Bragging Rights 2007-08:

Carol Golemboski

More than a Pretty Picture, a Story

Carol Golemboski’s photographs go beyond the visual, reaching into the emotions, the struggles and the very essence of their subjects. Golemboski, assistant professor in the College of Arts & Media, inspires viewers to use a sixth sense to envision the simple, sweet or sordid stories of the objects she photographs. In her upcoming exhibition, Golemboski references psychometry, the psychic ability to divine the history of objects through physical contact. “It’s sort of like the pseudo science of object reading,” she explains. “Kind of like fortune telling in reverse.”

Golemboski shoots objects as metaphors for various psychological and emotional states. “I photograph an old object in a way that could suggest something about its past,” she says. “The viewer is actually reading the object in a way similar to the way a psychic, say, found a key in the street and is able to tell the history of that object.” Processing her images using photomontage and historic printing methods makes the photos themselves look dated, giving the feel that they’re from the time of the objects themselves. “I’ve been working on the broader Psychometry project for the past 10 years,” Golemboski explains. “I’ve been exploring different photographic techniques—some processes that are 100 years old.”

A faculty development grant facilitated by the Center for Faculty Development is helping Golemboski continue creating new work for her ongoing series, which is to slated to debut in March at the Sandy Carson Gallery in Denver. The exhibit coincides with the 2008 National Conference of the Society for Photographic Education.

“This conference brings together photographic educators, curators, publishers, gallery directors and students in one location on an annual basis,” she says. “The faculty development grant will enable me to advance my creative research, enhance my work’s visibility in the local community and highlight the work as part of this important national conference.”

Golemboski also plans to exhibit Psychometry in Los Angeles, Santa Fe, Houston and Richmond, Va. Much of the benefit, however, comes closer to home. “This creative work relates directly to techniques that I teach as part of the photography curriculum,” she says. “Sharing my research sets an example to students of the kind of intense exploration one must undertake to develop a unique and personal style.

Photo above of Carol Golemboski: Clinton T. Sander, photographer and alumnus of UC Denver.