PHOTO COURTESY ELIZABETH KELSIK This photograph, a part of the Lionel Rombach exhibit, "Untrue Narrartives," is one in a series entitled, "The Attack of the Starbot."

Joseph Gross gallery

A lone shopping cart in a vacant lot. Images of the quiet beauty of the southwestern desert. A man attacked by an aluminum foil-clad robot.

These are just some of the photographs included in the new exhibits at the Joseph Gross and Lionel Rombach galleries this month.

"On the Desert" is a photographic exploration of the southwest desert, featuring the works of Arizona native photographers Tom Coaker, Michael Lundgren, William Monaghan and Irving Olson. This exhibit will be hosted by the Joseph Gross gallery from today until Nov. 13.

An MFA graduate from ASU, Lundgren's graceful silver gelatin prints are a study of the abstract and mysterious expanses of the Arizona desert. His works feature an image of a lone desert shrub as well as an ominous fissure in an otherwise monotonous terrain.

Coaker, an MFA candidate from the UA, investigates the lives and former lives of objects and places in the Southwest. Highlighted in his images are a series of shopping carts found along Old Benson Highway as well as a series focused on a derelict mini-golf course near Wilcox.

The Joseph Gross gallery will be hosting an artist's reception for the four photographers on opening night, today from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Lionel Rombach gallery

The Lionel Rombach gallery's new exhibit, "Untrue Narratives," a collection of black-and-white photographs by UA students Casia Herman and Elizabeth Kelsik, also opens during Family Weekend.

Herman and Kelsik offer an exploration of the world of contemporary photography in comparing the real with the unreal - in short, the ability of the photograph to manipulate and deceive the viewer.

As digitally enhanced photography becomes more and more commonplace, fabricated images often become more representative of reality than those that are unscripted. Herman and Kelsik offer a study of this remarkable ability of photography with some "unreal" images of their own.

Manipulating her audience's viewpoint and inserting her own personal fear of falling, Herman's work gives the effect of plummeting from several objects, including a ladder, a staircase and a sculpture.

Herman's mobile-like color photography sculptures hang from the ceiling, creating a vertigo-like effect for the viewer.

Kelsik's black-and-white photograph series entitled "Attack of the Starbot" features staged images of an aluminum-clad mechanical giant. The Starbot narrative is in effect a multi-layered storyline metaphorically alluding to the evils of technology and the ever-expanding corporate world.

The opening reception will be held at the Lionel Rombach gallery today from 5:30 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Both galleries are easily within walking distance so that attending each exhibit is possible in one trip. The exhibits are free to the public.

Arizona State Museum

Photography from Southwest artist Helga Teiwes will be displayed at the Arizona State Museum Annual Open House tomorrow.

Teiwes‰ photography depicts the American Indian people, arts, lifestyle and archaeological digs in the Southwest. She will be in attendance to sign books and give guided tours of her exhibit.

The open house will also have other activities throughout the day from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Scholars and archaeologists will be present to talk about their research and show archaeological laboratories. There will be plenty to do for the whole family, as kids can go on treasure hunts or make sun prints and pinch pots.

Admission is free. The Arizona State Museum is located on East University Boulevard just east of North Park Avenue.