On view: October 26-November 23, 2024, 1st FL. Hallway Gallery
Gallery Hours: 10:00am – 5:00PM
Reception: Saturday, October 26, 2:00-4:00PM
Niagara Falls’ nickname is Power City. The power of the river and its beauty contrasts with our industrial complexes. These complexes show both our development and decline. The transition of the water from calm wide river to a national wonder drawing people from around the world is breathtaking. The flowing water connects us both within and outside our bodies, the power lines and the telephone towers connect us physically and in the digital world. When the global pandemic took over, our reality itself transformed; a transition to a new insular life, more isolating experience. The tourists are traveling through heavy, old industrial areas that run parallel to the river – an odd juxtaposition that is explored in these photographs. It’s an old city, filled with traditions, so the toy camera and instant film are used to create a nostalgic vibe.
The show will be the release of a new, offset accordion postcard book. This format was chosen to reinforce the retro aesthetic. The original photos will be displayed.
Creatives Rebuild New York (CRNY), a project of the Tides Center, is a three-year, $125 million investment in the financial stability of New York State artists and the organizations that employ them. This program was made possible through support from CRNY’s Artist Employment Program.
This program is made possible with funds from the Statewide Community Regrant program, a regrant program of the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature and administered by Arts Services Inc.
About the artist
Laura Chenault is an interdisciplinary artist creating art from a queer, feminist and a post-modernist perspective. She believes concept and content must work hand-in-hand with presentation and display. Medium, scale, and delivery are critical components of every project. Her process begins in her extensive journals that are filled with notes, scribbles, ramblings, and inspiration. Form and function are always considered as the foundation of the initial image making. With time and perseverance, ideas take fruition.
She has a BFA in photography from the University of Illinois. The disciplines she works in are photography, collage, book arts, installation art, performance, printmaking, and film making. Her love of alternative processes spans decades after being exposed to them by Bea Nettles and Barbara DeGenevieve as an undergrad. In addition to making art, she is passionate about building communities, sharing skills, mentoring, and teaching.