The NDSU Department of Communication is showcasing the photographic talents of one of its outstanding students.
Throughout spring semester, the department will display 25 photographs by Jack Dura, a senior journalism major from Fargo. Titled, "Jack Dura: A North Dakota Rural Legacy," the exhibit features a variety of historical and cultural places across the state.
A reception is scheduled for Thursday, Feb. 4, at 5 p.m. in Minard Hall, room 338. Dura is set to give a talk on his photos, and light refreshments will be served.
Dura's work documents little known and forgotten rural spaces throughout North Dakota, places most people will never visit. The displayed photos were selected from more than 10,000 images he took during the past year.
"North Dakota has a great diversity in its landscapes, so I tried to show the scope of what's out there in my photos, be it a weathered sod house on the Sheridan County prairie, the trees of the Pembina Gorge or just the vastness of the state as a whole," Dura explained, noting his favorite photo depicts a prairie fringed orchid, the only plant on the state's endangered species list.
"I never considered myself an artist or photographer, but I am happy to have pictures of North Dakota up on display, regardless of whose they are," Dura said. "My North Dakota photography is also a way to get out of town for a day without leaving home. Having my photographs on display shows bits and pieces of the 12,000 miles I logged within North Dakota's borders outside of Fargo in 2015."
Ross Collins, professor of communication, and Mark Meister, professor and department chair, helped organize the display and reception.
"He’s amazingly prolific and knows North Dakota better than just about anybody of any age," Collins said. "I personally like the simple honesty of his photos that I think reflects North Dakota values and scenes. His photos are part of the archival tradition, straightforward without apparent compositional contrivance. They record and reflect a sense of place and time."
Dura, who is news editor for The Spectrum student newspaper, also has written projects for Prairie Public Broadcasting and the High Plains Reader.
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