About the Artist

John Trobaugh was born in Lansing, Michigan in 1968. He studied photography at The University of Alabama at Birmingham and received his BFA in 1996 with honors. He went on to do graduate studies at The School of Visual Arts in their Photography and Related media program in 1997.

After returning to Birmingham, he taught courses in photography and computer graphics at the University of Alabama at Birmingham and worked as a commercial graphic design artist. In 2002 he received his MA and June 2003 received his Masters in Fine Art from the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, Alabama. He is currently teaching Digital Art and Photography at the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

Drawings that started from photocopies of his body as an undergraduate have evolved into digital collages from multiple digital self-portraits forged into unity using art historical references. His most recent series, called Double Duty, are photographs are using the 12” dolls to make social commentary. Trobaugh’s photographs uncannily portray human likeness and gesture.

In Fall 2003, as new faculty at Shelton State Community College in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, he was asked to show his work in the schools two galleries. After being approved and his work hung in the gallery, his work was ordered removed from the galleries by the president of the college. The college told Trobaugh his work was too dangerous to remain in the galleries. He resigned and the issue has yet to be resolved. When other faculty discussed the college's action as censorship in the arts, they were verbally reprimanded. He was personally forbidden to discuss the censorship as part of his art appreciation class. The school never allowed him to post any signs in the gallery or on any of the announcement boards to explain why the work was not in the gallery for which he had already sent email invitations.

His photographs have since been published on the cover of Art Papers and in The Chronicle of Higher Education, The Washington Post, The Advocate and many local and regional newspapers. Richard Meyer, Chair of the Art Department at The University of Southern California in Los Angeles, California, spoke about his work at various national conferences and a presentation in The Smithsonian National Gallery and was the author of several articles including Art Papers.

Please see the page about me on Wikipedia.