'Mark Siprut: Photographic Portraits of Bonita'

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Arts & Culture

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Julia Dixon Evans

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The Bonita Museum & Cultural Center is excited to present a new exhibition "Mark Siprut: Photographic Portraits of Bonita" by SDSU professor and Bonita resident Mark Siprut.

The exhibition will run from March 11 - April 22, 2023.

The exhibition opens March 11 with a Chamber Concert with the Bonita Quartet from 2 p.m. - 4 p.m. and a public reception from 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m.

An artist walk-through of the exhibition will happen on Saturday, April 8 from 3 p.m. - 4 p.m.

This original exhibition of digital photography with historical context, explores Bonita and Sweetwater Valley landscape, landmarks and architecture.

For the exhibition Mark has been hiking the Sweetwater Valley area in South Bay San Diego documenting the area utilizing aerial drone photography creating 360 degree panoramic views. He has been working with the collection of the Bonita Historical Society to include information about local historic homes, including the 1908 Irving J. Gill & Frank Mead "Allen House," the “Otay Limited” National City & Otay railway, as well as early pioneer maps and historical objects inviting the public to discover the evolution of the local landscape of natural geography juxtaposed with architectural and commercial development.

Mark’s contemporary artworks reflect a collective memory and documentation of this region. Along with historical photographs, maps and artifacts, they tell the story of Bonita and Sweetwater Valley history past and present. Mark’s artistic journey emerged as he walked, biked and drove around his native Bonita neighborhoods. He has enjoyed living in Bonita for the last 25 years and in that short time span has witnessed development of construction and landscaping projects. In his research for this exhibit he has become aware of the natural geography and foliage attempting to retake the landscape and keep the ecosystem balanced.

Siprut is an educator, artist and designer. In addition to his formal studies in photography and printmaking, his current creative research is in time-base, interactive and electronic media. His work has been exhibited locally and internationally. He promotes collaborative, interdisciplinary, and intercultural applications to visual communication. Siprut is the author of the Adobe Photoshop Handbook v3, published by Random House and therefore is proficient in its use. In 1995-96 he was a Senior Fulbright Scholar in Graphic Design at Bilkent University in Ankara, Turkey and in 2003 and 2006 he taught at Anadolu University in Eskisehir, Turkey. Having an attachment to Turkey, he is greatly saddened by the tragic consequences of the recent earthquakes. He is an Associate Professor in Multimedia in the School of Art and Design at San Diego State University (SDSU). He earned his BA and MA in Art at Humboldt State University and his MFA in Art at University of California, Santa Barbara.

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