[media-credit id=7 align=”alignright” width=”300″][/media-credit]The art gallery in the Shepherd Union Building now features the artwork of Jose Joao Name, a photographer from Sao Paulo, Brazil.

The display, entitled The Unrevealed City: Street Photography in New York and Paris has been in the art gallery since March 2. The gallery hosted an opening reception where students and locals were invited to meet Name.

Name was born in 1952 in Sao Paulo. He has a graduate degree in medicine and a master’s degree in anthropology. Name is currently attending Pontifica Universidade Catolica de Sao Paulo (Catholic University of Sao Paulo), where he is working toward his doctorate in the department of social science.

The artwork features street photography from New York and Paris. The photographs, taken between 2002 and 2011, are all monochrome and feature the people and landmarks of the cityscapes.

The art collection features three different themes from the two cities. The first theme is “Archetypal Flaneur,” featuring photos taken in Paris. Flaneur, Name said, is defined as “the aura, the involuntary memory, the optical unconscious and images related to them.”

The other two, “Experiencing the Unexpected” and “The Soul of Metropolis,” both feature unique elements of New York City.

Gallery coordinator Nikki Nicholas said the gallery has worked for about four years with Name to get his artwork in the gallery. Nicholas said the process of getting an artist’s work into the gallery takes some work. Artists must fill out a request form, provide samples of their work and be approved by the gallery board.

“We ask that if people are interested in having their work being considered that they submit a proposal,” Nicholas said. “They submit a proposal with samples of their work. So, while we love ideas, it becomes difficult to just choose a display off of a concept, so we want to see examples of the work.”

Nicholas said she and the board ask that artists get their proposals in a year in advance.

“I try to book everything a year in advance, so right now I am working on finishing up the schedule for the 2013 school year,” Nicholas said. “I don’t want people to think they shouldn’t submit. Please submit, because we worked four years to get this one in. Sometimes things happens and a display gets canceled, and if somebody has brought an idea to our attention that we can get in there, then we can.”

Nicholas said she encourages artists to think outside of the box when they want to use the gallery space. She said not every piece of art needs to be something that is hung on a wall.

“One thing I’m really committed to is that, if a display has a tie to Weber State, we’re really open to it,” Nicholas said. “I think when people think of a gallery, they automatically think of a painting on a wall.”

Earlier this semester, the gallery featured automotive artwork created by students in the automotive department. The gallery has also been used for things such as art auctions.

“I always encourage other academic areas coming in and putting in a proposal for a display space,” Nicholas said. “It doesn’t just have to be art you hang on a wall. I hate to give examples, because I want people to think outside the box.”

Those interested in contacting Name about his artwork or to purchase any photograph can e-mail him at [email protected].