Bio:

Inspired by visual wonders in cinematography and still photography, the 1968 LACMA Exhibition “Dada and Surrealism”, and especially the instruction of Jerry McMillan, Steve migrated from philosophy and film studies at U.C.L.A, to still photography.

Weaving history, philosophy, and the natural world with artmaking, Steve Dzerigian adopted photography as his primary investigative and contemplative tool. The activities of photography and teaching it became his life’s work. He instructed field workshops for the University of California, Santa Cruz Extension from 1977 through 2007. For the Ansel Adams Gallery Photography Workshop in Yosemite, from 1984 to 1990, he was an assistant instructor and served as director one of those years. In 2002, he was co-coordinator for the “Ansel Adams Centennial Symposium in Yosemite, Edges and Intersections: The Evolution of Change”. Devoted to facilitating art and education in Central California for more than forty-five years, he has served as curator, juror, and consultant for many exhibitions, competitions, and media events, in addition to teaching photography full-time at Fresno City College.

In 1980, he expanded the idea of a local gallery devoted to photography by gathering the charter members who created Spectrum Art Gallery, one of the longest running, non-profit, cooperatives of its type in the country. In addition, he was one of the founding members of noted cooperative, interdisciplinary art gallery, Corridor 2122.

As well as represented in many public and private collections, Steve Dzerigian’s works have been exhibited in many one-person and group exhibitions in Museums and Galleries throughout the United States such as the Chautauqua Art Association Gallery, N.Y.; Central Washington University; Light Impressions Gallery, Rochester, N.Y.; The University of Oregon Museum of Art, Eugene, Ore.; Fresno Metropolitan Museum; Spectrum Art Gallery, Fresno, Ca.; Corridor 2122 Gallery, Fresno Ca.; The Ansel Adams Gallery, Yosemite, Monterrey, & Mumm Napa Valley; the U.C. Center; and the Nikon House, New York City; The Ansel Adams Gallery at the Highlands Inn, Carmel; the de Saisset Gallery of Santa Clara University; the Ellipse Leon S. Peters Ellipse Gallery in the Fresno State Library, Ca.; plus three Solo shows at the Fresno Art Museum. In addition, his work has been seen in the publications “Black & White” Magazine, “LensWork Quarterly”, “Color” Magazine, “Focus” Magazine, “Photography” by London, Stone, & Upton, and “Exploring Color Photography” by Robert Hirsch, and “Artistry Unleashed” by Hilary Austen. In 2018, The Press at California State University, Fresno published his book, Trail of Stones: My Path in Photography.