Akira Tomita, a visiting Japanese professor, opened his photography exhibit on Tuesday night in the Fine Arts lobby. Tomita attracted a crowd with his 200 photographs on display and by playing his Japanese guitar during his slide show presentation of his work.

Doug Cook, the chair of the Visual and Theatre Arts Department, stated that “The opening of Akira Tomita’s exhibition was a special cultural event on campus. I think cultural events like this are what make a college education worth having.”

After speaking with Tomita, he said, “The best photographs come from natural beauty, not from a studio. When I see or feel beauty I try to capture it in time. I am an artist. My art doesn’t speak in words. I want the viewer to feel the emotion I try to capture and get perspective from my photos.”

Professor Tomita has a Master’s Degree in Art and a Master’s Degree in Anthropology. He is affiliated with UT Martin’s sister college Hirosaki University in Japan, where he is an Associate Professor of Art. Tomita has had numerous works published, including pieces appearing in four different photographic books. In 1997, he was awarded the Grand Award for National Geographic in the Japan Photo Contest for his piece “Caribbean Boy.”

He is participating as an accomplished saxophone player in the UT Martin Jazz Band and is looking for students to teach Japanese Guitar. His guitar is not the typical looking guitar; part of it is made from dog skin, an accepted and common material used in Japan.

The “Bachi”, the pick he uses to play, is made from turtle shell. The Bachi cost him around $400, and if the handle was made from Ivory it is said to cost up to $4,000.

Tomita is teaching the Digital Photography class at UTM and hopes to help students learn different aspects of photography including composition, color, and perspective. He also wants to teach students to feel some variety of emotion when they observe art.

Tomita’s work will be in the Fine Arts lobby until September 23rd. If you are interested in inquiring about lessons for Japanese guitar,his office is in G34 EPS. his office is in G3A EPS Building.