Jay Dusard – A Retrospective – View Camera to Digital Derringer

For Immediate Release Press Contact: [email protected] 770-387-2833 DUSARD’S WEST AT BOOTH MUSEUMAn intimate look into the career of one the best Cowboy photographersCARTERSVILLE, GA – With the exhibition of Jay Dusard: A Retrospective, View Camera to DigitalDerringer, renowned photographer Jay Dusard gives patrons a unique view into his careerphotographing the American West. The exhibit is comprised of over 50 years of work, spanning the Westfrom Mexico to Canada, and will be on view in the Special Exhibition Gallery at Booth Museum May 19 –August 19, 2018.Born in St. Louis, Missouri in 1937, Jay Dusard was raised on a southern Illinois farm. As an architecturestudent at the University of Florida, a travel scholarship to study American architecture coast to coast washis introduction to the American West. Dusard spent two years in the peacetime army, using his off-dutyhours to “cowboy” near Fort Hood, Texas. In 1963 his cow punching led him to an Arizona-Sonora borderranch, where he found his best deal ever, “open country, independence, seven bucks a day, bunk andboard,” said Dusard.In 1965, while living in Tucson, Arizona and working in architecture and cartography, Dusard startedphotographing. A year later in Flagstaff he was working in publishing and regularly aiming his large-formatcameras at the landscape. He met photographer Frederick Sommer, who became his mentor and pavedthe way for him to teach photography for seven years at Prescott College.A 1981 Guggenheim Fellowship freed Dusard to pursue the working cowboys, buckaroo and vaquero asa photographic subject. Dusard stated “when the Guggenheim Foundation generously started me on thecowboy trail, I elected to arm myself with my 8x10 camera, the instrument I knew best.” He made viewcamera portraits of working cowboys from Canada to Mexico. He traveled 25,000 road miles and visitedsome 45 ranches resulting in the body of work published in The North American Cowboy: A Portrait in1983.His second book, Open Country, was awarded third place in the 1994 Photographic Book of the Yearcompetition. Horses was a 2005 collaboration with writer Thomas McGuane. His limited edition portfolio oftwelve digital prints, The California Vaquero, was published by Cattle Track Press in 2005. Jay Dusard:Keeping the West Western, a documentary by Michael Markee, premiered at the Sedona InternationalFilm festival in 2006.In the years since the 1982 exhibition of his cowboy photographs at the Phoenix Art Museum, he steadilybecame an acknowledged master in black-and-white of environmental portraits, landscapes and MORE

Page two, Jay Dusardabstractions. Still exposing and developing film, but no longer making gelatin silver prints in his owndarkroom, he has concentrated on the making of monumental-sized prints in collaboration with CarlosMandelaveitia of Divi.Media, Scottsdale, AZ. In 2007, the Booth Western Art Museum exhibited 16 ofthese prints in a one-artist exhibit.Since 2007, Dusard has worked with the Booth on several occasions. In 2016, the Booth Western ArtMuseum agreed to permanently house Dusard’s archive. The archive includes his photography,negatives, sketches, and books. In early 2018 the archives were officially titled The Jay DusardCollection at the Booth Western Art Museum. The collection will be housed in two separate areas.Research materials will be placed under the care of the Booth Museum Library while the photographs andnegatives will be placed in the Booth’s permanent photography collection.Fifty-three years later, Jay Dusard is still actively pursuing the art he began in 1965. Since 2008, Dusardbegan branching out from his view camera to digital and in 2015 bought a Canon derringer. While blackand white film and digital photographs are still a favorite, he stated that he is “finding a new appreciationfor color imagery and will continue that pursuit.” His first color image is Chimney Flashing (2008) whichwill be included in the exhibit. The 60 plus prints on display will be the first installment to the permanentcollection. The prints range in size and include portraits, landscapes and abstractions; in both color andblack and white. The exhibit includes several of Dusard’s best-known images, as well as, his personalfavorites which are accompanied by brief stories by the artist.Booth Museum Member Exclusive Exhibition Opening: Saturday, June 2, 20185:00 pm: Gallery Walk with Jay Dusard6:00 pm: Meet the Artist Reception7:00 pm: Artist LectureFor additional information on the exhibition and activities surrounding Jay Dusard at Booth Museum,contact the marketing department at (770) 387-2833 or [email protected] Booth Western Art MuseumBooth Western Art Museum, an Affiliate to the Smithsonian Institution, is a 120,000 square foot museumlocated in Cartersville, Georgia, where guests are invited to See America’s Story through contemporaryWestern artwork, a Presidential Gallery, Civil War art gallery, and Sagebrush Ranch, an interactivechildren’s gallery. Open since August 2003, Booth Museum is the only museum of its kind in theSoutheast and was named the 2016 Escape to the Southeast Travel Attraction of the Year from the MORE

Page three, Jay DusardSoutheast Tourism Society. To learn more about Booth Western Art Museum, visitwww.boothmuseum.org.Museum DirectionsBooth Western Art Museum is located at 501 N. Museum Drive, Cartersville, GA 30120. Take I-75 to exit#288 – Main Street, Cartersville. Head West. Follow Main Street (Highway #113 / #61) into the businessdistrict – approximately 2.2 miles. Turn right on Gilmer Street, travel two blocks under the bridge and theMuseum is on the left. Free parking is available in the Tabernacle Baptist Church parking lot on GilmerStreet, across from the Museum entrance.Museum HoursTuesday, Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday: 10:00 am – 5:00 pm. Thursday: 10:00 am – 8:00 pm.Sunday: 1:00 pm – 5:00 pm. Closed Mondays, New Year’s Day, July 4th, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.AdmissionAdult: $12 plus tax; Senior (65+): $10 plus tax; Student (with ID): $9 plus tax; Child (12 and under): Free(accompanied by parent or guardian); Active Military Personnel (with ID): Free (½ price regular admissionfor all immediate family members of the active duty person); Booth Museum Members: Free; FirstThursday of each month: Free admission for all between 4:00 pm – 8:00 pm. ###