ISSUED: 20 October 2025
MEDIA CONTACT: Hans Fogle
SHEPHERDSTOWN, WV — Shepherd University’s Department of Contemporary Art, Communication, and Theater will welcome Anne Eder, an interdisciplinary artist and educator, for a day of events exploring sustainable and experimental approaches to photography.
Eder will lead a hands-on demonstration of the Anthotype process—a cameraless, plant-based photographic printing method—on Monday, November 3, at 10 a.m. in the Center for Contemporary Arts I, Room 109. She will also present a lecture titled The Alchemy of Imperfection: Sustainable Practices, the Art of Frustration, and Failing Forward at 3:15 p.m. in the Center for Contemporary Arts II, Room G03. Both events are free and open to the public.
The morning’s Anthotype demonstration will introduce participants to an organic, plant-based, and sustainable process that uses photosensitive emulsions made from flowers, berries, and other plant matter. Prints produced in this method are uniquely colored by the plants used and celebrate the natural world’s beauty and impermanence.
The The Alchemy of Imperfection lecture will explore how sustainability, experimentation, and creative resilience intersect in the arts. Eder will share how embracing unpredictability and frustration can lead to greater discovery and artistic growth.
Eder merges science, history, and contemporary conceptual thinking into her work and is recognized internationally for her research into sustainable photographic chemistry and innovative image-making techniques. She teaches at Princeton University, Harvard University, the Penumbra Foundation (NYC), and the Griffin Museum of Photography, among others. Her creative philosophy centers on accessibility and community engagement through public art.
For more information about Shepherd University’s Department of Contemporary Art, Communication, and Theater, visit https://www.shepherd.edu/cact.
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