St. Edward's University Photocommunications Professor Travels to Angers, France to Create Photo Documentary

Austin, TX (May 29, 2008) — Joseph Vitone, professor of Photocommunications at St. Edward's University in Austin, Texas, will begin a photo documentary in Angers, France and surrounding areas with a focus on the people and places that exemplify traditional as well as contemporary French culture. Vitone's six-week visit to France will begin on June 1, 2008.
St. Edward's University is one of only two American universities to establish a branch campus in France. Students can learn more at the new campus in Angers at www.stedwards.fr

Vitone's artistic production consists of portraits, landscapes, and street scenes that record relationships between people as well as the connection of person to place and society. His photo documentary work has been internationally exhibited and is held in a number of significant collections including the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of American History. Vitone has been a Fulbright Scholar in fine art and has received other significant recognition.

"I am excited about working in this area and studying the French language, said Vitone. "I hope that my photographs will honor the people and region by creating an aesthetically and historically significant photo documentary that presents fact graced by poetic vision."

Vitone has in the past led and taught international documentary-based photography classes. In 2007, a group of his students from St. Edward's University worked on a project in Xi'an, Shaanxi Province, China. His plans are to return to Angers in 2009 with the first group of students from St. Edward's to study at Université Catholique de l'Ouest. His group is to study French language and culture while working on a photo documentary project with Angers as its focus.

The photographs from St. Edward's China project can be seen at http://faculty.stedwards.edu/josephv/china/.

Vitone's own work can be seen at http://joevitone.com.

Global Understanding Initiative: St. Edward's expansion to France is part of a Global Understanding Initiative that provides students with opportunities to see themselves in the context of a global community. Through this program, St. Edward's, in partnership with other Catholic colleges such as Université Catholique de l'Ouest, is committed to helping students demonstrate knowledge of politics, economics, culture and communication through a global framework and to participate in international experiences.

St. Edward's University: Founded by the Congregation of Holy Cross and located in Austin, Texas, St. Edward's University is home to more than 5,300 students. St. Edward's ranks high among U.S. Catholic colleges, listed among America's Best Colleges for 2008 by U.S. News & World Report and selected by The Princeton Review for inclusion in the guide Colleges with a Conscience. For more information on St. Edward's University, visit www.stedwards.edu or www.stedwards.fr

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