John Trobaugh
Encyclopedia
John Trobaugh in Lansing
, Michigan
is an American
artist specializing in photography
and based in Birmingham
, Alabama
. Trobaugh received his BFA in 1996 with honors from University of Alabama at Birmingham
and went on to study photography at the School of Visual Arts
. In 2003 he received his Masters in Fine Art from the University of Alabama
in Tuscaloosa
, Alabama
.
His photography has been published in Art Papers
, selected as the cover artist. He has also been published in The Chronicle of Higher Education
, NY Arts Magazine, The Washington Post
and The Advocate
as well as The Birmingham News
and World of Wonder, among many others.
While teaching at Sheldon State in Tuscaloosa Alabama, Trobaugh's work was censored before a planned exhibition. The case has yet to be resolved but gained national attention due to censorship issues. He was forbidden to discuss this censorship as part of his art appreciation class. Trobaugh later resigned his post.
Richard Meyer, Chair of the Art Department at The University of Southern California
in Los Angeles
, California
, spoke about Trobaugh's work at various national conferences about censorship. Trobaugh was also presented in The Smithsonian National Gallery and is the author of several articles including Art Papers
.
for"In This Place". M. K. Matalon organized this exhibition to investigate place and location in relationship to contemporary Southern issues.
Trobaugh's work was selected to be part of Patterns of Nature in Denver, Colorado.
Trobaugh was included in "Politics, Politics: Nine Artists Explore the Political Landscape" curated by Anne Arrasmith
and Peter Prinz of Space One Eleven. This exhibition was funded by the Andy Warhol
Foundation for the Visual Arts and included Pinky Bass
, Clayton Colvin
, Peggy Dobbins, Randy Gachet, binx Newton, Arthur Price, Paul Ware, and Stan Woodard.
Trobaugh was a presenter for Photography in the Digital Age by The Society For Photographic Education South Central Regional Conference, 2003. This meeting took place at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
and Birmingham Museum of Art
in Birmingham
, Alabama
Lansing, Michigan
Lansing is the capital of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is located mostly in Ingham County, although small portions of the city extend into Eaton County. The 2010 Census places the city's population at 114,297, making it the fifth largest city in Michigan...
, Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
artist specializing in photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
and based in Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. Trobaugh received his BFA in 1996 with honors from University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Alabama at Birmingham
The University of Alabama at Birmingham is a public university in Birmingham in the U.S. state of Alabama. Developing from an extension center established in 1936, the institution became an autonomous institution in 1969 and is today one of three institutions in the University of Alabama System...
and went on to study photography at the School of Visual Arts
School of Visual Arts
The School of Visual Arts , is a proprietary art school located in Manhattan, New York City, and is widely considered to be one of the leading art schools in the United States. It was established in 1947 by co-founders Silas H. Rhodes and Burne Hogarth as the Cartoonists and Illustrators School and...
. In 2003 he received his Masters in Fine Art from the University of Alabama
University of Alabama
The University of Alabama is a public coeducational university located in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, United States....
in Tuscaloosa
Tuscaloosa, Alabama
Tuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
.
His photography has been published in Art Papers
Art papers
FileART PAPERS is a non-profit bimonthly magazine about contemporary art. Established in 1977 as the Atlanta Art Workers Coalition Ltd. Newsletter, it is the only critical arts magazine published in the Southeastern United States...
, selected as the cover artist. He has also been published in The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education
The Chronicle of Higher Education is a newspaper and website that presents news, information, and jobs for college and university faculty, staff members and administrators....
, NY Arts Magazine, The Washington Post
The Washington Post
The Washington Post is Washington, D.C.'s largest newspaper and its oldest still-existing paper, founded in 1877. Located in the capital of the United States, The Post has a particular emphasis on national politics. D.C., Maryland, and Virginia editions are printed for daily circulation...
and The Advocate
The Advocate
The Advocate is an American LGBT-interest magazine, printed monthly and available by subscription. The Advocate brand also includes a web site. Both magazine and web site have an editorial focus on news, politics, opinion, and arts and entertainment of interest to LGBT people...
as well as The Birmingham News
The Birmingham News
The Birmingham News is the principal daily newspaper for Birmingham, Alabama, United States, and the largest newspaper in Alabama. The paper is owned by Advance Publications...
and World of Wonder, among many others.
While teaching at Sheldon State in Tuscaloosa Alabama, Trobaugh's work was censored before a planned exhibition. The case has yet to be resolved but gained national attention due to censorship issues. He was forbidden to discuss this censorship as part of his art appreciation class. Trobaugh later resigned his post.
Richard Meyer, Chair of the Art Department at The University of Southern California
University of Southern California
The University of Southern California is a private, not-for-profit, nonsectarian, research university located in Los Angeles, California, United States. USC was founded in 1880, making it California's oldest private research university...
in Los Angeles
Los Angeles, California
Los Angeles , with a population at the 2010 United States Census of 3,792,621, is the most populous city in California, USA and the second most populous in the United States, after New York City. It has an area of , and is located in Southern California...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, spoke about Trobaugh's work at various national conferences about censorship. Trobaugh was also presented in The Smithsonian National Gallery and is the author of several articles including Art Papers
Art papers
FileART PAPERS is a non-profit bimonthly magazine about contemporary art. Established in 1977 as the Atlanta Art Workers Coalition Ltd. Newsletter, it is the only critical arts magazine published in the Southeastern United States...
.
Work
In 2005, Space One Eleven exhibited Trobaugh's work alongside Karen GraffeoKaren Graffeo
Karen Graffeo is an American artist based in Birmingham, Alabama. While specializing in photography, Graffeo is also a choreographer and installation artist. Early in her photography career, she worked as Jerry Uelsmann's assistant and model...
for"In This Place". M. K. Matalon organized this exhibition to investigate place and location in relationship to contemporary Southern issues.
Trobaugh's work was selected to be part of Patterns of Nature in Denver, Colorado.
Trobaugh was included in "Politics, Politics: Nine Artists Explore the Political Landscape" curated by Anne Arrasmith
Anne Arrasmith
Anne Arrasmith is an American artist and curator who lives and works in Birmingham, Alabama. She co-founded and operates along with Peter Prinz the not-for-profit Space One Eleven. Arrasmith was a student of Edith Frohock while at University of Alabama at Birmingham.She and Peter Prinz founded...
and Peter Prinz of Space One Eleven. This exhibition was funded by the Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
Foundation for the Visual Arts and included Pinky Bass
Pinky Bass
Pinky M. M. Bass is an American photographer, known for her work in pinhole photography.Bass, a resident of Fairhope, Alabama, has exhibited at a number of museums including the Ashville Art Museum, Birmingham Museum of Art, Contemporary Arts Museum Houston, the High Museum of Art in Atlanta,...
, Clayton Colvin
Clayton Colvin
Clayton Colvin is an American artist and Curator of Contemporary Art who lives and works in Birmingham, Alabama. He received a BA in Art History from New York University in 1999 and an MA Ed. Art Education from the University of Alabama at Birmingham in 2003...
, Peggy Dobbins, Randy Gachet, binx Newton, Arthur Price, Paul Ware, and Stan Woodard.
Trobaugh was a presenter for Photography in the Digital Age by The Society For Photographic Education South Central Regional Conference, 2003. This meeting took place at the University of Alabama at Birmingham
University of Alabama at Birmingham
The University of Alabama at Birmingham is a public university in Birmingham in the U.S. state of Alabama. Developing from an extension center established in 1936, the institution became an autonomous institution in 1969 and is today one of three institutions in the University of Alabama System...
and Birmingham Museum of Art
Birmingham Museum of Art
Founded in 1951, the Birmingham Museum of Art in Birmingham, Alabama today has one of the finest collections in the Southeast US, with more than 24,000 paintings, sculptures, prints, drawings, and decorative arts representing a numerous diverse cultures, including Asian, European, American,...
in Birmingham
Birmingham, Alabama
Birmingham is the largest city in Alabama. The city is the county seat of Jefferson County. According to the 2010 United States Census, Birmingham had a population of 212,237. The Birmingham-Hoover Metropolitan Area, in estimate by the U.S...
, Alabama
Alabama
Alabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
Books
- In Potentially Harmful: The Art of American Censorship, Trobaugh's work was shown alongside Dread Scott, Robert MapplethorpeRobert MapplethorpeRobert Mapplethorpe was an American photographer, known for his large-scale, highly stylized black and white portraits, photos of flowers and nude men...
, Sue CoeSue CoeSue Coe is an English artist and illustrator working primarily in drawing and printmaking, often in the form of illustrated books and comics. She grew up close to a slaughterhouse and developed a passion to stop cruelty to animals. Coe studied at the Royal College of Art in London, lived in New...
, Lynda BenglisLynda BenglisLynda Benglis is an American sculptor known for her wax paintings and poured latex sculptures. After earning a BFA from Newcomb College in 1964, Benglis moved to New York, where she lives and works today...
, Andres SerranoAndres SerranoAndres Serrano is an American photographer and artist who has become notorious through his photos of corpses and his use of feces and bodily fluids in his work, notably his controversial work "Piss Christ", a red-tinged photograph of a crucifix submerged in a glass container of what was purported...
, Karen FinleyKaren FinleyKaren Finley is an American performance artist, whose theatrical pieces and recordings have often been labelled "obscene" due to their graphic depictions of sexuality, abuse, and disenfranchisement...
, Alma Lopez, John Jota Leaos, Benita Carr, Anita Steckel, Renee CoxRenée CoxRenée Cox is an Jamaican-American artist, photographer, political activist and curator. Cox currently lives and works out of New York.-Early years:...
, Gayla Lemke, Marilyn Zimmerman, John SimsJohn SimsJohn Sims was an English physician and taxonomist who classified various species of plants.-Life:He was born in Canterbury, Kent, the son of a physician, R. C...
, The Critical Art Ensemble, Eric FischlEric FischlEric Fischl is an American painter, sculptor and printmaker.-Early life:Fischl was born in New York City and grew up on suburban Long Island; his family moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1967...
, Tom Forsythe, Nancy Worthington, David Avalos, Scott Kessler, Louis Hock and Elizabeth Sisco. This project was funded by a major grant from The Andy WarholAndy WarholAndrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
Foundation for the Visual Arts with considerable local support from the Atlanta Bureau of Cultural Affairs, and the Georgia State UniversityGeorgia State UniversityGeorgia State University is a research university in downtown Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Founded in 1913, it serves about 30,000 students and is one of the University System of Georgia's four research universities...
College of Arts and Sciences Visiting Artists and Scholars Fund, the College of Law, the Ethics Center, Women's StudiesWomen's studiesWomen's studies, also known as feminist studies, is an interdisciplinary academic field which explores politics, society and history from an intersectional, multicultural women's perspective...
, African American StudiesAfrican American studiesAfrican American studies is a subset of Black studies or Africana studies. It is an interdisciplinary academic field devoted to the study of the history, culture, and politics of African Americans...
, the Department of Communications and additional private donors.
Quotes
- Photographs by John Trobaugh were removed from display for “inappropriate” content at an exhibition at Shelton State Community College in TuscaloosaTuscaloosa, AlabamaTuscaloosa is a city in and the seat of Tuscaloosa County in west central Alabama . Located on the Black Warrior River, it is the fifth-largest city in Alabama, with a population of 90,468 in 2010...
, AlabamaAlabamaAlabama is a state located in the southeastern region of the United States. It is bordered by Tennessee to the north, Georgia to the east, Florida and the Gulf of Mexico to the south, and Mississippi to the west. Alabama ranks 30th in total land area and ranks second in the size of its inland...
. The photographs portray KenKen CarsonKen is a Mattel toy doll introduced by Mattel in 1961 as the fictional boyfriend of toy doll Barbie introduced in 1959. Similar to his female counterpart, Ken had a fantastically fashionable line of clothing and accessories. In the Barbie mythos, Ken and Barbie met on the set of a TV commercial in...
and G.I. JoeG.I. JoeG.I. Joe is a line of action figures produced by the toy company Hasbro. The initial product offering represented four of the branches of the U.S. armed forces with the Action Soldier , Action Sailor , Action Pilot , Action Marine and later on, the Action Nurse...
posed in romantic (though not sexually explicit) couplings. this decision involved the National Coalition Against CensorshipNational Coalition Against CensorshipThe National Coalition Against Censorship , founded in 1974, is an alliance of 50 national non-profit organizations, including literary, artistic, religious, educational, professional, labor, and civil liberties groups...
. -Queer Caucus for Art - The censoring of my work from this faculty exhibition served to illustrate this point because administrators “loved” the images, yet the president of the college removed the whole series. People ask why would I want to show my work in the South anyway? I was raised here, the fantasy world was created here, and the images are made or based in the South. Why shouldn’t the South see what the South created? -John Trobaugh
- His most recent series, called Double Duty, are photographs using the 12" dolls to make social commentary," the text says. "Trobaugh's photographs uncannily portray human likeness and gesture." True. In fact, for a second, we thought someone had found and posted photos we took in the '70s. Just for a second. -Stephen Saban of The WOW Report
- Actually I like Trobaugh's photos more than David Leventhal. Nothing is more subjective than art and nothing is more common in art than homoeroticism. -Stephen Smith, Birmingham Free Press, 2004
External links
- Trobaugh's Official website
- National Coalition Against Censorship Winter 2002-2003 Example of Trobaugh's work
- SITO Examples of Trobaugh's work
- After the Culture Wars Richard Meyer, Art PapersArt papersFileART PAPERS is a non-profit bimonthly magazine about contemporary art. Established in 1977 as the Atlanta Art Workers Coalition Ltd. Newsletter, it is the only critical arts magazine published in the Southeastern United States...
This became a 150 page catalog documenting the exhibition in 2006 - Trobaugh Photos Banned in Alabama Stephen Smith, Birmingham Free Press 2004