Ross Mazzupappa

Associate Teaching Professor, Photography & Printmaking

MFA, University of Iowa
MA, University of Iowa
BFA, Youngstown State University, Printmaking, Painting

Teaching Specialization: Printmaking; specialization in Lithography, Relief, and new technologies. Photography; specialization in historic and alternative processes.

Courses Taught
ARTS 2410 Intro to Photography
ARTS 2310 Intro to Printmaking
ARTS 3320 Relief Printing
ARTS 3340 Lithography
ARTS 3420 Photography: Large Format
ARTS 3430 Photography: Color
ARTS 4440 Advanced Photography
ARTS 4480 Senior Studio in Photography

Areas of Research/Artistic Focus
My creative research is a multi-disciplinary practice that incorporates traditional printmaking, drawing, photography, and digital imaging skills together. I am interested in themes of labor, industry, place, memory, and history. I likewise incorporate underlying notions of politics, technology, ecology, and economics in relation to my themes. My creative inspirations grew from my upbringing in the Rust Belt region of the US. Growing up in an Italian-American community that was supported by the steel industry of the 20th century; the idea of home, work, and capitalism are tightly intertwined into my identity and culture. I am also absurdly interested in depicting forgotten places and memories that are ultimately unimportant to the rest of the world. In this I find a strong connection to the Japanese philosophy of “Ukiyo” or “Floating World.” Which ironically is a homophone for the term “Sorrowful World.” A feeling of Solastalgia directly plays into the emotional pain and complicated relationship I feel with my home, and it’s struggle with identity and history. I frequently reflect on the collective nostalgia and longing that I often feel from those who lived through these transitional times. We can never go home again, even though we never left.

Recent Accomplishments
DIY Brayer workshop at the University of California- Fresno workshop during "Print-acolypse" week long event.

Presenter at Mid America Print Conference on research and methods into making DIY rollers and brayers for printmaking.

Presented research on my own photographic process I've been developing called "Electrostatic Relief Etching" to the Center for Fine Print Research in Bristol UK and The Photographic Society of England's online conference "Don't Press Print Conference 02- De/Reconstructing Photomechanical Reproduction" in September of 2021 .

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Faculty member at BGSU since 2015