“Zachary Swearingen: A Retrospective” exhibition

Posted on behalf of the MIAD Perspectives Gallery.

The Perspectives Gallery will be exhibiting the work of 2014 alumni Zachary Swearingen from December 13 – January 17. Zachary was loved by many in our academic community as well as the larger art community, and this exhibition celebrates his life, practice, and those that supported his creative interests. MIAD alum, Indie LaLonde ’14 has been an anchor in the curatorial process.

We will be hosting an opening reception on FRI, DEC 13 from 5-8PM, and a closing reception on FRI, JAN 17 from 5-8PM. Please join family, friends, and loved ones for this special exhibition.

Zachary Swearingen: A Retrospective features photographs by Zachary Swearingen (1991-2020). A 2014 alumnus of the Milwaukee Institute of Art & Design, the exhibition features work created during his time at MIAD, while also highlighting further pursuits post graduation. A practice spanning between 2010-2019, Zach created several bodies of work: Orderly Dysfunction, Seriously Funny, and Presence and Process, as well as general character studies and some collaborative work such as Settle Down, a previously ongoing project with Hayley Eichanbaum. His production was prolific. His ideas were endless.

The evolution of his style shows fundamental approaches to composition, color, and image construction while consistently responding to contemporary influences in photography. This is where Zachary found his voice. Through creating uniquely designed environments for each of his subjects, the construction of interiors and their scenarios would tell complex stories, oftentimes with a sense of dysfunctional perfection. He often referred to a need to slow down and commit to the act of seeing, such can be seen within the stillness of his photographs.

Zachary was known for photographing his close friends, clear muses to his inspirations, and their importance can be seen by their reoccurrences across series. He developed a communicative process of photographing by working slowly with his subjects in creating moments of connection. Zachary felt that his practice required an aspect of vulnerability, an attribute he saw in the process of live portrait painting, and he used this vulnerability to cement substantial bonds with his subjects. And while this retrospective celebrates Zachary’s life and talent, it equally celebrates those that continued to hold those bonds, those that believed in his vision, and all those who were willing to be still for just a moment longer.

The Perspectives Gallery is run and operated by faculty and students in the photo area at MIAD. Located on the second floor, room 299 proper, the gallery presents contemporary image makers to the college as a way to complement current classroom curriculum and interests.