University of California Berkeley - Blue and Gold Yearbook (Berkeley, CA)

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ippropriate elements in tlu ' composition ami lontenl of the iubjects. I use 35mm and nu-dium format cameras and film, and ' ve been using digital imaging and hardware recently as a way of Droadening my options to produce and show my work. H: Some find it surprising that your photography classes are affiliated with the Architecture Department rather than the Practice of Art Department. Can you explain why Berkeley ' s visual studies department is grouped with the architecture department? How does photography help develop an architect ' s vision? LW: Photography classes are affiliated with the Architecture Department because many years ago the Practice of Art Department decided that they didn ' t want to offer photography because it wasn ' t, at that time and in the minds of the faculty [who made the decisions] , considered an art form. This was just prior to the photo boom in fine arts and it was decided that photography would be offered as part of the Design Program that was in the College of Environmental Design. When the Design program was fazed out in the 70 ' s, photography continued under the auspices of the Architecture Department where it has continued ever since. The majorit) ' of the students in the photo classes are from the College of Environmental Design and they find the class valuable as a creative experience that challenges their visual problem solving skills as well as gives them a tool to use both professionally and artistically. There are a good number of former students who are working as photographers and in related professions which is amazing, considering that there are only limited class offerings and no undergraduate major at this time. CH: Do you feel that UC Berkeley is a supportive environment for the arts and that the arts community (if there is one) is lively and ' promotes creativity? If not, do you find the Bay Area to be a I supportive environment for the arts and for artists? LW: The answer to that question is both yes and no. There has been a history of hostility to the arts in some segments of the university administration. There were plans to faze out Art Practice, Dance, and Photography. Due to student and community pressures, those efforts have been thwarted, at least temporarily. There are many I students at Berkeley from a wide variety of disciplines who are very interested in the arts and in participating in creative activities. The ASUC art studio has many well attended classes and my Visual Studies classes always have a large number of students attempting to enroll. The sold-out programs in dance, music, and drama on campus show the strong interest and support in the campus commimity and the very strong Bay Area arts community is a resource that feeds as well as benefits from the participation of the Berkeley community. ■ Interview conducted by Cynthia Houng Features Joe, Garvey Park. West Oakland, 1 993 34th Street, West O.iM.i ' id, 1997 2 9

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John ' s Island, South Carolina, 1995 ;inSJ. Lewis Watts has taught photography at Berkeley since 1 978, although his association with Berkeley dates much further, to his undergraduate years. Watts received both his B.A. (in political science) and his M.A. (in photography and design) from UC Berkeley. I lis photographic interests have led him to photograph the lives of African Americans in the Oakland area, and led him to the heart of the Deep South, capturing those moments of elegance that too often slip by unobserved. In his introduction to the catalog for Watts ' latest exhibition, Jeffrey Hoone writes, There are many journeys in Leuis Watts ' photographs and if we pay close attention it seems that each image can inove us through a continuous cycle of inemory, ritual, and renewal. Cynthia Houng: Beginning with the very basics, how did you first become interested in photography? Why choose the camera over any other medium? Lewis Watts: I became interested in photography when I was a graduate student in Architecture and 1 simultaneously took a photo class and had a work study job in the photo lab of the University Art Museum. I was drawn to photography because it included elements of film and painting which i had had some interest in eadier in my life. CH: Do you consider your photography to contain more of an artistic aspect or a documentary aspect? LW: I would say that my work has a combination of fine arts (]ualities in a documentary form. i ' Al: Do you prefer to work with a certain type c f subject matter? What have been some major themes of your work? LW: I am interested in cultural landscape which explores issues of history, culture, and contemporary life as louiul in liic cm iionincius ol ilic piiiccs I ,)hotograph. I also photograph ilic pcdplc wiio inluihit Capturing the neighborhoods and rural areas that 1 have been working in. CH:You pursued a B.A. in political science before committing yourself to photography. Do you feel that your background in political science changes the way you approach your subject matter? LW: 1 am sure that my backgroiuid and interest in political science and history has informed much of my photographic work. I have used visual means to explore and express places, people and experience that 1 was interested in for a much longer period than I have been a photographer. CH: How do you go about choosing and setting up a shot? What kind of equipment do you use? LW: 1 usually react to situations, rather then working in a totally calculating way. 1 don ' t work randomly as I have worked over extended periods of time in West Oakland, other urban areas, and in the rural south, and 1 am tuned into certain kinds of visual and cultural clues. 1 do try to stay open to many unexpected situations and 1 try to frame my images in ways that incluilc aiui exclude the Richmond, California, 1996 m

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ni 4 f . -. - ® Facility of Speech 1 999 Mixed media on canvas. 108 x 84 inches Solomon ' s Seal. Nabenus 1993 Ink and Shellack, on Paper on canvas 9x9 inches 3 Martin Luther King Way. West Oakland, 1993