Joe Deal
Encyclopedia
Joseph Maurice "Joe" Deal (August 12, 1947 – June 18, 2010) was an American
photographer who specialized in depicting how the landscape was transformed by people.
Deal was born in Topeka, Kansas
on August 12, 1947, and was raised in Albany, Missouri
and St. Paul, Minnesota. He attended the Kansas City Art Institute
, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts
degree. After his graduation in 1970, he was designated as a conscientious objector
by the local draft board and was assigned to work as a guard and janitor at the George Eastman House
in Rochester, New York
, and its museum of photography. He later earned a master's degree in photography and a Master of Fine Arts
degree from the University of New Mexico
.
While working on his thesis for his MFA degree in the 1970s Deal started teaching at the University of California, Riverside
, where he helped establish the UCR/California Museum of Photography. In 1989, he became dean of the School of Art
at Washington University in St. Louis
. He was named to serve as provost
of the Rhode Island School of Design
in Providence, Rhode Island
1999, and lived there for the remainder of his life.
In the mid-1970s, Deal was one of eight photographers chosen to participate in the "New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape" exhibition curated by William Jenkins
at the Eastman House's International Museum of Photography. Deal contributed 18 black and white photographs to the exhibit in a 32 cm × 32 cm format. Many of the photographs Deal submitted featured homes newly constructed against the desolate landscape of the American Southwest.
He continued photographing man's effect on the landscape in "The Fault Zone", which featured images combining human and geologic effects on the area surrounding the San Andreas Fault
. "Subdividing the Inland Basin" featured suburban areas east of Los Angeles
and "Beach Cities" focused on Pacific Ocean communities in Southern California. "West and West: Reimagining the Great Plains" featured photographs of the grid pattern of much of the Midwestern United States and was on exhibit at the University of Arizona
's Center for Creative Photography
in Tucson, Arizona
after opening at the Rhode Island School of Design and being presented at New York City
's Robert Mann Gallery
.
A ten year resident of Providence, Rhode Island
, Deal died at a hospice there due to bladder cancer
at age 62 on June 18, 2010. He is survived by his wife, Betsy Sara Ruppa, and a daughter, Meredith Deal.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
photographer who specialized in depicting how the landscape was transformed by people.
Deal was born in Topeka, Kansas
Topeka, Kansas
Topeka |Kansa]]: Tó Pee Kuh) is the capital city of the U.S. state of Kansas and the county seat of Shawnee County. It is situated along the Kansas River in the central part of Shawnee County, located in northeast Kansas, in the Central United States. As of the 2010 census, the city population was...
on August 12, 1947, and was raised in Albany, Missouri
Albany, Missouri
Albany is a city in Gentry County, Missouri, United States. The population was 1,937 at the 2000 census.- Geography :Albany is located at . According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land...
and St. Paul, Minnesota. He attended the Kansas City Art Institute
Kansas City Art Institute
The Kansas City Art Institute is a private, independent, four-year college of fine arts and design founded in 1885 in Kansas City, Missouri....
, where he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts
Bachelor of Fine Arts
In the United States and Canada, the Bachelor of Fine Arts degree, usually abbreviated BFA, is the standard undergraduate degree for students seeking a professional education in the visual or performing arts. In some countries such a degree is called a Bachelor of Creative Arts or BCA...
degree. After his graduation in 1970, he was designated as a conscientious objector
Conscientious objector
A conscientious objector is an "individual who has claimed the right to refuse to perform military service" on the grounds of freedom of thought, conscience, and/or religion....
by the local draft board and was assigned to work as a guard and janitor at the George Eastman House
George Eastman House
The George Eastman House is the world's oldest museum dedicated to photography and one of the world's oldest film archives, opened to the public in 1949 in Rochester, New York, USA. World-renowned for its photograph and motion picture archives, the museum is also a leader in film preservation and...
in Rochester, New York
Rochester, New York
Rochester is a city in Monroe County, New York, south of Lake Ontario in the United States. Known as The World's Image Centre, it was also once known as The Flour City, and more recently as The Flower City...
, and its museum of photography. He later earned a master's degree in photography and a Master of Fine Arts
Master of Fine Arts
A Master of Fine Arts is a graduate degree typically requiring 2–3 years of postgraduate study beyond the bachelor's degree , although the term of study will vary by country or by university. The MFA is usually awarded in visual arts, creative writing, filmmaking, dance, or theatre/performing arts...
degree from the University of New Mexico
University of New Mexico
The University of New Mexico at Albuquerque is a public research university located in Albuquerque, New Mexico, in the United States. It is the state's flagship research institution...
.
While working on his thesis for his MFA degree in the 1970s Deal started teaching at the University of California, Riverside
University of California, Riverside
The University of California, Riverside, commonly known as UCR or UC Riverside, is a public research university and one of the ten general campuses of the University of California system. UCR is consistently ranked as one of the most ethnically and economically diverse universities in the United...
, where he helped establish the UCR/California Museum of Photography. In 1989, he became dean of the School of Art
Arts and Sciences at Washington University
The Arts & Sciences at Washington University in St. Louis are composed of three divisions: the College of Arts & Sciences, the Graduate School of Arts & Sciences, and University College in Arts & Sciences. The current Dean of the Faculty is Gary S. Wihl, Hortense and Tobias Lewin Distinguished...
at Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis
Washington University in St. Louis is a private research university located in suburban St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1853, and named for George Washington, the university has students and faculty from all fifty U.S. states and more than 110 nations...
. He was named to serve as provost
Provost (education)
A provost is the senior academic administrator at many institutions of higher education in the United States, Canada and Australia, the equivalent of a pro-vice-chancellor at some institutions in the United Kingdom and Ireland....
of the Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design
Rhode Island School of Design is a fine arts and design college located in Providence, Rhode Island. It was founded in 1877. Located at the base of College Hill, the RISD campus is contiguous with the Brown University campus. The two institutions share social, academic, and community resources and...
in Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
1999, and lived there for the remainder of his life.
In the mid-1970s, Deal was one of eight photographers chosen to participate in the "New Topographics: Photographs of a Man-Altered Landscape" exhibition curated by William Jenkins
William Jenkins
William Jenkins may refer to:*William Albert Jenkins , British politician, former MP for Brecon and Radnor*William Jenkins , youngest Royal Marine to win a DSO in the Second World War...
at the Eastman House's International Museum of Photography. Deal contributed 18 black and white photographs to the exhibit in a 32 cm × 32 cm format. Many of the photographs Deal submitted featured homes newly constructed against the desolate landscape of the American Southwest.
He continued photographing man's effect on the landscape in "The Fault Zone", which featured images combining human and geologic effects on the area surrounding the San Andreas Fault
San Andreas Fault
The San Andreas Fault is a continental strike-slip fault that runs a length of roughly through California in the United States. The fault's motion is right-lateral strike-slip...
. "Subdividing the Inland Basin" featured suburban areas east of Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
and "Beach Cities" focused on Pacific Ocean communities in Southern California. "West and West: Reimagining the Great Plains" featured photographs of the grid pattern of much of the Midwestern United States and was on exhibit at the University of Arizona
University of Arizona
The University of Arizona is a land-grant and space-grant public institution of higher education and research located in Tucson, Arizona, United States. The University of Arizona was the first university in the state of Arizona, founded in 1885...
's Center for Creative Photography
Center for Creative Photography
The Center for Creative Photography , established in 1975 and located on the University of Arizona campus, is a research facility and archival repository containing the full archives of over sixty of the most famous American photographers including those of Edward Weston, Harry Callahan and Garry...
in Tucson, Arizona
Tucson, Arizona
Tucson is a city in and the county seat of Pima County, Arizona, United States. The city is located 118 miles southeast of Phoenix and 60 miles north of the U.S.-Mexico border. The 2010 United States Census puts the city's population at 520,116 with a metropolitan area population at 1,020,200...
after opening at the Rhode Island School of Design and being presented at New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
's Robert Mann Gallery
Robert Mann Gallery
Robert Mann Gallery is a New York based fine art gallery specializing in photography, established in 1985. The gallery’s program includes exhibitions of vintage masterworks as well as installations of contemporary photography that contextualize and promote newer movements in the field...
.
A ten year resident of Providence, Rhode Island
Providence, Rhode Island
Providence is the capital and most populous city of Rhode Island and was one of the first cities established in the United States. Located in Providence County, it is the third largest city in the New England region...
, Deal died at a hospice there due to bladder cancer
Bladder cancer
Bladder cancer is any of several types of malignant growths of the urinary bladder. It is a disease in which abnormal cells multiply without control in the bladder. The bladder is a hollow, muscular organ that stores urine; it is located in the pelvis...
at age 62 on June 18, 2010. He is survived by his wife, Betsy Sara Ruppa, and a daughter, Meredith Deal.