When you look at where you’re standing in the moment, you do not typically picture what could have been in the same place thousands of years ago, but that’s exactly what Marshall’s most recent art exhibit hopes to achieve. 

“Vanishing Points,” a photography exhibit and collection by artist Michael Sherwin, is a series that highlights forgotten indigenous sites, important archaeological/historical sites as well as modern settings to bridge the past with the present.

Michael Sherwin, an Associate Professor of Art at West Virginia University, said that his appreciation for the mysticism and importance of placement, presence and land started with his childhood.   

“If I look back on my childhood, it really makes sense,” Sherwin said. “It was really defined by adventure, which was largely influenced by my very energetic, restless father who would take us on road trips when we were younger. That’s when I really fell in love with travel, adventure and the Mid-West.” 

Sherwin said that his adventures taken during the early years of his adulthood led him to take an interest in spirituality, especially the teachings of eastern religion and indigenous philosophy.   

Sherwin also said that even still, he wasn’t inspired to start Vanishing Points until he had discovered protests about a shopping center being built upon an indigenous burial site in Morgantown. His first image of the series is one that overlooks the shopping center. 

“So, I started doing some extensive research,” Sherwin said. “studying maps from the 1800s, meeting with historians, scholars, and archaeologists.” 

Sherwin said that after doing such extensive research, he couldn’t help but feel like these places had long since been forgotten, and he began to follow the trail left behind, capturing images along the way.

This exhibit features various multimedia elements as well as a dozen photographs taken and developed from film camera footage. 

Gallery Director and Facilities Coordinator, Jamie Platt, said that Sherwin’s emphasis on consciousness goes beyond the photograph itself and extends to the process as well. 

“It’s not something people do now because digital technology makes it easier,” Platt said. “But there’s a real gravity to the way the images look because of the way they are processed that you don’t get any other way. Even if you have no idea what the difference could be, I feel you can see that there’s something really special about them.” 

Platt said that because this is a one-of-a-kind exhibit, she hopes that people will come out to see it and experience what Sherwin expresses in his photos. 

Anyone is welcome to view Vanishing Points at the Charles W. and Norma C. Carroll Gallery at Marshall’s VAC building until Friday, March 12. Viewings can be arranged during open hours or via appointment.

Miranda Valles can be contacted at [email protected].