"Obscure Elegy," Black and White Images by Mentor Dr. David Fullard, Donated to College

“Obscure Elegy,” a suite of five black and white images, has been donated to the college by photographer Dr. David Fullard (pictured left), at the Metropolitan Center. The photographs have been hung in the Coordinating Center rotunda, 2 Union Ave., Saratoga Springs.

The photographs are from a larger body of work, “Rapid Eye Movement (R.E.M.) Series,” named for the dream phase of the sleep state and, according to the artist, represent a “personal, photographic observance of a recurring dream, as I remember it.

“These fragmented dreams have an elusive, enigmatic and ineffable quality about them,” he said. “They are simultaneously arousing and elude my need to comprehend and explain their meanings. Another important characteristic of these dreams is their pensive, brooding and lamenting quality.

He adds that the actual content of the dream involves, “a perplexing mix of superimposed images that, at times, seems less obscure and at other times unclear, but always subtly mysterious.”‌

He is continuing to develop “Obscure Elegy.”

Fullard holds a B.F.A. from the School of Visual Arts and is known internationally as a dance photographer and writer, and for portraiture and photo-journalism. Additionally, he holds a Ph.D. in forensic psychology and an M.A. in criminal justice.

Fullard is a past recipient of the SUNY Empire State College Foundation Award for Excellence in Part-time Mentoring. His primary academic area is criminal justice, for which he has developed studies such as multicultural issues in criminal justice. Fullard is a Life Fellow with the American College of Forensic Examiners, and a board-certified diplomat of the American Board of Forensic Counselors, the American Board of Psychological Specialties and the American Board of Law Enforcement Experts. In addition to his teaching and photography activities, he recently retired from a longtime position as captain in the Department of Corrections, Health Management Division on Rikers Island.

‌“It is both a pleasure and an honor to donate these images from my ‘Obscure Elegy Series’ to Empire State College, which has graciously accepted them as a demonstration of my gratitude for the quality education, fellowship and career advancement it has been my good fortune to experience during my ongoing association with the college,” Fullard said. “It is my contribution honoring the college’s 40-year commitment to excellence in education as well as a celebration of my retirement after 32 years in law enforcement.”