By Levi McGarry, College of Arts and Sciences
Keegan Baatz, a 2025 Publicly Engaged Fellow (PEF) and a master’s of fine art candidate in the Department of Art, debuted the summer workshop series “Slow Light,” a series of photographic classes managed in collaboration with the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art WSU (JSMA). The workshops engage community members in analog photography and interactive image creation.
“As a Publicly Engaged Fellow, I’m excited to merge my studio practice with accessible, community-based art experiences, encouraging people to slow down, observe more closely, and connect through creative storytelling rooted in place,” said Baatz.
The “Slow Light” series examines analog photography, including a historical retrospective of the works of Fran Ho, a Palouse photographer, and class creations of cyanotypes and pinhole cameras.
“The cyanotype is the first photographic process that doesn’t use a camera,” said Baatz, who led participants through the placement of objects on light-sensitive paper that was then exposed to UV light. A final workshop in August will focus on creating pinhole cameras, after which participants will craft photographs on their own and can have them displayed during the Slow Light Pop-up Exhibition, planned for the first week of the fall semester.
The workshop series is being held in the JSMA’s Museum Education Center, which regularly hosts programs, tours, and classes as part of its mission to inspire, engage and educate audiences through art.
“I really wanted to connect with people in the community and show them what is capable through the Jordan Schnitzer Museum of Art WSU, and especially through the Museum Education Center,” said Baatz. “The Museum and the collections are such a valuable asset, and it is here in this community, and is for this community.”
The Pollart Center for Arts and Humanities (Center) believes that the arts and humanities are vital to the health and vitality not only of our institution but also our society. The Center seeks to support any student — undergraduate or graduate — who pursues introductory or advanced experiences in the arts and humanities and engages those disciplines in dedicated work with the public.
Each year, the Center partners with the Washington State University Graduate School to host the Publicly Engaged Fellows program for graduate students. Created with funding from a National Endowment for the Humanities NextGen grant, the Publicly Engaged Fellows program supports students by providing the training necessary to work equitably with community partners and develop an independent summer project of engaged scholarship.
Learn more about the Center.