An artist collective of more than 70 photographers, who exhibit, tour, and teach, will hold its next exhibit at the Wichita Falls Museum of Art at MSU Texas. The Shootapalooza Photo Collective's exhibit, "Diversity: Alternative Paths in Contemporary Photography," will begin with an opening reception from 6-8 p.m. Friday, March 15.

Shootapalooza was formed in 2014 by the late Judy Sherrod, a Wichita Falls native. It is a diverse group of mostly women photographers from the U.S., Canada, the U.K., and Australia, who enjoy experimentation and collaboration in their work. Sherrod died in 2017, but the group continues to inspire and teach in honor of her memory.

In 2015, Sherrod and her fellow photographers initiated the first World Cyanotype Day. Cyanotype is a photographic process created by exposing paper or fabric to chemicals that make it sensitive to ultraviolet light, turning it blue when exposed. Masking or blocking light from the surface will leave that area unaffected, which allows designs, words, and images to be printed.

The date for this year's World Cyanotype Day isn't until Sept. 28, but the public will have the opportunity to make their own cyanotypes during the exhibition. The Shootapalooza artists will conduct cyanotype workshops from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Tuesday, March 12, and Saturday, March 16. The public is invited to create a personal cyanotype in one of the workshops. The walk-in program will take about 20 minutes to complete and is free of charge. Materials will be provided but visitors are welcome to bring objects from home to create the silhouettes.

Josh Maxwell, Curator of Education at the WFMA, said that cyanotype is one of the many ways that science, art, and other fields are integrated. "This is a process that is enjoyable for all ages and can be a good way for families and other groups to get together to create works of art," Maxwell said.

The process was initially invented by Sir John Herschel in 1842 with the intention of reproducing notes and plans as blueprints, but within a year it was used experimentally for photography and art by Anna Atkins, the first to publish a book illustrated by photographed images and considered by many to be the first woman photographer.

The exhibition is in conjunction with Sherrod and S. Gayle Stevens' "Nocturnes" exhibit at MSU's Juanita Harvey Art Gallery. Sherrod and Stevens used a homemade pinhole camera and the wet-plate collodion process to create the "Nocturnes" images.

The "Diversity" exhibit at the WFMA will be on display through May 25. Call the museum at 940-397-8900 for more information.