Digital paintings of endangered animals with information about each one featured in gallery exhibition
Yavapai Community College alumnus Stefan R. Sanford’s “endangered species” exhibit will be shown at the Community College’s Prescott Campus gallery September 18-23. According to a Community College press release written by Michael Grady, the series of “digital paintings of endangered animals with information about each one – sprang out of Sanford’s MFA Thesis presentation. `Many animals are leaving our earth and will soon be gone if we do not get poaching and illegal hunting under control.’ As part of his thesis project, Sanford wrote and illustrated two children’s books designed to introduce kids to conservation. `B. A. C. K. is my motto for these books – Be A Conservation Kid!’ Sanford’s thesis has been downloaded for research throughout the world and published by Liberty’s Scholars Crossing this summer. The books will be part of an upcoming series, with the first two – on the African Elephant and the African Rhinoceros – due out soon.”
In the Community College press release Mr. Sanford is quoted as saying: “I grew up in Prescott and love the mountains, lakes and wildlife we enjoy here. I began reading National Geographic and learned about conservation reading the Ranger Rick magazines as a child.”
Sanford discovered his passion for graphic design while learning Photoshop at Yavapai Community College. Following his graduation, he further honed his skills at Sessions College before pursuing Advanced Graphic Design studies at UCLA. Sanford earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Massachusetts Amherst and went on to achieve a Master of Fine Arts in Graphic Design from Liberty University.
Yavapai Community College has two art galleries: one is located in the Performing Arts Center on the Prescott Campus, the other is located in a small section of the Verde Campus. The data in the form of two graphs covering the last four years presented to the District Community College Governing Board at the March 9 suggests that there are few exhibits and few patrons annually visiting the gallery on the Verde Campus while the gallery on the Prescott Campus shows that over 7,000 patrons visited it in 2019.
The Yavapai Community College Verde campus Art Gallery in Clarkdale will present the “Radical Center” exhibition from September 29 to October 23. The exhibit features the works of artists Rose Moon, Cathy Gazda, and Paul Gazda.