Points of Departure : 11/4/11

A Photography Exhibition

Curated by Yasmin Etemadi

Featuring Lemia Bodden, Yasmin Etemadi and Jimmy Centeno’s black and white photographs transform ephemeral moments into eternal and iconic images. Justin Rightsell and Charlotta Hauksdottir ‘s photographs show an array of discarded objects and structures in isolated environments, displaced and forgotten by time. Conceptual and social concerns are addressed in the photographs of Michelle Chong and Jim Costanzo while Nate Lubben’s humorous and playful portraits offer a peek into various subcultures in our society. John Turi’s powerful photograph shows the vulnerability and extremity of human emotions, uninhibited and uncensored. Wilfredo Benitez and Roz Walker use alternative methods of collage and digital imagery, expressing social injustice and surreal landscapes in their photographs respectively.

The First Copper Penny

The First Copper Penny

The first coin authorized by the new United States Congress was a one-cent coin. Because there was not yet a government mint, more than one version of the coin was struck. The design (believed to be suggested by Franklin) shows the sun and a sundial on the obverse, with the words FUGIO and the date 1787. Centered on the reverse is the motto WE ARE ONE, surrounded by the words UNITED STATES and ringed by a chain with 13 links.

The Year of the Steel

The Year of the Steel

The 1943 steel cent, also known as a steelie, was a variety of the U.S. one-cent coin which was struck in steel due to wartime shortages of copper. Due to wartime needs of copper for use in ammunition and other military equipment during World War II, the US Mint researched various ways to limit dependence and meet conservation goals on copper usage.

The Birth of Big Zinky

The Birth of Big Zinky

When the price of copper rose in 1982, the mint was forced to make a midyear change from solid bronze (about 97% copper) to copper-plated zinc. You can find cents dated 1982 made out of both metals. The only way to reliably tell them apart is to weigh them on a sensitive scale. Copper cents weigh 3.11 gm, zinc ones are 2.5 gm. The last copper penny was minted in Denver on October 22, 1982.