Today I went by the little museum up the road to pick something up. The director walked me out, helping me carry the frames he was loaning me and said; "you'll have to look at our current exhibit. it's photography". He went on to say they were pictures from during the depression, and I asked who the photographer was. He said there were several, but no names stood out to him. I decided to walk back upstairs and take a look.
Where one approaches the gallery is a display board telling a bit about the exhibit and the artists. I didn't read all the script, but saw the names; Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, Arthur Rothstein... I couldn't tell you the rest. My wits went into overdrive at that point.
Of any images in the whole wide world, these are the ones that move me the most. These are the photographers that move me! This is the era, style, and work that moves my needle!
I *could not* walk into the big room. It was the strangest reaction. (When I told my husband he laughed.) It was too good. Too grand. Too much! I went into a small room with probably 12 large prints on the wall. I just walked in circles saying, "I can't do this. I just can't do this! I cannot look!" (Thankfully I was the only one in there at the time.) I walked back out thinking I'd have to come back when my *whatever* settled down, and look. Really look.
Then I realized, maybe I couldn't look at everything or even many - but I also could not leave without looking at something! I walked up to the most amazing print, by Dorothea Lange, of black men on the porch of an old droopy building. I'm telling you, I could not look at it thoroughly like I normally would. It was too perfect. Too fantastically beautiful! But I looked because I couldn't leave without looking.
I know it sounds crazy. It was like 57 Christmases rolled into 1. Like I needed to either run a mile or sing very loudly - and I'm neither a runner nor a singer!
I have plans to go back tomorrow and look! Quietly.
They're at the Hiddenite Center in Hiddenite, NC. You can find it, because finally a traffic light was put up there and it's at the corner below the center.
Ha! Imagine.
Janet
Where one approaches the gallery is a display board telling a bit about the exhibit and the artists. I didn't read all the script, but saw the names; Walker Evans, Dorothea Lange, Arthur Rothstein... I couldn't tell you the rest. My wits went into overdrive at that point.
Of any images in the whole wide world, these are the ones that move me the most. These are the photographers that move me! This is the era, style, and work that moves my needle!
I *could not* walk into the big room. It was the strangest reaction. (When I told my husband he laughed.) It was too good. Too grand. Too much! I went into a small room with probably 12 large prints on the wall. I just walked in circles saying, "I can't do this. I just can't do this! I cannot look!" (Thankfully I was the only one in there at the time.) I walked back out thinking I'd have to come back when my *whatever* settled down, and look. Really look.
Then I realized, maybe I couldn't look at everything or even many - but I also could not leave without looking at something! I walked up to the most amazing print, by Dorothea Lange, of black men on the porch of an old droopy building. I'm telling you, I could not look at it thoroughly like I normally would. It was too perfect. Too fantastically beautiful! But I looked because I couldn't leave without looking.
I know it sounds crazy. It was like 57 Christmases rolled into 1. Like I needed to either run a mile or sing very loudly - and I'm neither a runner nor a singer!
I have plans to go back tomorrow and look! Quietly.
They're at the Hiddenite Center in Hiddenite, NC. You can find it, because finally a traffic light was put up there and it's at the corner below the center.
Ha! Imagine.
Janet
