The payphones in the Greater Rochester area were part of a felicific calculus in the regards to the decision made to leave the payphones and the locations in which they are located. Frontier Communications is not making money from these payphones and decided to maintain them for the greater good of one of the poorest cities, by the number of people under the poverty level, in the United States.
To many individuals, these payphones serve as a social marker or social indicator and to others, they serve as a marker of crime. The perception of one area is worse than another is often drawn to a conclusion by such social markers. Often these perceptions can lead to dangerous or ignorant decisions.
For instance, the politicians in Detroit, Michigan had all the payphones removed because they felt they were only being used for criminal reasons. These individuals in power decided to remove the payphones without conducting a study or surveying the individuals using the payphones. After all, everyone should have a mobile phone at this point so if someone is using the payphone it must be for criminal aspects. This notion of a politician with no real understanding, but making a decision that affects a different economic class by merely the perceived connotation.
This perception that I was witnessing first-hand is what drove me to start to educate myself on what was leading these individuals to their perceived notions of a place they never visited previously. I began to look at census maps and overlay them with maps of the payphone locations. What became apparent to me was the direct correlation between the poverty level and location of the payphones. Rochester, NY is one of the poorest cities in the United States and with that many average family incomes are lower than $20,000 a year in the areas with the highest concentration of payphones. In fact, the Democrat & Chronicle ran a story about the dyeing payphones in Rochester, NY and how they are a lifeline for many individuals in these communities. The 1,014 payphones in the Rochester area are being used on average once every four days.
Through my exhibition, I look to inform viewers of the payphone locations around the Greater Rochester, NY area. I visually correlate the payphones with census maps that indicate; economic status, ethnicity, age and sex, and the crime map. My goal is to help individuals to understand that their perceptions of particular social markers are only indicative of the lifeline’s individuals’ may need to survive. Unlike the needs of those individuals creating the opinion and using it as a basis for a lower-class environment.
Artist Biography
Eric T. Kunsman is a photographer and book artist based out of Rochester, New York. Eric is a Lecturer for the Visual Communications Studies Department in the National Technical Institute for the Deaf and also teaches for the School of Photographic Arts & Sciences both of which are housed at the Rochester Institute of Technology. He was formerly an Assistant Professor at Mercer County Community College where he was also the coordinator of the photography program.
He has taught workshops and lectured on digital printing & digital workflow processes Internationally and continues to teach seminars on a regular basis. Eric holds his MFA in Book Arts/Printmaking from The University of the Arts in Philadelphia, and holds an MS in Electronic Publishing/Graphic Arts Media, BS in Biomedical Photography, BFA in Fine Art photography all from the Rochester Institute of Technology in Rochester, New York.
His photographs and books have been exhibited internationally and are in several prominent collections throughout the United States. He currently owns Booksmart Studio, which is a fine art digital printing studio specializing in numerous techniques and services for photographers and book artists.
Education
2005 Masters of Fine Arts, Book Arts/Printmaking, The University of the Arts
2001 Masters of Science, Electronic Publishing & Graphic Media Arts, Rochester Institute of Technology
2000 Bachelors of Science, Biomedical Photography, Rochester Institute of Technology
1999 Bachelors of Fine Arts, Photographic Illustration-Fine Art, Rochester Institute of Technology, 1999
InLiquid Association of Photographers (AOP) Atlanta Center for Fine Art Photography Center for Fine Art Photography Rochester Contemporary Arts Center Sign & Graphics Imaging Association(SGIA) Society for Photographic Education(SPE) The Center, Santa Fe New Mexico The Center for Photography Woodstock Center for Photography
2001 - 2005 Eric Kunsman Consulting Digital Printing Consultant
1997 - 1999 Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
1999 McGuire Air Force Base, Burlington County, NJ Digital Photographer
Consultation
Assanté Design, Digital Workflow Process, Syracuse NY Bergger Digital Paper, Generic ICC Profile Creation, France BF Inkjet, Generic ICC Profile Creation Box Car Press Digital Workflow Process, Syracuse NY Canson Infinity, Generic ICC Profile Creation & White Papers for PDF handouts and on-line for print workflow, George Eastman Museum (George Eastman House), Digital Workflow Creation-Capture to Print Innova Digital Art Paper Generic ICC Profile creation along with White Paper for on-line tutorial, United Kingdom Indeutsch Industries, India, Testing prototype inkjet canvas for quality standards compared to competitors Intelicoat Digital Media, Generic ICC Profile creation Magnum Photo, New York, NY, Printing for House of Pictures, a photographic journey in Rochester, NY Old Town Editions, Alexandria,VA, Custom ICC Profile creation USGA (United Stated Golf Association), Digital Workflow Process, Short Hills, NY John Myers Photography, Digital Workflow Process, Rochester, NY
Teaching Experience
2012 - Present Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Visual Communications Studies Lecturer
2005 - Present Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY School of Photographic Arts & Sciences Adjunct Professor, Visiting Professor
2002 - 2005 Mercer County Community College, West Windsor, NJ Coordinator of Photography, Assistant Professor
2004 - 2005 Rowan University, Glassboro, NJ Adjunct Assistant Professor
2002 Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY School of Print & Media Sciences Adjunct Professor
2000 - 2002 Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY School of Photographic Arts & Sciences Adjunct Professor
1999 Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY Graduate Assistant
Guest Lectures/Reviews
2008 - 2019 Though Art... Will Give... Artist Talks at Hoyt Museum, New Castle, PA Lane Community College, Eugene, OR Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS Dyer Arts Center, National Technical Institute for the Deaf, Rochester, NY The George School, Newton, PA Mercer County Community College, West Windsor NJ Photokina, Canson Infinity Booth, Cologne, Germany
2015 - 2018 The World of Inkjet Printing, RIT, Rochester, NY Photo Arts I Guest Lecturer
2007 & 2018 SPE National Conference (students & professionals) Miami, FL Philadelphia, PA Portfolio Reviewer
2015 - 2017 Frank Cost Book Production Class, RIT Rochester, NY Book Production Guest Lecturer
2016 A 9/11 Project, Reflections & Memories, Wallace Center RIT, Rochester, NY Curatorial Talk and Faculty Grant Showcase
2015 What is Scholarship for the Visual Arts, NTID/RIT, Rochester, NY Scholarship Symposium 2015
2009 Eric Kunsman’s Photography, Princeton Photography Club, Princeton, NJ Lecturer
2007 The Fine Edition Book, Photo Imaging World, Melbourne, Australia Lecturer
The Rebirth of the Darkroom-Trends in Fine Digital Papers, Photo Imaging World, Melbourne Australia Lecturer
2006 Fine Edition Books for Photographers, Photokina, Innova Booth, Cologne, Germany Featured Artist
2005 & 2006 PIEA—The Digital Book in the Classroom Orlando, FL, PIEA at PMA Bristol, UK—PIEA at PMA
2005 Peripheral Visions, Pittsburg State University, Pittsburg, KS Artist Talk
Four Corners, The Pennington School, Pennington, NJ Artist Presenter
2004 Photographing in the Southwest, Princeton Day School, Princeton, NJ Artist Presenter
2003 Bringing Photographs Into the Book Form, The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA Lecturer
Best in Show-TAWA, Elarslie, Trenton City Museum, NJ Artist Presenter
2002 Final Critique/Presentations, Hallmark Institute of Photography, Turners Falls, MA Guest Critic
2001 History of Color Photography, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY Lecturer
Exhibitions
For a full list of exhibitions please visit Eric's website.
Solo
2021 Felicific Calculus: Technology as a Social Marker of Race, Class, & Economics in Rochester, NY CEPA Gallery, Buffalo, NY Gallery19, Chicago, IL
2005 - 2020 Thou Art... Will Give... Gallery 120, Clover, SC Rhode Island Center for Photography, Providence, RI Pool Art Center, Drury University, Springfield, MO North Central College, Naperville, IL Gallery Route One, Point Reyes Station, CA East Central College, Union, MO Flower City Arts Center, Rochester, NY Hoyt Museum, New Castle, PA Kirkland Art Center, Clinton, NY CameraWork Gallery, Scranton, PA Lane Community College Art Gallery, Eugene, OR Red Filter Gallery, New Hope, PA Online Pittsburg State University Museum of Art, Pittsburg, KS SRO Photo Gallery, Texas Tech University School of Art, Lubbock, TX College of Liberal Arts, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY Dryer Arts Center, National Technical Institute for the Deaf at RIP, Rochester, NY Passage Gallery, University of Rochester, Rochester, NY Joe Bean Gallery, Rochester, NY The George School, Newton, PA Booksmart Studio, Rochester, NY Lexington Art League, Lexington, KY Los Angeles Center for Digital Art, Los Angeles, CA Artworks Gallery, Trenton, NJ
2016 A 9/11 Project, Reflections & Memories Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY Democrat and Chronicle Gallery, Rochester, NY Gallery R, Rochester Institute of Technology, Rochester, NY
2005 - 2009 Peripheral Visions Booksmart Studio, Rochester, NY Nicolaysen Art Museum, Casper, WY Spirit Lodge, Fairmount Park, Philadelphia, PA
2005 - 2006 Images of the Southwest Grounds for Sculpture, Hamilton, NJ The Conference Center, Hamilton, NJ
2005 Four Corners: Photographs by Eric T. Kunsman, Sylva Gallery, Pennington, NJ
2-3 Person Exhibitions
2019 Thou Art... Will Give..., R.G. Endres Gallery, Prairie Village, KS
Annual Photography Exhibit, Center at High Falls Gallery, Rochester, NY
Anderson Alley Artists, Rochester Arts & Cultural Center Gallery, Rochester, NY
2006 Photo Imaging Education Association (PIEA), International Traveling Exhibition Faculty Award
Binary Articulations, Holt-Russell Gallery, Baker University, Baldwin City, KS
2005 Elusive Photography, Stepping Stone Gallery, Huntington, NY
National Juried Photography Exhibit, Long Beach Island Foundation of the Arts and Sciences, Long Beach Island, NY
Artists' Book Exchange: Philadelphia and Timisoara Library Humanitas Joc Secund, Timisoara, Romania University of the West, Timisoara, Romania The University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2004 Mutable Surfaces, Anderson Gallery, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
Directions, Gallery ONE, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
American Southwest, Lincoln County Museum of the American West, Smithsonian, Lincoln, NM
2003 Trenton Artist Workshop Association (TAWA) Annual Juried Show, Elarslie Trenton City Museum, Trenton, NJ
Mercer County Photography Exhibition, The College of New Jersey, Ewing, NJ
Hamilton Trenton Marsh Photography Exhibition, Hamilton Library Gallery, Hamilton, NJ
Seven, Sculpture Gallery, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2002 Pennsylvania Academy of Fine Art Invitational Print Exchange, PAFA Gallery, Philadelphia, PA
Wallace Memorial Library Photography Purchase Awards, A Selection from the First Twenty Years, RIT Photography Gallery, Rochester, NY
Cakewalk, Anderson Gallery, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
2001 RIT Faculty Show, RIT Photography Gallery, Rochester, NJ
1997 - 2001 RIT Honor Show, RIT Photography Gallery, Rochester, NJ
1998 Photo Plus Expo, Fuji Booth, New York City, NY
Juror
2012 - 2017 Juror for the quarterly installation of 2D art on an exterior public art venue consisting of the Imaging Panels of Rochester, NY, which are nine metal exhibition structures on the Rochester ArtWALK
2011 ArtWALK extension project, juror for outdoor sculpture piece that is located in the middle of Goodman Street in Rochester, NY located directly across from Village Gate
ArtWALK extension project, juror for the Children’s Sidewalk Art that encompasses the entire length of the ArtWALK extension
Curated
2005 Dan Larkin's: A Cape Cod Diary, University of the Arts, Philadelphia, PA
