroe received in 2007.

Conarroe obtained his BFA from Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design in Vancouver, BC, and his MFA from Nova Scotia College of Art and Design in Halifax, NS. His photographs have been exhibited internationally, and his work is featured in the permanent collections at Mt. St. Vincent's University Art Gallery in Halifax, NS; Kitchener/Waterloo Art Gallery in Kitchener, Ontario; and multiple private collections.

Cristina Fraire
April 2008

Argentinean photographer Cristina Fraire will be using her time at Light Work to work with images from her The Austere Life, Shepherds at the End of the Millennium photographic essay. Fraire's images capture mountain shepherd communities that are isolated high in the Cordoba province—communities that do not use electricity or telephones, don't have roads, and depend on sheep as their single economic resource. According to the International Center for Photography, "In the barren and rocky terrain, the ancient connections between generations remained unchanged until urban ways were introduced by tourists and solar-powered televisions. Fraire's pictures reflect this blending of the ancient and new, but also assert the distinctive features of the shepherds' natural landscape." She will use her residency to evaluate the photographs, oral testimonies, and texts for printing and the potential creation of a book dummy.

Fraire's work has been featured in both solo and group exhibitions internationally. She studied psychology at Universidad de Buenos Aires and fine arts at the Argentine Society for Fine Arts Artists, then went on to teach fine arts to children. When she discovered photography, she decided to quit teaching to dedicate her life to photography full-time.  

John Clark Mayden
April 2008

John Clark Mayden is dedicating his time at Light Work to printing his black-and-white images of city life in Baltimore, MD. Mayden's images capture, in his words, "the realities of black people living in low income cities." His work depicts the wide range of experiences found in inner city life, from good times and joy to drugs, misery, social injustice, and crime. Mayden feels that photographers are put in the unique position to record life as they see it, and that they should maintain the skills of documentation, composition, and printing so that future generations can see accurate pictures of life during a certain time, in a certain place. He has used photography his whole life to address social injustices, and has worked frequently with organizations whose mission is to serve low income communities, families, and children.

Mayden has worked in Baltimore's Law Department for twenty-six years. He obtained his BA from Ohio Wesleyan University and his Juris Doctorate from the University of Baltimore School of Law. His photographs have been exhibited nationwide, and are featured in permanent collections at Baltimore Museum of Art and Ohio Wesleyan University, among others.

Light Work's Artist-in-Residence Program

Since 1976 nearly 300 artists have participated in Light Work's Artist-in-Residence program. Each year Light Work invites 12-15 artists to participate in this program. During their month-long residencies each artist is given the opportunity to create new work at our studio facility in the Robert B. Menschel Media Center at Syracuse University. Each Artist-in-Residence donates a few examples of their work to Light Work's permanent collection. The Light Work collection currently includes over 2,400 images.

Recent Artists-in-Residence have included Lucas Foglia, Marla Sweeney, Elwira Jaglowska, Sonja Lawyer, Stephen Chalmers, and more. Our 2008 participants in Light Work's Artist-in-Residence program have been Garie Waltzer, Deana Lawson, and Xaviera Simmons so far.

How to apply to the Artist-in-Residence program