Ashley Robison?s collection of photographs from a recent trip to Bangalore, India will be on display at the local art gallery 720 Tahoe Street. Robison traveled abroad to India with the University of Nevada, Reno?s University Studies Abroad Consortium. Garrett Valenzuela/Nevada Sagebrush
In a photography exhibit called ?India? at 720 Tahoe Street, a local art gallery and collective, Ashley Robison proudly displays photos of smiling children who have rarely seen a camera before.
Robison, a 23-year-old alumna of the University of Nevada, Reno art program, said she explored a world of contrasts during her study abroad trip to Bangalore, India in the 2011 spring semester. During her travels, she took many photos while on volunteer field trips with the Center for Social Action, an organization that connects students with community outreach organizations around India.
Some photos focus on children playing together in the streets, while others show the more serious faces of older residents.
When she returned to Reno, she felt inspired to hold an art show and fundraiser to exhibit her photos and give back to the organizations that strongly impacted her experience abroad. A percentage of the proceeds the exhibit generates will be donated to the CSA.
With the CSA, Robison traveled to a community outreach center that helps medicate and treat people with AIDS or HIV. They also went to a women?s education organization located in one of the largest slums in Bangalore. This organization focuses on educating women about finance to help them better support their families.
Studying in Bangalore, the fifth-largest city in India with six million inhabitants, was an eye-opening experience for Robison, she said. She is a native Nevadan who has never lived in a city larger than Reno.
?I learned a lesson when I was traveling abroad in Italy,? she said. ?I never took enough photos then, so in India I made sure to keep my camera with me at all times. These photos are of the people and places that made a huge impact on me while I was there.?
In India, she spent three months studying with the University Studies Abroad Consortium program and two months traveling around the country.
?I loved India because it really is a world of contrasts,? she said. ?It can be so intense and overwhelming, but it can be humbling, sacred and beautiful, too.?
While volunteering and traveling around India, Robison noticed that Indian people have a different perception of cameras than Americans, who are so used to cameras and photos in their everyday lives, she said.
?The people I photographed wanted nothing more than to see their photo,? she said. ?Their awareness of the camera is so different. They don?t jump up to smile automatically like Americans. They?re more serious and stark, more real.?
In her photography, Robison tried to capture this contrast and expose the abrupt, unforgiving attitude of her subjects in their intense environment, she said.
720 Art Gallery
720 Tahoe Street
775-527-9831
Hours: 8 a.m. ? 5 p.m. Monday, Wednesday and Friday, from 6:30 a.m. ? 5 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday
For more information about Ashley Robison?s photography project, please contact the artist at ashleyannearts@gmail.com or visit www.720tahoestreet.com.
Austin Wallis can be reached at arts-entertainment@nevadasagebrush.com.
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Source: http://nevadasagebrush.com/blog/2011/09/11/alumna-displays-artwork-from-trip-abroad/
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