Current Lamar Soutter Library Artist in Residence Tiffanie Covello has combined her love of travel and photography to become an increasingly accomplished amateur photographer. Live. Love. Travel., Covello’s first formal exhibit featuring landscape photographs from her travels, is on display in the library from Monday, Jan. 10, through Friday, Feb. 18.

Covello, who is administrative assistant to Phillip Zamore, PhD, began taking pictures when her parents Ella and Anthony Covello, also UMMS employees, gave her a digital camera five years ago. Since then, Tiffanie has traveled through more than half of the United States, taking photos at every stop. Destinations have included Hawaii, South Carolina, Georgia and, most recently, a three-week road trip that began in Massachusetts and ended in Arizona.

“Photography should be simple, easy and fun. I like to take pictures of things as they are,” said Covello, who does not edit her digital photographs after taking them. “I don’t believe in trying to make nature more beautiful than it already is, or trying to alter a picture in a way that makes it have some cool effect.” Instead, she said, “I’ll take five to 10 shots of the same picture on different settings and then see which ones look good when I upload them. Looking at them on the viewfinder on a camera doesn’t always show how the picture really looks.”

Covello is Lamar Soutter Library’s 18th Artist in Residence

The Lamar Soutter Library premiered the Artist in Residence series in September 2006 with an exhibit of mobile sculpture by Lynn Simmons, a Worcester artist who worked in the library at the time.

Coordinated by the library’s Cultural Events Team, the art series supports the Library Strategic Plan’s goal to “move forward with the ‘library as place’ idea by fostering the library as a center of activity on campus.”

The Artist in Residence series and other programs, including the Humanities in Medicine program, work to establish the library as a cultural center on campus by offering art, performances and book signings.

An art lover as well as distinguished scientist, Dr. Zamore, Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator, the Gretchen Stone Cook Chair of Biomedical Sciences and professor of biochemistry & molecular pharmacology, has encouraged Covello’s avocation. “I have been a beneficiary of Tiffanie’s talent as a photographer as well as an administrator,” said Zamore, who receives her annual Christmas gift, a calendar featuring 12 of her pictures. “It has been a pleasure to see her work improve over time. I’m thrilled that she is exhibiting.” Zamore’s favorite Covello photo is “Massacre at Wounded Knee.” “Tiffanie captured the symbolism of the site’s difficult history along with its incredible natural beauty,” he said.

Noting that it was difficult to choose 38 photos to display from the thousands she’s taken, Covello looks forward to discussing her picks at an artist reception on Monday, Jan. 24, at 5 p.m. in the Lamar Soutter Library. The reception is free and open to the public, with light refreshments served.

With hopes of mounting further shows and entering her pictures into photography contests, Covello is thrilled that her inaugural exhibit is taking place among colleagues, family and friends at UMMS. “This is an exciting opportunity,” she said, encouraging other faculty, students and staff to become artists in residence (see sidebar for more information).

The Covello exhibit is the 18th by a UMMS Artist in Residence. Learn about recent exhibits and see all of them in the archives. UMMS faculty, students and staff who are interested in exhibiting their art in the library can contact Nancy Harger at 508-856-3334 or nancy.harger@umassmed.edu.