WILDLIFE PHOTOGRAPHER TO LEAD WORKSHOP, PRESENTATION MARCH 10

HATTIESBURG - After years of intensive study and training, graduating seniors of The University of Southern Mississippi Department of Art will celebrate their educational achievements May 1-15 with an exhibition of their works in the Southern Miss Museum of Art.

Also the final exhibition of the academic year for the museum, the show will feature works of 12 graduating visual art students. A reception opens the exhibit May 1 from 4-6 p.m. in the museum.

"We are very proud of all our graduates, both in graphic communication and fine arts," said associate professor of art Deanna Douglas. "Their work in this exhibition demonstrates the level of professionalism that our students have attained."

A senior project involves the creation and defense of a substantial body of work. It is required of all students pursuing a bachelor of fine arts and an optional requirement for bachelor of arts students.

"Completing a senior project and exhibiting in the senior show are integral parts of our curriculum," said Jennifer Torres, chair of the Southern Miss Department of Art. "The process is quite rigorous and not every student satisfies the requirements the first time. However, the faculty believes that successful completion of a senior project helps prepare our students for graduate study or to embark on a career in the visual arts."

Students featured in the exhibition include paintings and drawings by Lori Brown, David Dawkins, Renada Hickman and Austin Kirkwood; graphic communication works by Matt Barousse, Liberace scholar Jacee Bergeron, Paula Blackwell, Adrianne Breakfield, Shannon Cameron, Heather Jordan Carter and Kelly Porter; and sculptures and three-dimensional designs by Lance Malley.

The University of Southern Mississippi Museum of Art is located in the Fine Arts Building at the southwest corner of the Hattiesburg campus. The hours are Tue.-Fri. 10 a.m-5 p.m. and Sat. 10 a.m.- 4 p.m. Admission to the museum and reception is free and open to the public. School and community groups are welcome. Call Dr. Tony Lewis, museum curator, at (601) 266-5200 for more information.

OCEAN SPRINGS -- Award-winning wildlife photographer Tom Ulrich will lead two photographic events at the Gulf Coast Research Laboratory on Wednesday, March 10.

He will present a nature photography workshop from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and then a talk and slide show called "Wildlife Images 2003" at 7 p.m., both at The University of Southern Mississippi GCRL.

Admission to the evening event is free and will be held in the Caylor Auditorium at GCRL. The veteran photographer will feature photos from his 2003 photographic safaris abroad and in North America. He will answer questions and sign his books during the reception following his slide show.

The registration fee for the all-day workshop is $50 per person, payable to GCRL. Registration includes a continental breakfast, light lunch and snacks. Participation is limited to 20. Though the workshop is geared toward beginners, Ulrich tailors the experience to meet needs for all degrees of skill.

"The beginners will definitely benefit from the workshop, but I always help the more advanced get something out of it also," Ulrich said. "I lead many photo trips and always find a wide range of levels."

Ulrich said participants do not need to bring their photographic equipment unless they need an explanation about some aspect of their equipment.

Topics include a brief review of the principles of photography, relationships between shutter and aperture settings, fundamental elements of composition, use and timing of fill-in flash, digital versus film photography, techniques of close-up photography, and a brief discussion of slide etiquette, the photography business and marketing.

Ulrich grew up in South Chicago, graduated with a degree in biology from Southern Illinois University and taught for four years before launching his career as a freelance photographer. He has supported himself with nature photography for the past 29 years.

His library of more than 300,000 transparencies includes birds and mammals from all over the world. His photographs have been featured in publications such as National Wildlife, Audubon, National Geographic, Montana Outdoors and Life.

He has published six nature books, including Mammals of the Rockies, Birds of the Northern Rockies, Once Upon a Frame and his 2002 release, Photo Pantanal. Dr. William E. Hawkins, GCRL executive director, said Ulrich brings the scientific and artistic worlds together.

"Tom earns his living photographing wildlife all over the world," Hawkins sad. "He is an outstanding observer and a biologist. His approach to photography is to capture his subjects exhibiting their natural behavior."

The GCRL is home to the university's Department of Coastal Sciences, the Center for Fisheries Research and Development, and the Gulf Coast Geospatial Center. The J.L. Scott Marine Education Center and Aquarium is also a unit of the laboratory. The GCRL is part of the Southern Miss College of Science and Technology. For more information, call the laboratory at (228) 872-4200.

-30-