Hampton Bays' Jarno Huttunen Wins Photography Invitational
Hampton Bays resident Jarno Huttunen’s thought-provoking and striking photographs have won the Under the Influence Student Invitational, an art show consisting of more than 20 students from Long Island and New York schools.
The invitational exhibition will run until June 29 at Fotofoto Gallery in Huntington. Huttunen, a photographic imaging major student at Suffolk County Community College who is originally from Finland, was recognized for his work while interning at the college’s media services department. Professor Gayle Sheridan, associate professor of media services, said, “It is gratifying as an educator to see Jarno’s work receive such attention. He is an amazing artist who I know will be successful.”
Of the Fotofoto Gallery’s 21 artists, 11 are photography teachers representing The International Center of Photography, Long Island University C.W. Post, Nassau Community College, Suffolk County Community College, the Knox School, and Wantagh High School, according to the gallery’s website. Each teacher selected two students to be included in the show. Out of the portfolios submitted, the participants in the invitational were asked to prepare one framed piece for the show.
Huttunen said, “These pictures are about me and my life… I want people to know my work and me… I’m not afraid to express myself anymore.” Huttunen had been travelling to Long Island during summers when he was required to return to Finland for a mandatory nine months of military service. He then returned to Long Island to continue his dream of photography at Suffolk County Community College.
For more information about the Under the Influence Student Invitational and Fotofoto Gallery, visit fotofotogallery.org.