OFFICE OF THE SECRETARY

For Immediate Release: June 13, 2001

Contact: Frank Quimby 202-208-7291
(Museum) Ann James 202-208-4743

Photographs by Louis DiGena Featured in Interior Exhibition
Focus on Land and Water at the U.S. Department of the Interior Museum

Louis DiGena blends photographic images and digital technology to create pristine landscapes and magical ice forms that offer refreshment for the cubicle-dwelling worker and the outdoor enthusiast alike.

Fourteen examples of his work are on display at the U.S. Department of the Interior Museum, which is pleased to be the first Washington, D.C. venue to display this New York artist's images. The exhibition, entitled "Focus on Land and Water," celebrates two natural resources central to the Interior Department's mission. The show runs from June 18 through August 31, 2001.

DiGena's dramatic photographs of shear cliffs at Gay Head, Martha's Vineyard, remind one of Yosemite's El Capitan. Images of ice caves and water falls that he photographed in Stokes State Forest and Shenandoah National Forest highlight the natural beauty and sublimity of the eastern United States.

Known throughout the New York metropolitan area for his participation in numerous invitational group exhibitions since 1988, DiGena's solo exhibitions include one at SHOOS's Sunnen Gallery in 1991, and one in 1993 sponsored by the Passaic County Cultural & Heritage Council in Paterson, New Jersey. He also participated in the Canadian exhibition, "Images Du Futur 88," at La Cite des Arts et des Nouvelles Technologies in Montreal, Quebec.

Many of DiGena's images - some didactic, some mysteriously translucent - can also be found at the site he created on the World Wide Web. He earned an M.F.A. in Computer Art from the School of Visual Arts, New York, New York, and studied fine arts as an undergraduate at Upsala College. Currently, Associate Professor DiGena teaches computer graphics and graphic design at St. Johns University in Jamaica, New York.

Interiors museum is open to the public Monday through Friday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. (except for federal holidays) and the third Saturday of each month from 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Admission is free. Adult visitors must present some form of photo identification (such as a drivers license, student ID, or employment card) when entering the Interior Building. The Main Interior Building is at 1849 C Street, NW, in Washington, D.C. Wheelchair access is available at an entrance on 18th and E Streets. For information, call 202-208-4743 or visit the museum's website at http://www.doi.gov/museum.

- DOI -