HomeArtArt Galleries › Arizona photographer showcases “Pow Wow Portraits” at ASU Gammage
 
 
 

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A new exhibit of fine art photography by acclaimed photographer Tim H. Murphy will open on February 1 at ASU Gammage Theater in Tempe. The artist will feature powerful photographs that he has taken at Native American Indian Pow Wow presentations across the state. Titled Pow Wow Portraits, Murphy’s works include close-up images of dancer’s faces that reveal the cultural tradition of celebrating life through dance.

Murphy attended his first Pow Wow in 2016 and was immediately captivated. He said it was a feast for the senses thanks to the scores of American Indians in colorful dance outfits with painted faces, the thundering beat of drums, and air laced with the buttery smell of fry bread.

“As a photographer, I was in heaven. The scene was so exotic, so festive. So many dancers, young and old, male and female, all dressed in regalia, the likes of which I had never seen,” he said. Over the course of the 24 Pow Wows he’s photographed, he developed a specific style. “I gravitated to shooting close-ups of the dancers’ faces. I was inspired to capture and display the beauty, grace, pride, and power of the American Indians participating in the Pow Wows.”

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Murphy has been a professional photographer for the past 11 years and has traveled extensively across the American Southwest and Ireland, capturing unique and powerful images. 

He’s published nine photography books: Pow Wow Dancers, Three Summers in Ireland, Arizona Through My Lens, Chicago, Pow Wow Portraits, Irish Churches, Nite Lites, Irish Landscapes and Taliesin West. His photography has been used by businesses in Ireland and Arizona.He’s taught photography classes, delivered travel and photography lectures at senior and civic centers and has donated artwork and raised funds for fifteen different charities and foundations.

Throughout the past year his work has been featured in publications such as Arizona Highways in Arizona and the Irish Echo in New York City.

As a member of the Arizona Photography Alliance and Artists in Arizona, Murphy regularly exhibits his work around the Valley and has received national recognition for his photography.

“I go to great lengths to create compelling and unique images. I have navigated castle towers, lighthouses, and centuries-old abbeys. I’ve risen in the wee hours to photograph the moon and even chartered a fishing boat to snap a unique Irish castle, all while bobbing about in the North Atlantic Ocean,” Murphy said.

Attendees will have an opportunity to meet with Murphy at the Artist Open House on February 6 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. and can find complimentary tickets to the event at the box office. Learn more at timhmurphy.com.