UA Gallery Exhibit Features Photographs of American Landscapes
Exhibition Date: October 1-28, 2016
Reception: October 7, 5:30-7:30
The photography of Ines Schaefer will be displayed from Friday, Oct. 7 to Friday, Oct. 28 at the UA Gallery in the Dinah Washington Cultural Arts Center in downtown Tuscaloosa.
Schaefer is a native of Germany, but she moved to Tuscaloosa in 2014 with her children and her husband who works at Mercedes-Benz U.S. International. Soon after arriving in the United States, Schaefer and her family toured the nation coast to coast in a Tuscaloosa-made Mercedes GL SUV. Along their 15,000-mile journey, Schaefer captured images of iconic American landscapes.
Her exhibit, titled, “America, the Beautiful: Seen through a Foreigner’s Eyes,” showcases the photography of her trip and highlights the beauty of the United States from the perspective of a native German. A reception for the exhibit will be held Friday, Oct. 7 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The exhibit and reception are free and open to the public.
Schaefer said that when she set off on her road trip, many of her American friends didn’t understand why she wanted to drive across the country instead of fly, but she said that it gave her the opportunity to have adventures “off the beaten path.”
“It is well worth it to just sit in a car and travel across borders,” Schaefer said.
Karen Kennedy, director of the UA Gallery, added that one purpose of the exhibit is to encourage natives to explore the country by car for themselves.
The exhibit will showcase 53 large photographs, featuring everywhere from Chicago, Illinois, and Dauphin Island, Alabama to June Lake, Arizona, and Monument Valley, Utah.
Though Schaefer’s exhibit will highlight her landscape and still-life work, she is best-known for her female portraiture work. She focuses on contemporary portraiture and has won international awards for her photography.