‘Still Moving’ examines photographer’s work, controversial methods

On display now at the Palmer Museum of Art, “Still Moving: Photographs by Steve McCurry,” showcases the iconic work of a Penn State alumnus, while also providing visitors with an opportunity to study the photographer’s lesser-known work.

The exhibition of McCurry’s work has been held at the Palmer Museum since June and runs through Sept. 18. On Wednesday, curators of the exhibit, Joyce Robinson and Steve Rubin, will be among panelists for “Documentary Photography in a Photoshop World,” a discussion that aims to examine McCurry’s work and his use of Photoshop. Other panelists include Will Yurman, senior lecturer in communications, and Tina Hay, editor of The Penn Stater magazine.

Rubin believes that it’s McCurry’s ability to include emotion and motion in his photography that allows him to tell a compelling story through his medium.

“These strategies include a steadfast use of vibrant saturated color, rich with emotional reference,” said Rubin, who is an associate professor of art in the College of Arts and Architecture at Penn State.

One of McCurry’s most iconic works, “Afghan Girl,” earned worldwide fame after being featured on the cover of National Geographic in June 1985. The photo became an icon of the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan for the West because the woman in the picture, Sharbat Bibi, was living as a refugee in Pakistan due to the conflict.

McCurry graduated with a degree in film from Penn State in 1974. The 66-year-old Darby native has worked in photography for more than four decades spanning the Afghan civil war, the Gulf War and the Moro Conflict in the Philippines, to name a few.

Rubin and Robinson have planned this exhibition for almost two years. Both curators describe McCurry’s photography as complex and compelling, and hope visitors can view his body of work as such, while engaging with recent questions raised over McCurry’s use of Photoshop.

“What we’re discovering is that most visitors are not bothered by McCurry’s shift away from photojournalism toward ‘visual storytelling,’ a propensity that very well may have been instilled in him when he studied here at Penn State,” said Robinson, who is an associate professor of art history at Penn State.

This story was originally published September 2, 2016 at 12:53 PM with the headline "‘Still Moving’ examines photographer’s work, controversial methods."