(PDF) (DOC) (JPG)October 13, 2017

MAHWAH, N.J. — Gas Stop: Culture, an exhibition of photographs by emeritus professor David Freund, opens on Wednesday, November 1 in the Pascal Gallery of the Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts.  There will be an opening reception from 5 to 7 p.m. with an artist’s talk at 6:30 p.m.  The exhibition continues through December 13.

The exhibition is being presented to celebrate the publication of Gas Stop by the prestigious German art book firm Steidl.  This selection at Ramapo represents a portion of what is included in the four-volume boxed set.

Taken in 47 states between 1976 and 1981, these photographs, which were created with the aid of a National Endowment for the Arts grant, examine the culture, architecture and landscape of the American gas station.

David Freund writes:

“Painter Miles Frost commented that gas stations are where you fill up your tank and shut off your brain. But, brain turned on, as I photographed gas stations for weeks at a stretch, the life and environment I saw there emerged as an epitomization of America; surprisingly, one that had not been photographed before.

Gas Stop: Culture  is the first time I have chosen just one of my themes as an exhibition focus.  Although culture can be visualized in many ways, Gas Stop: Culture  highlights men, women, girls, and boys engaging with gas stations’ offerings, spaces, and with each other, enlivening and propelling its American narrative.”

David Freund received his B.A. in Theater at UC Davis, and his MFA in Photography from the Visual Studies Workshop in Rochester, N.Y. Currently he is Professor Emeritus of Photography at Ramapo College of New Jersey, where he chaired the Visual Arts program for 20 years. He also taught at Pratt Institute and was Dayton/Hudson Visiting Artist/Scholar at Carleton College.

In addition to the National Endowment for the Arts, Freund has received grants from New York’s Creative Arts Public Service program and NYC’s Institute for Art and Urban Resources, and has been a fellow at Light Work, Syracuse.  He has exhibited widely including the George Eastman House, MOMA P.S. 1, Light Gallery, and Fordham University.  His work is included in various important museum collections such as the Museum of Modern Art, N.Y.; the Corcoran Gallery of Art, Washington, D.C.; the Museum of Fine Arts, Houston, Texas; and the Bibliotheque Nationale in Paris.

Freund has been an active board member for various organizations including the Society for Photographic Education and the Ephemera Society of America.

This project at Ramapo is funded in part by the New Jersey State Council on the Arts/Department of State, a Partner Agency of the National Endowment for the Arts. The Kresge Gallery is located in the Berrie Center for Performing and Visual Arts on the Ramapo College campus.  Gallery hours are Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from 1 to 5 p.m. and Wednesday from 1 to 7 p.m.

For more information, contact Sydney Jenkins at 201-684-7147.

###

About Ramapo College

Ramapo College of New Jersey is the state’s premier public liberal arts college and is committed to academic excellence through interdisciplinary and experiential learning, and international and intercultural understanding. The comprehensive college is situated among the beautiful Ramapo Mountains, is within commuting distance to New York City, was named one of the 50 Most Beautiful College Campuses in America by CondeNast Traveler, and boasts the best on-campus housing in New Jersey per Niche.com. Established in 1969, Ramapo College offers bachelor’s degrees in the arts, business, data science, humanities, social sciences and the sciences, as well as in professional studies, which include business, education, nursing and social work. In addition, the College offers courses leading to teacher certification at the elementary and secondary levels, and offers graduate programs leading to master’s degrees in Accounting, Applied Mathematics, Business Administration, Contemporary Instructional Design, Computer Science, Creative Music Technology, Data Science, Educational Leadership, Nursing, Social Work and Special Education, as well as a Doctor of Nursing Practice.

Press Release Archives

| 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 | 2019 | 2018 | 2017 | 2016 | 2015 | 2014 | 2013 | 2012 | 2011 | 2010 | 2009 | 2008 | 2007 | 2006 | 2005 | 2004 | 2003 | 2002 | 2001 | 2000 | 1999 |