May 23, 2007 -- In celebration of the premiere of Charlottesville's Festival of the Photograph (June 7-9), the University of Virginia Art Museum presents the special exhibition "Four Virginia Artists"  from June 1 to Aug. 5 in the museum.

Drawn from works in the permanent collection, the exhibition features a selection of photographs by Sam Abell, Emmet Gowin, Sally Mann and William Wylie. The exhibition is presented in the museum’s Contemporary Gallery on the second floor.

Among the works featured are images from Abell’s exhibition "The Photographic Life"; Gowin’s beautiful, yet haunting, images of family members as well as his abstracted representation of humanity’s destruction of the land; Mann’s portraits of her children as well as Southern landscapes and battlefields; and Wylie’s images from "Stillwater" and "Carrara." Uniting the works on display is each artist’s awareness and exploration of the intricate relationship between humans and their environs.

The University of Virginia Art Museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, 1 to 5 p.m. There is no charge for admission. Parking is available along Bayly Drive, off Rugby Road.