 "Photo: Gordan Huang")
Fiat Lux, Latin for "let there be light," is the motto for the University of California. In 1963, Ansel Adams, renowned American photographer and environmentalist, was commissioned by then UC President, Clark Kerr, for a project commemorating the University of California's centennial celebration. Adams made a career out of taking stunning pictures of nature, focusing on the American West, and creating pieces that soon turned into classics. But the $75,000 project proved that his superb talent extended beyond forests and waterfalls and he was able to capture beauty in concrete and brick.
The California Museum of Photography, located on University Avenue and Main Street in downtown Riverside, features these photographs in a collection appropriately titled "Fiat Lux." The photographs feature the beautiful architecture and landscapes of the nine University of California campuses that existed at the time. All the prints were developed lighter and with less contrast than Adams himself would have made for exhibition. All done in gelatin silver, the dominant printing process for black-and-white photos, the prints feature dramatic shots of UC Berkeley, UCLA, UC San Francisco, UC Davis, UCSD, UC Santa Barbara, UC Santa Cruz, UC Irvine, and, of course, our very own UC Riverside.
Included in the photos taken of UC Riverside are several shots of the UCR Carillon Bell Tower from different angles, such as from behind trees or a patch of long grass. There is an especially spectacular panoramic shot of the entire campus as it was in December of 1966 called "Class Change from Humanities Building Looking North." It is a view of UCR's campus from just past the steps leading up to Olmsted Hall. The photo gives students and art enthusiasts a look into UCR's past and allows us to see how much the campus has changed since the 1960s.
Some of his pieces also allow us to see parts of UCR that no longer exist. A piece called "Details of Student Union Fireplace," taken in December of 1966, features a large, ceiling-to-floor, brick fireplace that is no longer part of our campus. This wonderful piece of architecture was lost when the old Student Commons was demolished in 2005 to make way for what we now call the Highlander Union Building. And although the new space is much more functional for our 21st century needs, it is a shame that we have lost such an artful piece. At the very least, it has been preserved through art.
But despite what has been lost, there are still parts of campus featured in the collection that are still around today. Two pieces in Adams' collection are of the Humanities building and Rivera library arches. Within these already beautiful architectural accents, he added an edge, taking his shots at angles, forming geometric patterns out of the existing and unmoving pieces. One piece in particular, "Arches Humanities Building," was a true testament to the man's artistic eye. It also shows his incredible ability to find the art hidden within pieces that we simply walk past everyday.
Ansel Adams' renowned talent brought beauty to these structures that we, as students, trudge past everyday. We hardly give a second's thought to these buildings as we sit in our classes, furiously writing notes and anxiously counting down the minutes to graduation. But Adams found away to make them aesthetically pleasing.
These pictures, which never would have made it into a mainstream art gallery right next to fine, neo-classical paintings prior to 1960, now have an entire floor to themselves in a museum dedicated solely to Ansel Adams' continually growing art form that is photography.
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