MCCC's Trenton Gallery to Showcase Photos by Aubrey Kauffman This September

Mercer County Community College (MCCC) announces the opening of a new season at its downtown Trenton gallery. The James Kerney Campus Gallery (JKCG) presents a solo exhibit by photographer Aubrey J. Kauffman.

"It's Not About the Game" features approximately 20 of Kaufman's works and runs from Tuesday, Sept. 5 to Friday, Sept. 29. The JKC Gallery is located in Trenton Hall at 137 North Broad Street across the street from MCCC's James Kerney Building.

The award-winning photographer will speak about his work at an Artist Talk and Gallery Reception on Wednesday, Sept. 6, 5 p.m. to 8 p.m. The talk will begin at 5:30 p.m. Additional hours for the exhibit will be posted on the Gallery website at www.mccc.edu/JKCgallery.

This is Kauffman's first exhibit at Mercer since he presented a show as an MCCC alumnus in 1980. "I am excited to have been invited back to exhibit in the college's brand new space," he said.

Part of Kauffman's urban studies series, the photographs capture unoccupied athletic fields and courts, studying the design and architecture they provide as "event backdrops." Kauffman says of the exhibit: "I am drawn to these unoccupied spaces because of the architecture and visual interaction with the surrounding landscape. My interest lies not in the portrayal of teams, sports or players, but in the visual elements of where play takes place."

Kauffman, who is also a long-time cinematographer, is among the outstanding artists who began exhibiting at the JKC Gallery last spring, with five more exciting shows planned for the coming academic year. The gallery director is Michael Chovan-Dalton, Coordinator of MCCC's Photography and Digital Imaging program.

Kauffman, a Ewing resident, was born and raised in the Mercer County area. He received his B. A. in Media Arts from New Jersey City University and his M.F.A. from Rutgers University's Mason Gross School of the Arts, where he formerly served as gallery manager. His work has been featured at Newark Museum, the Philadelphia Art Alliance, Biggs Museum of American Art, University of Delaware Gallery, the New Jersey State Museum, and the Enfoco Touring Gallery. Kauffman was awarded the Brovero Photography Prize for Excellence from Mason Gross and served as president of the Trenton Artists Workshop Association for ten years. His work is in the Permanent Collections at Rider University and Johnson & Johnson's Corporate Headquarters in New Brunswick.

Pictured: "200M," a 36" x 54" archival pigment print (2014), is one of approximately 20 photographs to be featured in "It's Not About the Game," an exhibit by photographer Aubrey J. Kauffman coming to MCCC's James Kerney Campus Gallery Sept. 5 to 29.