By Kathleen Wright
Dorothy Siravo is a KU secretary and budding landscape photographer. She likes the “ordinary, extraordinary” landscape of this country side, and showcases her work at local exhibitions.
Siravo’s work will be coming to Rohrbach Library as soon as the logistics are completed. Her exhibition will be a series of photos of the KU campus; she mixes the cultural and physical geography of the rural areas that surround the university. The photographs will be matted, framed and added to Rohrbach’s décor.
Developing her forte in imagery ever since her first photography class in high school, Siravo originally learned through dark room development. At first, she used her skills to document family events. Then, she discovered what most residents of this
Photo courtesy of the Department of Geography
area take for granted – the rural communities in southeast Pennsylvania.
With a panoramic gesture, Siravo said, “The scenery around here was my inspiration.” When she moved from New Jersey, her photographic eye captured the pristine and quaint geography for which southeast Pennsylvania is known, and she found inspiration in the unique culture and landscape of Kutztown.
She pointed her lens to this illustrious countryside and started her landscape portfolio. The appeal motivated her to take her hobby to the next level. She said, “My hobby has turned into a passion, one which I constantly attempt to improve.”
“Currently, I use a Canon DSLR. The advancement to digital I find very forgiving in comparison,” said Siravo. “One needs only to delete those unwanted images whereas before with film, one needed to wait to see what developed.”
She is considering entering juried exhibits as another way to have her work seen. She said, “At this point, I am constantly exploring possibilities for other venues to exhibit or show my work.”
Previously, Siravo’s photographs were exhibited at the MSU through Bear Essential’s application for artists. The Corner Gallery was her introduction to matted and framed photos shown at the exhibition, as will the photos exhibited at the library. She also had her photos published in Kutztown’s local newspaper, The Patriot.
*The Keystone has corrected an error made when this article was printed in our April 2 issue. Dorothy Siravo is a secretary for the Department of Geography.