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Eric T. Kunsman is an American photographer, book artist, and educator. He is known for his photographic projects that engage with themes of history, documentary, technology, and human narrative. His photographic work has been widely shown in both solo exhibitions and group shows in the United States and internationally.

Kunsman lives and works in Rochester, New York where he owns and operates his fine art print studio, Booksmart Studio. He currently teaches at Rochester Institute of Technology as an assistant professor in the Visual Communications Studies Department at the National Technical Institute for the Deaf and as an adjunct professor for the School of Photographic Arts & Sciences.

Biography
Kunsman was born in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania in 1975. In high school he decided to pursue a career as an artist and photographer, spurred, in part, by exposure to the work of Walker Evans.

After graduating high school, Kunsman went on to study at Rochester Institute of Technology (RIT) where he earned a BFA in Photographic Illustration in 1999 and a BS in Biomedical Photography in 2000. Kunsman continued his education receiving a MS in Electronic Publishing & Graphic Media Arts from RIT in 2001 and a MFA in Book Arts & Printmaking from The University of the Arts in 2005.

In 2005 Kunsman returned to Rochester, NY where he began teaching at Rochester Institute of Technology and opened his bookmaking and fine art printing studio Booksmart Studio.

Career
Kunsman's work is centred on societal awareness. His is inspired by "objects left behind, especially those that hint at a unique human narrative, a story waiting to be told." His photography focuses "on the often-neglected towns of the American southwest as well as the tensions of struggling rustbelt cities throughout the northeastern United States." Kunsman attributes his development as an artist and educator to his teacher and mentor Lou Draper, a founding member of the Kamoinge Workshop.

Felicific Calculus (2017)
In the body of work, "Felicific Calculus: Technology as a Social Marker of Race, Class, & Economics in Rochester, NY", named for the algorithm created by philosopher Jeremy Bentham, Kunsman has worked towards documenting all of the remaining payphones in and around Rochester, NY. The project began in 2017 after Kunsman had moved his studio to a lower-income area in Rochester, a decision that drew comments from colleagues who implied that the area was unsafe, many of pointing towards the unusual number of payphones that were present in the area. Motivated by these comments, Kunsman started researching the areas around his new studio, finding that neighbourhoods with lower socioeconomic status tended to have a higher density of remaining payphones.

Life-Lines Throughout the US (2018)
"Life-Lines Throughout the US" is a supporting body of work to Felicific Calculus. Unlike Felicific Calculus, the images of payphones from Life-Lines is not restricted to Rochester, NY, instead it is "an examination of various cities throughout the United States and the remaining payphones." This supporting project is meant to speak to the larger context of US cities where, like in Rochester, payphones still represent a valuable resource to individuals.

Thou Art... Will Give... (2003 – 2015)
The series "Thou Art... Will Give..." examines the first penitentiary in the US, the Eastern State Penitentiary in Philadelphia. Kunsman visited the penitentiary 362 times over the course of a decade, documenting the penitentiary as well as pages from the 1830s – 1840s warden's log books. Archivist and photo historian Gary D. Saretzky, described Kunsman's images as containing the "story, energy, and sorrows of the jail when it was still active."

Fake News Archive Project (2016 – 2021)
Kunsman's "Fake News Archive Project: A Historical Archive of the Donald J. Trump Presidency", was the artist's reaction to the political environment surrounding the presidency of Donald J. Trump. Struck by Donald J. Trump's use of the phrases, "fake news" and "alternative facts," Kunsman began taking screenshots of the news outlet CNN. Eventually, the project grew to encompass ABC News, Fox News, The New York Times, The Washington Post, and HuffPost. Kunsman assembled the screen captures, in chronological order, into thirteen volumes, each measuring 12" x 18" x 4.5". Kunsman stated that, "the books are intended to be an archive of the Donald J. Trump presidency which I hope will promote visual & media literacy."

Private | Now Back Go : Go Back | Private (2012)
"Private | Now Back Go : Go Back | Private" is an ongoing, long term, project started by Kunsman in 2012. According to Kunsman it is a "long-term story that will help me to document history and my life experience." Similar to other projects by Kunsman, "Private Now Go Back" is an exploration of technological progress and the artists personal life experiences.

Books

 * Kunsman, Eric T. (2021). Felicific Calculus: Technology as a Social Marker of Race, Class, & Economics in Rochester, NY. ISBN 978-1-939026-16-3
 * Kunsman, Eric T. (2020). Fake News: A Historical Archive of the Donald J. Trump Presidency, Volume 5, (5/01/20 - 6/30/20), Rochester, NY: Booksmart Studio. ISBN 978-1-939026-05-7
 * Kunsman, Eric T. (2020). Fake News: A Historical Archive of the Donald J. Trump Presidency, Volume 4, (3/02/20 - 4/30/20), Rochester, NY: Booksmart Studio. ISBN 978-1-939026-04-0
 * Kunsman, Eric T. (2020). Fake News: A Historical Archive of the Donald J. Trump Presidency, Volume 3, (4/23/19 - 3/01/20), Rochester, NY: Booksmart Studio. ISBN 978-1-939026-03-3
 * Kunsman, Eric T. (2019). Fake News: A Historical Archive of the Donald J. Trump Presidency, Volume 2, (2/1/18 - 4/22/19), Rochester, NY: Booksmart Studio. ISBN 978-1-939026-25-5
 * Kunsman, Eric T. (2019). Fake News: A Historical Archive of the Donald J. Trump Presidency, Volume 1, (11/9/16 -1/31/18), Rochester, NY: Booksmart Studio.
 * Kunsman, Eric T. (2010). Thou Art... Will Give.... ISBN 978-1-939026-07-1
 * Kunsman, Eric T. (2005). Exposing Saints. ISBN 0-9765368-1-1
 * Kunsman, Eric T. (2004). Peripheral Visions. ISBN 0-9765368-2-X

External Link

 * Official Website