Mary Ruth Moore: Glass and Light, Time and Place

Public Lecture

October 27, 2026, 5:30 pm (Wilson Hall – Concert Hall)

About the Exhibition

American photographer Mary Ruth Moore (1936-2023) is best known for her use of historical photo methods, including pinhole cameras and long-exposure processes. She used antique equipment and paper negatives, and her work emphasizes duration, imperfection, and the expressive qualities of natural light. Moore explained, “One of the earliest pioneers of photography, William Henry Fox Talbot, referred to… ‘a precious ritual, waiting for the light’... I’m always looking for qualities of light, no matter what my subject matter is. I’m always aware, to the very depths of me, that I am drawing a picture with light.” Moore’s photographs glow with the luminous intensity of Georgia mornings, Italian interiors, and the quiet moments of everyday life.

Born in the Georgia Piedmont, Mary Ruth Moore lived and worked on land held by her family for generations, a setting that profoundly informs her imagery. Moore received her B.A. from the University of Montevallo and her M.A. in Art Education from the University of Georgia. She taught at the Lamar Dodd School of Art, University of Georgia, for over 40 years; she taught photography with the UGA Studies Abroad program in Cortona, Italy, for 10 summers. While Moore viewed herself as primarily an educator, Moore’s daughter, Laura Lee Samford, has championed her mother’s artwork, curating her mother’s work for current audiences to explore.