As part of the SUU Art Insights program, Zion National Park’s artist-in-residence, photographer Benjamin Rusnak, will give a free presentation in SUU’s Auditorium Theatre on Thursday, Sept. 10, at 7 p.m. It is open to the public.
Rusnak left a successful career as a newspaper photojournalist and went on to become a distinguished editorial and commercial photographer in South Florida, specializing in food photography. In the past decade, Rusnak has found solace and strength in the canyons and deserts of Utah. Selected as Zion National Park‘s September artist-in-residence, he captured the wonders of the park’s landscape with a panoramic camera. At his upcoming Art Insights appearance, Rusnak will highlight his work from Zion National Park.
For 14 years, Rusnak documented poverty in the Caribbean and Latin America for Food For The Poor, Inc., an international relief and development agency. Prior to that, he was a newspaper photojournalist for nearly 10 years. Rusnak’s award-winning work has been recognized and exhibited internationally. He won the prestigious Gordon Parks Award in 2008 and received InterAction‘s Effective Assistance Humanitarian Photography Award in 2010, among many other honors. His work is represented by Zuma Press.
Rusnak grew up in suburban Washington, D.C. where he developed an interest in topics beyond American borders and a passion for the plight of those less fortunate. For a detailed overview of Rusnak’s career, please visit his website.
Art Insights is a weekly program hosted during the fall and spring semesters by the SUU Art and Design faculty. Students and community members meet to experience presentations and discussions by visiting artists and art educators from around the nation who share their work and insights. Admission is free, and the general public is invited to attend.
The Zion National Park artist-in-residence program offers professional artists the opportunity to live and work in the majestic desert environment of southern Utah. The works completed under this program will contribute to the public understanding and appreciation of Zion National Park and reflect the National Park Service‘s mission to preserve and protect the park’s cultural and natural resources.
