Chakaia Booker - The Nest, 2003   Cynthia Pachikara Biennial, 2006 Barry Anderson The Janus Continuum 2004 Garry Noland Unorganized Territory 2005 Jill Viney Hubblevision, 2001		Gallery A Jennifer Dorsey: Alma Mater October 2 - December 6, 2008 Reception : October 2, 2008 5:30 - 7:30pm Image courtsey of Jennifer Dorsey Continuing at Gallery 210, Jennifer Dorsey: Alma Mater. A 1999 M.F.A. graduate from Washington University, Dorsey's most recent images are color prints of private schools from the Washington D.C. area. Dorsey’s work suggests the influences of German photographers Andreas Gursky or Candida Hofer but she feels her photographs are equally related to the documentary work of American Walker Evans and Swiss photographer Robert Frank. Well known for her straight photograph of specific places that suppresses distinctiveness and instead reveals the generic nature of manufactured objects in a hyper-consumer culture. Past exhibitions have featured images of institutional furniture or mass-produced merchandise. However in “Alma Mater” the artist begins to address the intersection of public institution and personal memory, “These are places where contemporary life intersects with multiple histories and traditions, which are revealed in the physical spaces of the school buildings,” writes Dorsey. In the gallery’s exhibition brochure Olivia Lahs- Gonzalez, Director for the Sheldon Art Galleries, writes, “The photographs present a view of a rarified, now historical symbol of what educational institutions once were. Seeking out details and framing spaces to capture these histories and narrative possibilities, Dorsey provides us with triggers that bring to light our own collective memories of the school experience, but also unveil cultivated fictions of the lives of others.” Jennifer Dorsey received her M.F.A. in Photography from Washington University in St. Louis in 1999 and her B.A in Art History from Fordham University. She was also a resident at the Maine Photographic Workshops in Rockport Maine from 1995 to 1996. Dorsey’s photographs have been featured in one-person and group exhibitions in New York, Washington, D.C., St. Louis, Baltimore, and Minneapolis. Her last body of work, Bridal Series, a group of photographs made in a dress factory, was featured in group exhibitions at School 33 Art Center in Baltimore (2007), Greenberg-Van Doren Gallery in St. Louis (2005), and the Corcoran Gallery of Art in Washington, D.C. (2004). Two photographs from the series were purchased for the public art collection of Arlington County, Virginia. Her “Office” series was shown in a solo exhibition at the Tony Hungerford Memorial Gallery at the College of Southern Maryland (2004) and was featured in group exhibitions at the Midtown Arts Center in St. Louis (1999) and at St. Mark’s Church in the Bowery in New York (1998). “Diversity in Monotony,” her series on fast food restaurants, big-box stores and other consumer-driven institutions was shown as a solo exhibition at the Center for Metropolitan Studies at the University of Missouri-St. Louis (1999). Selected images were included in group exhibitions at the District of Columbia Art Center (2005), Conner Contemporary Art in Washington, D.C. (2004), The Contemporary Art Museum St. Louis (2002), No Name Exhibitions in Minneapolis (2000), Innsbrook Conference Center in Missouri (2000), and at East Bank Lofts in St. Louis (1999). Dorsey’s work has been reviewed in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch and The Riverfront Times and in 2000 The Riverfront Times named her “Best Photographer”. Dorsey has been awarded grants for her work from the District of Columbia Commission for the Arts and Humanities, The Corcoran College of Art and Design, and National Cathedral School. This exhibition is supported in part by grants from the Regional Arts Commission and the Missouri Arts Council with additional assistance from the Center for the Humanities at UM-St. Louis.         Past Exhibitions The following information shows listings of artists who have held exhibitions in Gallery A. Feb - May 31st, 2008 Urgent Shelter October 4th - December 8th, 2007 Chakaia Booker Reception : Thursday,October 4th, 2007 5:30 - 7:30 p.m Shadow Work: New work by Cynthia Pachikara February 8 - May 26, 2007 Cuba Journal: A sculptural installation by Ana Flores October 19 - December 2, 2006 Biennial: The UM-St. Louis Fine Art Faculty August 24 - October 7, 2006 Exposure 9 Peter Pranschke, B J Vogt, Mike Schuh, Nanette Boileau July 7 - August 12, 2006 Portfolio: Central Visual and Performing Arts High School - Senior and Junior Exhibition May 19 - June 18, 2006 Barry Anderson: The Janus Continuum March 31 - May 6, 2006 James M. Smith: Drawn January 27 - March 11, 2006 Garry Noland: Unorganized Territory November 11, 2005 - January 21, 2006 Marguerite Perret Paradise Recast: From Wilderness to Garden Mall September 9 - October 29, 2005 Exposure VIII Andrea Green, Sarah Colby, Deborah Katon, Linda Vredeveld July 1 - August 27, 2005 Jill Viney: Hubblevision, New Sculpture October 21, 04 - January 15, 2005 Dasha Balashova Metamorphoses: From Moscow to St. Louis and Back June 25 - July 31, 2004 Portfolio: Central Visual and Performing Arts High School - Senior and Junior Exhibition May 12 - June 5, 2004