DISPATCH - MARCH 1, 2014
CUTCHOGUE, NY-
Ansel Adams is known to have said, “I can look at a fine art photograph and sometimes I can hear music.” The photographs at Alex Ferrone Photography Gallery take it a step further and link the emotional response to the subjects creating it.
“Music in Images” exhibition presents fine art photographs of street musicians, studio musicians and famous performance in the juried exhibition. Also portrayed are musical venues (renowned and unknown) and instruments. Taken together, the show captures a range of emotions including joy, hope, longing and nostalgia, said gallerist Alex Ferrone, who is a fine art photographer herself.
"Music in Images" opened on Feb. 28 and was extended through April 4. An Opening Reception will be held tonight (March 1) from 6 to 8 p.m. It features photography from 21 photographers from the Long Island region.
"Photography can reveal so much more about music than I can write here," stated Ferrone in an email. "It shows us the emotion of the musician and we see their intensity, strength, passion, joy and lightness of heart while promoting a certain image of a performer or band."
"Portraits of players, singers, conductors, producers and composers can expose their hope for perfection, discipline of their genre, and love for their instruments," Ferrone continued.
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Photograph by Jon Schusteritsch.
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Photograph by John Neely.
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"Photography can catch the connection between a musician and an admiring fan by seizing a glance shared between each," Ferrone continued. "From photographs of a performance’s sets and staging, the audience can be informed of the enormous amount of equipment and crew necessary to produce our favorite songs and reveal to us that music is a very complex industry."
"Pictures of instruments can reveal craftsmanship and intricacy; the wear and tear of the dedication of practice; or, the silence of an instrument at rest," she wrote.
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Photograph by Joseph Manor.
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Ferrone continued: "Portrayals of venues can expose the grit and wear of a performance space from the many musicians who have passed through each, and the venue can also reveal to us the different levels of a particular musician’s career.
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Photograph by Jacques LeBlanc.
"Music In Images" aims to provide all of these experiences for viewers. The show features works by 21 photographers who responded to an open call for work. Photographs received were then curated by Esperanza Leon, gallerist of Solar Contemporary in East Hampton, NY. Leon is also an art critic and arts writer for HamptonsArtHub.com.
Leon selected four photographs of note. First Place was awarded to Jon Schusteritsch for Guitar. Second Place went to John Neely for Tuba. Third Place was bestowed to Joseph Manor for At the Piano. One Honorable Mention was selected for Jacques LeBlanc's The Bitter End.
Exhibiting photographers include Robin Appel, Winifred Boyd, Karen Celella, Nicholas Chowske, Mike DiRenzo, Scott Farrell, Gail Gallagher, Ray Germann, Janet Glazer, Julia Guzzio, Jacques LeBlanc, Katherine Liepe-Levinson, Joseph Manor, Michael McLaughlin, Harold Naideau, John Neely, Jim Sabiston, Steven Schreiber, Jon Schusteritsch, Alex Vignoli and Diane Woodcheke.
"Music In Images" was timed to coincide with Long Island Winterfest, a series of concerts held across the North Fork and Riverhead. The annual live music festival is produced by East End Arts. Selecting music and musicianship for the exhibition is a connection that also helps support the arts and culture in the area, said Ferrone.
By viewing the works of fine art photographer, Ferrone hopes people gain new insight into music and what photography is capable of.
"I hope this exhibit, along with the other exhibits in the Gallery throughout the year, will show folks that photography can be much more than a valued depiction of pretty scenery," said Ferrone. "Particularly from this exhibit, we hope the viewer sees, and hears, the dedication and love for music, as our photographers revealed that dedication and love with an understanding of music as another important art form."
BASIC FACTS: "Music in Images" has an Opening Reception tonight (March 1) from 6 to 8 p.m. The exhibition was extended through April 4. The Alex Ferrone Photography Gallery is located at 2545 Main Road, Cutchogue, NY. www.alexferrone.com.
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