Exhibits

Art Gallery

Mallorie Ostrowitz: Illusion or Reality Sunday, April 23—Friday, June 23, 2023 Reception: Wednesday, May 10 from 4 - 6 p.m.

In her years as a photography teacher, when sharing the history of photography with her students, Ostrowitz became particularly drawn to the work of Eugene Atget. On her first trip to Paris in 2007, she produced a series of images entitled “Homage to Atget” in which she photographed much of Atget’s subject matter in a style similar to his. Ostrowitz's interest in this style continues; it is an ongoing project, work in this show has been shot throughout Europe and South America as well as here in the states, on numerous trips. In each city or town, she found herself once again being drawn in by the same subject matter that Atget focused on. In particular, the shop windows draw her in as she traveled from Paris to many of the towns of Provence, Southern France, Italy, Spain, Portugal, and Eastern Europe.
Traveling from one town to the next, she focused on the contents of the shop windows and the reflected images on the glass. What she started to see was a merging of what was real and what was reflection. Although the images appear to be double exposures, they are not. An ambiguity resulted from this merger creating images that challenges the viewer, much in the same way that Atget created a drama between the objects in the windows and their surroundings, be it buildings, landscape or people. By chance, for only a passing moment in time, a story is created; how the mannequins interact with reflected buildings, or passing cars. The imagined scenario created by the mingling of people with the objects on display give the images a surreal, sometimes amusing, sometimes disturbing quality. In each of these images, there is a human presence that in some way plays a part in the story being told. Atget saw the presence of reflection as creating new images; blending the illusion with the real, dissolving the difference between the two. He interpreted use of reflection as an activity where different aspects of nature become intertwined. Ostrowitz has tried to illicit some of the same emotional responses as did Atget through her choice of subjects similar to his; choosing window displays of decorative arts, fashion and foods. The artist's main goal in capturing these images is to blend reality and fantasy which first creates the emotional response of disorientation, then challenges the viewer to sort out the content into what are the real objects and what is the reflection, and from that interpretation create their own narrative of the scene. Click here to visit her website for more information. Art installations and receptions made possible by the Second Century Fund
Upcoming Exhibits: - Coming soon

Display Case

Mallorie Ostrowitz: Illusion or Reality Sunday, April 23—Friday, June 23, 2023

The Erley Display Case (right) is located on the second floor of the Library. The display case is available for community groups or individuals for the display of visual arts, crafts, collections and other educational, cultural and information exhibits. Click here for more information about using the library's display case. Contact the Library Director for display inquiries.