By Gwen Frost
Name: Garth Amundson
Position: Professor of Interdisciplinary Arts – Photography
Education background: Country Western University in Ellensburg, Washington. Graduate work at Syracuse University in upstate New York.
Hometown: Sunnyside, Washington, and I grew up in Bend, Oregon, and then moved to Yakima much later. I have not lived in Yakima since high school, and got out as much and as quickly as possible. Not exactly a gay-friendly location. So, me and my gay friends escaped to New York, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, wherever.
Classes you are teaching this quarter: Intro Black and White Photography, and I contribute to the foundations program by teaching Drawing 110 occasionally. It’s been a lot of fun to teach the drawing class this quarter, and the students are very dynamic and engaging.
Claim to fame: I collaborate with my partner Pierre Gour, and it was the residency we had through the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center in the middle of Lake Como, Italy in 2014. The residency was dedicated to themes surrounding immigration politics and borders. We were there with scholars, thinkers, artists, writers and politicians from around the world. Our neighbor and breakfast partner nearly every morning was Bruce Babbit, former secretary of the interior. We also met Dinh Q. Lê, an international artist who we brought to Western in 2016. In fact, former fellows have included U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and countless other international scholars. Yes, we were both very honored to have been selected for the residency.
During our residency, we continued our research regarding same-sex binational couples. Until the defense of marriage act was overturned in 2013, same-sex binational couples were not recognized by the U.S. our research included interviewing same-sex couples who had lived apart or set up “fake households” with opposite-sex partners in order to stay in the country. is was a common practice for countless same-sex binational couples. While we were at Bellagio, we set up skype dates and conducted interviews. We continue gathering data and interviewing.
Position: Professor of Interdisciplinary Arts – Photography
Education background: Country Western University in Ellensburg, Washington. Graduate work at Syracuse University in upstate New York.
Hometown: Sunnyside, Washington, and I grew up in Bend, Oregon, and then moved to Yakima much later. I have not lived in Yakima since high school, and got out as much and as quickly as possible. Not exactly a gay-friendly location. So, me and my gay friends escaped to New York, Seattle, Toronto, Vancouver, wherever.
Classes you are teaching this quarter: Intro Black and White Photography, and I contribute to the foundations program by teaching Drawing 110 occasionally. It’s been a lot of fun to teach the drawing class this quarter, and the students are very dynamic and engaging.
Claim to fame: I collaborate with my partner Pierre Gour, and it was the residency we had through the Rockefeller Foundation Bellagio Center in the middle of Lake Como, Italy in 2014. The residency was dedicated to themes surrounding immigration politics and borders. We were there with scholars, thinkers, artists, writers and politicians from around the world. Our neighbor and breakfast partner nearly every morning was Bruce Babbit, former secretary of the interior. We also met Dinh Q. Lê, an international artist who we brought to Western in 2016. In fact, former fellows have included U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and countless other international scholars. Yes, we were both very honored to have been selected for the residency.
During our residency, we continued our research regarding same-sex binational couples. Until the defense of marriage act was overturned in 2013, same-sex binational couples were not recognized by the U.S. our research included interviewing same-sex couples who had lived apart or set up “fake households” with opposite-sex partners in order to stay in the country. is was a common practice for countless same-sex binational couples. While we were at Bellagio, we set up skype dates and conducted interviews. We continue gathering data and interviewing.
Questions:
What did you want to be when you grew up (as a kid)?
I was really into architecture. Forest ranger or architect. I did neither, obviously; I was surrounded by biologists and artists.
What would you sing at a karaoke night?
“You Spin Me Round” by Dead or Alive. I met Pierre in 1986, during a six-month residency at the Ban Centre, in the Canadian rockies. I had a scholarship from the Dupont Foundation. We produced collaborative work during the residency, we went cross country skiing on the weekends. As part of the residency, we also went to D.C., Philadelphia and New York City—based on that experience (in N.Y.), we have designed a course here at Western, entitled Metro Art Access: NYC. It’s been running for four years, and we look forward to an exciting 2018 course. For more information: https://met- roartaccess.wordpress.com/welcome/
What are you reading right now/ most recently?
Yesterday morning I was reading Toni Morrison’s new little book entitled e Origin of Others.
Aside from necessities, what are three things you could not go a day without?
I’m so pedestrian. Coffee, coffee and coffee. That’s so Northwest.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve done in the name of love?
I think moving to Canada in the middle of the night, to Vancouver. Pierre was there and I was in Seattle, so I quit my job and moved to Canada. I le a really great job, and le with no prospect of another job. Luckily it worked out, but I wouldn’t recommend it. We’ve been together for 32 years…
If you could join any past or current music group which would you want to join? Why?
Like a jazz band. I love Miles Davis, or Harry James, like a big band. at’d be really fun, or some techno thing… the Norwegian one, I can’t remember what it’s called. It’s in our car.
Does art imitate life or does life imitate art?
Both. Constantly. Are you kidding? We’ve just survived one year of this crazy election, you don’t think life imitates every bad HBO series? I think Net ix is writing the script for DC. The parallel… don’t you think? As in our collaborative practice, we use our own lived experience as a point of departure for our work. Both Pierre and I insist on the idea that art can reflect and motivate social change.
What did you want to be when you grew up (as a kid)?
I was really into architecture. Forest ranger or architect. I did neither, obviously; I was surrounded by biologists and artists.
What would you sing at a karaoke night?
“You Spin Me Round” by Dead or Alive. I met Pierre in 1986, during a six-month residency at the Ban Centre, in the Canadian rockies. I had a scholarship from the Dupont Foundation. We produced collaborative work during the residency, we went cross country skiing on the weekends. As part of the residency, we also went to D.C., Philadelphia and New York City—based on that experience (in N.Y.), we have designed a course here at Western, entitled Metro Art Access: NYC. It’s been running for four years, and we look forward to an exciting 2018 course. For more information: https://met- roartaccess.wordpress.com/welcome/
What are you reading right now/ most recently?
Yesterday morning I was reading Toni Morrison’s new little book entitled e Origin of Others.
Aside from necessities, what are three things you could not go a day without?
I’m so pedestrian. Coffee, coffee and coffee. That’s so Northwest.
What’s the craziest thing you’ve done in the name of love?
I think moving to Canada in the middle of the night, to Vancouver. Pierre was there and I was in Seattle, so I quit my job and moved to Canada. I le a really great job, and le with no prospect of another job. Luckily it worked out, but I wouldn’t recommend it. We’ve been together for 32 years…
If you could join any past or current music group which would you want to join? Why?
Like a jazz band. I love Miles Davis, or Harry James, like a big band. at’d be really fun, or some techno thing… the Norwegian one, I can’t remember what it’s called. It’s in our car.
Does art imitate life or does life imitate art?
Both. Constantly. Are you kidding? We’ve just survived one year of this crazy election, you don’t think life imitates every bad HBO series? I think Net ix is writing the script for DC. The parallel… don’t you think? As in our collaborative practice, we use our own lived experience as a point of departure for our work. Both Pierre and I insist on the idea that art can reflect and motivate social change.