[et_pb_section admin_label=”section”][et_pb_row admin_label=”row”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”center” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n
As Long As There are Humans – Photographs by Melissa Tomich May 15th to June 23rd<\/strong><\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][et_pb_portfolio admin_label=”Portfolio” fullwidth=”off” show_title=”on” show_categories=”off” show_pagination=”off” background_layout=”light” hover_overlay_color=”rgba(255,255,255,0.9)” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid” include_categories=”3″ posts_number=”20″ title_font_size=”12″] [\/et_pb_portfolio][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row admin_label=”Row”][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n As Long As There are Humans – Photographs by Melissa Tomich<\/strong><\/p>\n Even as a child I remember being uncomfortable at the zoo. There was something about the foul smell, the stark cement-floor cage, but it was even more about the look of the animals that I recognized as vacant, sad and in distress. I couldn\u2019t put it into words at first, but I knew the feelings. Watching the animals chewing on the bars, banging their heads against the wall, pacing back and forth or in circles, I now ask why would anyone want to go to a zoo to see that?\u00a0 I never consciously related to these creatures, but their prison-like environment and the whole idea of their incarceration for our entertainment offended me.<\/p>\n In more recent years, the animals have been allowed a little more space, along with the ability to be inside or out, and are given plastic toys. Some walls are painted or papered with murals of mountains and forests, and the rocks and trees in their cages are made of cement and plastic. Calling these animal collections a Wild Animal Park, or Safari Habitat, may seem like progress, but is it?<\/p>\n Although I am still in awe of their beauty and exoticism, and it\u2019s still interesting and thrilling to be able to stand that close to animals I would probably never see \u201cin real life,\u201d there\u2019s still that same gnawing and prickly feeling of guilt, shame, and embarrassment when I witness imprisoned wildlife. The assault of negative feelings never weakened.<\/p>\n These photographs weren\u2019t made to make you smile or to amuse. It\u2019s difficult to explain why I was compelled to photograph animals in zoos.\u00a0 As Lewis Hine said, \u201cIf I could say it in words, I wouldn\u2019t need to photograph.\u201d<\/p>\n Melissa Tomich has been a fine arts photographer for more than 35 years. She studied photography as an undergrad at Kean University, and later at the International Center of Photography in New York City.\u00a0 Her recent exhibitions include two group shows (2012, 2013), one solo show (2015) at the HPGRP Gallery in New York City, a juried photography exhibition at the Monmouth Museum (2012) and the HereNow Rutgers 250 Group Exhibition at the Zimmerle Art Museum at Rutgers (2016).<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n WIZARD and WORK – Photographs and Mixed Media by Christine Anderson Wizard and Work showcases work from the photo series Inflatables, Fenced Dragon and Wizard, which were created from 2014-2015. The series Wizard has recently made into a book currently available for sale.<\/p>\n Inflatables<\/strong> Fenced Dragon (artist statement)<\/strong><\/p>\n I am not afraid of death, but the process of dying itself.<\/p>\n My brother had asked me if I wanted to go see foreclosed property where two deer died in an attempt to jump a fence.\u00a0 I was interested in how the deer that could easily jump a six-foot fence could get impaled on a five-foot fence, so I asked my brother to drive me to the site.<\/p>\n I found that the carcasses of the deer were rotting on the fence like my brother had told me.\u00a0 The two deer were in various states of decay on different parts of the property.\u00a0 It was the first week of spring after a brutally cold and snowy winter. When the earth was buried in snow the deer tried to jump the fence and sank into the snow as they made their leap.\u00a0 They had no hard ground to make the jump off of and ended up getting caught on the fence that was spiked at the top.\u00a0 They died a slow painful death.<\/p>\n No one heard their cries; no one saw their struggle as they died. Predators had left their marks, including me. Am I a predator taking pictures making my marks or am I telling their story? I did not hear their cries or see their struggle.\u00a0 I only saw the evidence of their slow struggle to die. And now I will also observe their decay.<\/p>\n I can tell their story, but will someone hear or see me?<\/p>\n Am I the deer? Taking my pictures that may or may not be seen.\u00a0 Like the deer no one sees my struggles.\u00a0 Or am I a predator taking the last thing the deer have left to give \u2013 their story.<\/p>\n [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_3″][et_pb_text admin_label=”Text” background_layout=”light” text_orientation=”left” use_border_color=”off” border_color=”#ffffff” border_style=”solid”]<\/p>\n Wizard (artist statement) [\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" As Long As There are Humans – Photographs by Melissa Tomich Wizard and Work – Photographs and Mixed Media by Christine Anderson May 15th to June 23rd As Long As There are Humans – Photographs by Melissa Tomich Even as a child I remember being uncomfortable at the zoo. There was something about the foul […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"on","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"class_list":["post-110","page","type-page","status-publish","hentry"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.hamiltonstreetgallery.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/110","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.hamiltonstreetgallery.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.hamiltonstreetgallery.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.hamiltonstreetgallery.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/archive.hamiltonstreetgallery.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=110"}],"version-history":[{"count":22,"href":"https:\/\/archive.hamiltonstreetgallery.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/110\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":307,"href":"https:\/\/archive.hamiltonstreetgallery.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/pages\/110\/revisions\/307"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/archive.hamiltonstreetgallery.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=110"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\nWizard and Work – Photographs and Mixed Media by Christine Anderson<\/strong><\/p>\n
\n<\/strong><\/p>\n
\nCreative expression is something is not just for making of artwork. It is something you should aspire to do in everything you do.
\nInflatable is a on going photo series based on a previous series Supermar which is about plastics and the amount of man made materials that are a part of our everyday environment. Inflatable is a more creative take of this theme making pictures utilizing natural and man made materials. Making unreal pictures which mirror the real world we live in now.<\/p>\n
\n<\/strong>After 14 years and 78,000 miles\u00a0my car\u2014a green Volkswagen Beetle\u2014is still cute despite\u00a0worn seats and pitted exterior. I don\u2019t blame her for\u00a0breaking down once in a while. Really, I don\u2019t. You see,\u00a0I\u2019m a sentimental person. We have bonded and mostly I like\u00a0to think of her as vintage rather than old. It makes me feel\u00a0better about our relationship.\u2028Over the years, many mechanics\u00a0have serviced the car. Kal, our current mechanic, has a way\u00a0of giving me bad news without making me feel bad. His manner\u00a0and his expertise inspired me to create the pictures\u2028featured in Wizard. Kal is a lot like the Wizard from the\u00a0Wizard of Oz story and I am perhaps a bit like Dorothy in\u00a0the story. I bring my broken down car for repair and he\u00a0fixes the car and sends us on our way. Dorothy, of course,\u00a0sends herself home with the Ruby Slippers and eventually I\u00a0will find my way to a new car. But for now I am thankful the\u00a0Wizard is here keeping my car and me together.\u2028Kal allowed me to photograph his\u00a0shop during working hours, giving me access to premises,\u00a0people, and auto parts. This book is a portrait of Kal\u2019s\u00a0car repair shop loosely based on the “Wizard of Oz” story\u00a0enhanced with my own creative inspirations.<\/p>\n