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Iowa Eyes: A New Perspective

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
"Iowa Eyes: A New Perspective," an exhibit by local photographer Evan Price, opened last week at the Blanden Memorial Art Museum and will run through Feb. 18.

Evan Price didn’t set out to become an artist. The Rockford, Illinois, native landed in Fort Dodge to attend Iowa Central Community College. Studying human services, his dream was to run a boys home.

Knowing how photography helped him channel his childhood trauma into something good, and wanting to eventually share that with the young men he will help, he decided to take a photography class from Rochelle Green at Iowa Central.

“I just wanted to be more efficient,” Price said. “I’ve always been artistic, but I’ve never really known how to channel it.”

Last week, a new exhibit in the Blanden Memorial Art Museum’s second floor gallery featured several of Price’s digital portraits. The exhibit, titled “Iowa Eyes: A New Perspective,” will run through Feb. 18. A reception is scheduled from 2-4:30 p.m. today.

The centerpiece of the exhibit is a digital portrait of several depictions of Price’s father in one frame.

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
"Iowa Eyes: A New Perspective," an exhibit by local photographer Evan Price, opened last week at the Blanden Memorial Art Museum and will run through Feb. 18.

“The ability to take one entity and display it in several diverse moods, lighting situations, exposures, perspectives, and viewpoints; that is what captivates my interest the most,” Price said in his artist statement. “To me, it directly references to how you can take a person, change their surroundings, environment, and support system, and change their entire perspective on life.”

The portrait of his father was inspired by a deeply personal self-portrait Price created for a class – which is also on display in the exhibit. In the self-portrait, Price expresses different ways he reacts to and copes with anxiety.

Price gains inspiration from artists such as Ansel Adams, Jerry Ghionis, Mark Clennon, and Daisuke Takakura.

In 2017, Price assisted artist Guido van Helton, of Brisbane, Australia, with photographing the individuals featured on the Fort Dodge Grain Silo Mural near the Des Moines River.

Price graduated from Iowa Central with degrees in photography and human services. He’s currently completing his bachelor’s degree in human services through Buena Vista University on the Iowa Central campus. He still plans to eventually run a boys home and teach photography.

-Messenger photo by Kelby Wingert
"Iowa Eyes: A New Perspective," an exhibit by local photographer Evan Price, opened last week at the Blanden Memorial Art Museum and will run through Feb. 18.

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