El Paso Community College's (EPCC) Art Discipline has rolled out a new exhibit that's a snapshot of history, literally. The Time Capsule display, showcased in the Valle Verde AST Building Foyer, takes onlookers on a journey through the evolution of photography. Titled "Photography: From Box to Phone Cameras," the exhibit lines up original cameras from the 1900s beside today's ubiquitous cell phones, illustrating the technological leaps of the medium. Open to the public and EPCC students, Miller tells EPCC News, "The theme of photography is one that many people are invested in and it was important to the committee that we use the Time Capsule Showcase as an educational venue for our college community."
Alongside relics of shutterbug history, the exhibit serves as a timeline of camera tech. Brack Morrow, EPCC’s Associate Professor of Art, emphasized the significance of this progression. Having almost a 200-year lineage, he noted to EPCC News, “I hope that this new time capsule exhibition helps students and the public better understand photography's history by showing photography is not just about capturing images, but about telling stories, preserving memories, and expressing identity.” The display aims to inspire a connection through the lens of those who clicked the shutter before us, enhancing empathy and creative appreciation for both the mundane and the monumental.
In a nod to Earth Day and in line with the Time Capsule Showcase, the committee recently ran a sun print photography workshop. Here, using only the power of the sun and their creativity, participants from EPCC's student body and the local community were given the chance to make their own cyanotypes on the Transmountain Campus, diving hands-on into the heritage of image-making.
The Time Capsule itself, no stranger to change, has entertained various themes since its creation in 2019. Celebrating EPCC's 50th anniversary, the vault, its contents kept under wraps, includes college items ranging from financial records, music, to teaching artifacts and notes for future EPCC stakeholders. Lisa Miller, one of the custodians of the Time Capsule, alongside Morrow and others, oversee the project, which will come full circle at EPCC's 75th anniversary in 2044.
