From Student to Pro: Kirkman Amyx returns to CCSF
A four-decade retrospective traces photographer Kirkman Amyx’s path from City College student to a career in commercial and fine art, now on view at Ocean Campus.
City College students and faculty are invited to experience commercial and visual photographs created by Kirkman Amyx. The exhibition showcases four decades' worth of his work.
Each section in the exhibition is organized to display his precise attention to detail. “They all have different stories behind them, different purposes,” Amyx said. “Photography can mean so many things, and have different purposes”.
“10,000 Dice CMY” is one of the series on display, using cyan, magenta, and yellow dice as part of his data visualization projects.
In this collection of photos, Amyx is rolling 10,000 color dice, capturing the dice rolls with the camera pointed straight down.
The images are then composited together to create a new photograph using Photoshop. The results of the photographs create a different perspective for the viewer using color and shape.
Amyx has worked independently with advertising agencies, design firms, local corporations, and local brands like Anchor Brewing, Ghirardelli Chocolate Company, and Old Potrero Whiskey.
When he initially started working with Anchor Brewing, Amyx collaborated with the company’s designer. Shortly after, the marketing manager entrusted him with full creative control over the projects.
Amyx’s high school photography teacher sparked his interest in the art medium and suggested the ArtCenter College of Design in Pasadena, California. However, the price to attend was too expensive. Instead, his photography education started at City College.
City College was pivotal in making his decision to pursue a career in photography. The affordability and accessibility of City College at the time were perfect for him.
“I looked around the Bay Area to find the best program for photography, and City College stood out by far the most vibrant with a lot of depth,” Amyx said.
He received a Photography Pathway Certificate from City College in 1980, and in the following year, Amyx received a Photo and General Pathway Certificate at Cuesta College in San Luis Obispo, California.
It was in 1985 that the opportunity to study at the ArtCenter College of Design came to Amyx. Through a scholarship, he earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts with distinction in photography.
After many years working professionally, he returned to school in 2006 to earn a Master of Fine Arts in photography from San Jose State University. Currently, Amyx serves as chair of the Photography Department at Sierra Community College in Rocklin, California.
Sarah Christianson, faculty and photo curator of the gallery, believes it’s important to bring people like Amyx to City College for students to hear and see a direct and sustainable career in photography.
“By presenting a retrospective of Amyx's work, we're able to show our students the trajectory of his career and how he has operated within the commercial and fine art worlds of photography,” Christianson said.
“We hope this exhibit will show students some of the pathways available to them, as they figure out how to navigate and build their own creative careers,” she added.
As of press time, the Photography Department is expected to host Kirkman Amyx for an opening reception on Thursday, Feb. 5, from 4 -7 p.m. His exhibition has been on display in VARTS 160, at Ocean Campus, since Jan. 19 and runs through March 16, 2026.
