On Assignment in Eugene, OR

My name is Evan Baden, and I’m a current student in the Photography MFA program here at Columbia College Chicago. I am beginning my second year and am ready to get rolling. The past year was a struggle for me to find my imagery. I had my subject matter and interests, but it is not always easy to find the right imagery to get the point across. Being in that grey area – where you know your imagery isn’t doing what you want, but can’t figure out which direction to go – is unbelievably frustrating. Unfortunately, when you come in the beginning from scratch, this is usually the process. I basically have thrown away much of what I made during my first year just because it didn’t seem right (another reason I am grateful for a 3rd year). Towards the end of that first year, I began to find a method of image making that both worked for my subject matter and fit with how I work. I really hit my stride the last few weeks of school (poor timing, I know) and have been going strong all summer.

"L-L-L-L-L-L-Lollipop" – New Work

I have so much planned for this year. I have a number of shows and lectures that I am traveling for, I’ve got a book that will be released in the fall, I continue to blog for FOAM Amsterdam, I’ve got a TA position in a Lighting course, and am giddy to continue making work. What I have been making over the summer months has got me thinking about a number of new bodies of work that I will be attempting to work on parallel to my main body.