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Photographer and mixed-media artist collaborate at Canyon

GRAND CANYON, Ariz. - The south rim Artist-in-Residence program plays host to mixed-media sculptor Johanna Finnegan-Topitzer and photographer Jeremy Heflin, from Merrimac, Mass., through the end of August.

Heflin is a photographer who worked for the U.S. Army covering events from hometown life to the first war in Iraq. After leaving the military he studied photography at the University of San Francisco and Academy of Art, and has since been a professional photographer. His work is varied - from studio portraiture to architectural and nature photography. Through both his commercial and fine art work, Heflin strives to capture rare and spontaneous images.

While in-residence, Heflin has been working with Grand Canyon School's yearbook class students, and in collaboration with Grand Canyon Music Festival's School of Rock project, taught an intensive workshop called "Rock and Roll Performance and Portraiture Photography." The 2013-2014 Grand Canyon School Yearbook will feature some of the student work from the project.

Finnegan-Topitzer is a mixed-media artist who creates narrative and sculptural home-made books, as well as other mixed-media art. Her books feature both her visual art and writing. She said she is interested in telling stories that focus on environmental and preservation issues, using a playful juxtaposition of serious content and experimental and whimsical forms, which come together to convey her interest in advocating for wilderness and endangered ecosystems, and the creatures living there.

Early in her residency at Grand Canyon, Finnegan-Topitzer taught a hands-on workshop for local adults on the fine art of bookbinding. Her students created accordion-style "flag books" combining their own stories and interests into a sculptural book.

In addition to their solo artistic pursuits, Heflin and Finnegan-Topitzer are collaborating on a mixed-media photography project that will be shown in Park Headquarters beginning mid-month. This project will combine Heflin's photography with Finnegan-Topitzer's expert use of materials into one interactive piece that focuses on the experience of being at the Grand Canyon.

The two artists have also been setting up informal photo shoots along the south rim, gathering willing park visitors, locals and park staff into panoramic images that combine portraiture with the extraordinary landscape of the Grand Canyon. In this way, Heflin and Finnegan-Topitzer are fixing a place and time for a shared experience - both fleeting and documented.

Toward the end of their residency, Finnegan-Topitzer and Heflin will give an informal gallery talk in Park Headquarters about this project. The time and date for the event is not yet determined. More information is available at the South Rim Artist-in-Residence Program Hotline, (928) 638-7616.


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