Just over a year ago, in December 2023, Professor of Graphic Design Chris Stagl had his first international solo showing of his photographs in the Changzhou Institute of Technology in China. This month, Stagl’s second international solo exhibit is showing at the University of Zaragoza in Teruel, Spain.
The exhibit consists of 14 photographs Stagl took while in Spain at the beginning of last year to help teach a class on the production of a short documentary about Zaragoza.
“We spent about five days where we taught the technology, planned the shoot, did the production, and then ultimately completed post-production and showed the film at an opening at the end of the week in their gallery on campus” Stagl said.
While on the trip and teaching the classes, Stagl had the opportunity to experience and learn a great deal about the community and the environment, ultimately creating the inspiration for the photographs he would take in his time there.
“Truthfully, the creative process behind this show was more of a creative exploration and just seeing if I could challenge myself to capture images that defined what I believed to be the essence of the local community,” Stagl said. “I spent a lot of time walking the streets of the local town and looking at the architecture, paying attention to the culture as I understood it.”
Of course, this wasn’t just a fun, creative trip for Professor Stagl. It was also an experience he says has changed him as a person and allowed him to achieve something that not many others can say they were able to do.
“To have my work seen internationally is a huge personal and professional accomplishment,” Stagl said. “I truly hope that the University of Zaragoza appreciates the series of photographs, as I believe they represent the incredible experience that I had while I was there.
It is because of this new-found love of international travel that he encourages all Troy University students to contact him at cstagl@troy.edu and join him on this summer’s Argentina and Boliva study abroad trip.
“If I could impart one idea to anyone reading this, it would be to throw caution to the wind and just go travel,” Stagl said. “I have spent the better part of five decades traveling around the United States and seeing a lot of what this country has to offer and, while amazing, you barely scratch the surface.”
Stagl also invites everyone to contact him at the same email address listed above if they would like to watch the live, virtual show closing of his exhibit in Spain on Jan. 28, where his photographs will be shown off for the final time.
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