Under the Sun: The Arizona School of Photography brings together six photographers with MFA degrees from the School of Art at the University of Arizona’s graduate program – Photography, Video & Imaging (PVI). Their work has been shaped by study and teaching in that program and reflects a shared commitment to rigorous inquiry, experimentation, and critical engagement fostered through university-based photographic education.
The School of Art’s PVI program has been ranked by U.S. News and World Report as third in the U.S.A for several consecutive years following institutions such as Yale University and the University of California, Los Angeles—schools with substantially larger endowments and resources. This sustained recognition underscores the program’s academic strength, mentorship, and national influence within contemporary photography.
Presented at a time when universities and education in general are under attack by the current administration, Under the Sun affirms the essential role of higher education in cultivating artistic practice and intellectual development. The works on view do not address this political moment directly; rather, the quality and range of their work stand as evidence of what education makes possible: conceptual depth, technical mastery and sustained artistic research. The exhibition highlights a lineage of teaching and learning that has shaped generations of photographers and contributed meaningfully to the field.
Artists – Stephanie Burchett, MFA 2018
Daniel Cheek, MFA 2013
C. E. Fitzgerald, MFA 2018
Serge J-F. Levy, MFA 2015
Jacinda Russell, MFA 1999
Kaitlyn Jo Smith, MFA 2020