Lykes Atrium Exhibit: Mary Ruth Moore: "Glass and Light, Time and Place"

Event Description

Lykes Atrium Exhibit: Mary Ruth Moore: "Glass and Light, Time and Place"

Artist Exhibit: Monday, October 19-Friday, December 11, 2026

Lykes Atrium/Wilson Hall/ Lenfest Center

Artist Lecture and Reception: Tuesday, October 27, 2026 at 5:30 pm. Wilson Concert Hall/ Wilson Hall/Lenfest Center. Reception will follow the lecture in Lykes Atrium.

American photographer Mary Ruth Moore (1936-2023) is best known for her use of historical photo methods, including pinhole cameras and long-exposure processes. She used antique equipment and paper negatives, and her work emphasizes duration, imperfection, and the expressive qualities of natural light. Moore explained, "One of the earliest pioneers of photography, William Henry Fox Talbot, referred to... ‘a precious ritual, waiting for the light'... I'm always looking for qualities of light, no matter what my subject matter is. I'm always aware, to the very depths of me, that I am drawing a picture with light." Moore's photographs glow with the luminous intensity of Georgia mornings, Italian interiors, and the quiet moments of everyday life.

Born in the Georgia Piedmont, Mary Ruth Moore lived and worked on land held by her family for generations, a setting that profoundly informs her imagery. Moore received her B.A. from the University of Montevallo and her M.A. in Art Education from the University of Georgia. She taught at the Lamar Dodd School of Art, University of Georgia, for over 40 years; she taught photography with the UGA Studies Abroad program in Cortona, Italy, for 10 summers. While Moore viewed herself as primarily an educator, Moore's daughter, Laura Lee Samford, has championed her mother's artwork, curating her mother's work for current audiences to explore.

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