Valerie McKenna: Albright

August 26 - October 26, 2019

Valerie McKenna’s new photographic series Albright investigates experimental methods of capturing “a portrait of a landscape”. The artist exposed large format film in Albright WV, developed it, and then returned it to the original location of the exposure and buried it. Further exposure to rainwater, bacteria, and other elements in the environment cause the resulting textures and tones in the emulsion. This radical photographic process which physically exposes film negatives to the landscape allows the subject to inform the creation of its own image.

Valerie McKenna lives and works in Northern Virginia. She is a Spring 2018 George Mason University alumna, where she received her Art and Visual Technology B.F.A. with a concentration in photography and a minor in environmental science. Her interests lie in the convergence of science and art and how they interact with each other. During her time at Mason she received two grants through the Undergraduate Research Scholars Program. These projects led her to gain experience working with archival materials and collaborate with Friends of the Cheat, a non-profit environmental organization in West Virginia. She plans to continue on to a master’s degree in Fall 2020.

The Young Alumni Commissioning Project is made possible by a generous bequest from the estate of Linda E. Gramlich for the support of young artists, and by donors to Mason’s Giving Day, including Shugoll Research.