By allowing ads to appear on this site, you support the local businesses who, in turn, support great journalism.
‘Return of the Lake’ photo exhibition now at Carnegie Lobby Gallery
Return of the Lake
The “Return of the Lake” exhibit features images by photographer Steve Dzerigian, who has documented the many impacts from flooding in the South San Joaquin Valley with the return of Tulare Lake in the spring of 2023 (Photo contributed).

A new exhibit of works by Fresno-based photographer Steve Dzerigian, who has been capturing images in our region for over 40 years, is now at the Carnegie Arts Center’s Lobby Gallery. The exhibition of more than 30 color photographs documents the many impacts from flooding in the South San Joaquin Valley with the return of Tulare Lake in the spring of 2023. 

“Viewing this unique event through Steve’s personal lens, we see our familiar landscape transformed. The images are both documentary and artistic—showing us how the photographer’s choices can shape our experience,” said CAC Director Lisa McDermott. 

Weaving history, philosophy, and the natural world with artmaking, Dzerigian has a unique perspective on our ever-changing landscape. Tulare lake in the San Joaquin Valley was once the largest body of water west of the Mississippi. Over time, diversion of water from the lake for agricultural use, along with many drought years, resulted in it virtually disappearing. In 2023—a very wet year coupled with a melting Sierra snowpack—the lake returned for a while. Dzerigian’s photographs illustrate the phases of change experienced during the return of the lake, expressing the beauty as well as the complications of this natural phenomenon. 

An informative talk with the artist will be held at 5:30 p.m.  Nov. 8. The presentation will be followed by a reception; both are free and open to the public.

Dzerigian studied philosophy and film at UCLA before adopting photography as his primary investigative and contemplative tool. The activities of photography and teaching it became his life’s work. He instructed field workshops for the UC Santa Cruz Extension from 1977 through 2007. From 1984 to 1990, he was an instructor for the Ansel Adams Gallery Photography Workshop in Yosemite. In 2002, he was co-coordinator for the Ansel Adams Centennial Symposium in Yosemite, “Edges and Intersections: The Evolution of Change.” 

Dzerigian has been devoted to facilitating art and education in Central California; for more than 45 years he has served as curator, juror, and consultant for many exhibitions, competitions, and media events, in addition to teaching photography full-time at Fresno City College. In 1980, Dzerigian helped create a local gallery devoted to photography, gathering the charter members of Spectrum Art Gallery in Fresno, one of the longest running, non-profit, cooperatives of its type in the country. 

Dzerigian’s work has been exhibited in many one-person and group exhibitions in museums and galleries throughout the United States, including the Chautauqua Art Association Gallery, NY; Central Washington University; University of Oregon Museum of Art, Eugene, OR; the Nikon House, New York , NY. In California  he has been featured in shows at the Fresno Art Museum,  Spectrum Gallery, Ansel Adams Gallery, and de Saisset Museum, Santa Clara University.

The Carnegie’s Lobby Gallery hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday – Saturday. Admission to the Lobby Gallery is free. The Carnegie is located at 250 N. Broadway, Turlock. For more information, visit carnegieartsturlock.org.