By Kristyn Shannon

Feet stomp across the tiled floors of the Bear’s Den and pass by the robust smell of Starbucks coffee. Along the curve of the room, a vibrant light appears, focused on multiple photographs displayed in a strategic pattern. While getting a closer look, the display name comes into focus: “Neighborhood Stroll” by Dorothy Siravo, KU geography department secretary.

Siravo’s exhibition opened on Monday, Sept. 14 in the Bear’s Den gallery. When describing the theme of her photographs, she said, “Small town life imparts beauty in everyday places.”

She spent time wandering the outside community within a one-mile radius of her home in Topton, Pa. According to her, little details caught her attention, whether it was leaves changing color or a single flower.

“I always learned to have a camera in my hand,” Siravo said. Most of the photographs in her collection were prearranged before getting to the scene, though some were simply a “right place at the right time” scenario.

Siravo’s favorite piece, “Fall Foliage,” features a row of trees in, according to her, “all of their autumn glory” along a road in her town. She favors the photograph so much because of its “colors and the pattern of the tree trunks climbing the hill.”

Since May 1, Siravo knew that her exhibition would be displayed in the McFarland Student Union Building. She said, “KU made the process easy to apply for the gallery. I just filled out an application and attached the photos I wanted to be used.”

“Neighborhood Stroll” will be on display in the Bear’s Den from Sept. 15 to 25. Siravo will have another exhibit presented in Rohrbach Library called “Academic Images” from now until sometime in December.

Siravo said she has developed a mission for her photography: “To persistently explore, find and capture the best of [her] surroundings and present them in an interesting fashion.”