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Three years ago, while Dominic Presa ’25 worked as the media liaison at his childhood summer camp, an idea for a photo collection began to take shape. 

That idea culminated in his debut exhibition It Doesn’t Have to be Perfect, which took place on September 13 and 14 at the Flaten Art Barn. The exhibition featured two collections: one from Presa’s time at Camp Olson YMCA summer camp, and another from his travels in Barcelona, Spain. Thanks to the Gimse Endowment for the Arts, Presa had the opportunity to turn what began as a love for “capturing awkward moments” into an exhibit that challenges conventional notions of perfection and authenticity in art. 

“My hope was always to make visitors feel something significant without having to say a word to them,” Presa says. “To let the photos speak for themselves.”

Presa came across the Gimse Grant while traveling in Barcelona. Originally, he’d planned to use the photos from summer camp in a photobook, but after applying for and receiving the grant, he decided to pursue something entirely new to him: a physical exhibition. 

“The exhibition offered a sense of realness and … a sense of refinement,” he says.

While the format was new, his passion was not — Presa’s always had an interest in photography. During his time at St. Olaf College, he majored in film and media studies, and he is currently employed as a filmmaker in Rochester, Minnesota. For Presa, photography allows him to engage with the world in an artful way. 

“The second there’s a camera in my hand, I get so excited,” he says. 

It Doesn’t Have to Be Perfect demonstrates both Presa’s technical skills and also draws on his enduring affection for visual arts. The recent grad is inspired by other creatives and “people working through problems in a poetic sense.” The raw nature of the photos — many of which depict “ordinary” moments — highlights the beauty of an honest perspective on our lives. Presa challenges viewers to step into a world much like theirs and find newness in it. Playing basketball in the lake at summer camp and biking across the streets in Barcelona are not inherently “stand out” moments, but Presa depicts them in a way that encourages viewers to appreciate what they might normally consider mundane. 

Like all artists, Presa also faced challenges. 

“The biggest challenge was the novelty; I’ve never done something like this before,” he says. “But I learned a million things, and that was super rewarding.” 

He spent the entirety of the summer working on the exhibition, ideating and collaborating with professors and creatives alike — in particular, Associate Professor of Practice in English Björn Njördford  acting as the project advisor, Associate Professor of English Linda Mokdad for assistance in project critique pre-exhibition, and Director of Creative Services Fernando Sevilla, who oversaw his work as a student photographer in the St. Olaf Marketing and Communications Office. 

“I had to really trust the process because this was so new,” Presa says. “I learned what it means to see a project through from start to finish.”

With all this in mind, seeing It Doesn’t Have to be Perfect exist in real time was quite the rewarding experience for Presa. He reflected on a particular moment when a woman walked through the exhibit on Sunday afternoon: 

“Opening night of the exhibition was really busy, and I didn’t have an opportunity to sit down and watch people walk through the photos, but on Sunday it was quieter and a woman came by who I didn’t know,” he recounts. “She started looking around and I didn’t want to interrupt her. As she was making her way through the exhibition, I caught the expression on her face a couple times — it was a really rewarding moment, to watch a stranger experience the photos for the first time.”

Going forward, Presa plans to take a short break from exhibitions and photographic prints. This exhibition was a stretch of skill and creativity, and though Presa learned much, he wants to continue pursuing more personal creative adventures as well. There are so many opportunities in the visual arts, and he plans to take advantage of them — he is currently considering honing his writing skills.

Presa expressed overflowing gratitude for everyone who was involved in the project, especially the subject of each photo. It Doesn’t have to be Perfect not only displayed years of dedication, but also brought its viewers into a place of honesty and authenticity. 

“Seeing bits of wonder or confusion or curiosity was reassuring; [they] reminded me of how I feel looking at the photos and made me think that if I managed to make even just this one stranger feel awed, then the whole exhibition was a success,” Presa says.