Photography exhibit by Chelsea Smarr opens for February Third Friday at the Circle Centre for the Arts.
Third Friday returns to Wilkes-Barre Feb 17, including Chelsea Smarr’s exhibit in the Maffei Gallery and the Members Exhibit in the Members Gallery for the monthly opening reception.
Third Friday returns to Wilkes-Barre Feb 17, including Chelsea Smarr’s exhibit in the Maffei Gallery and the Members Exhibit in the Members Gallery for the monthly opening reception.
WILKES-BARRE — Chelsea Smarr’s photography exhibit, “In Pain/In Bloom” is revealed at Third Friday at the Maffei Gallery in the Circle Centre for the Arts. Come see this new gallery at the Opening Reception Friday, Feb 17 from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m.
Smarr is excited to open her first exhibition. She’s from Frackville, PA and got involved in photography about five years ago. Smarr has modelled for figure drawing classes over the years, which is what brought her into the art world. She’s even been in the art featured at Third Fridays before, but this is the first time her own work will be on display.
She started modelling for figure drawing at the Hazleton Art League which then connected Smarr with other artists in the surrounding Wilkes-Barre and Scranton areas. Through local events, drawing socials, and art galleries, Smarr met the leaders like Gallery Director of Circle Centre for the Arts, Allison Maslow, who help set up this guest artist exhibit.
“In Bloom/In Pain” in its title and in its photography offers an interesting juxtaposition of flourishing while hurting. Smarr says she has dealt with chronic pain problems in the past few years. It has changed the way she sees her body and feels about her body.
“It gave me a different kind of appreciation and celebration of the more enjoyable parts of my body,” said Smarr.
Smarr was experiencing the duality of being in the best landscapes she’s ever seen, while actually suffering a lot of pain. So, got out her camera and captured the utter beauty of those moments.
In her artist statement, Smarr says, “Walking through the past several years of my life while carrying the weight of chronic pain has led me down a curious path of finding meaningful ways to connect with and celebrate my body, even in times when it hasn’t necessarily felt easy to exist inside of it. My experiments with modeling, photography, and self-portraiture create rich opportunities for me to mindfully illustrate intimate moments within windswept landscapes, constructing lived-in visions of myself and my soul — moments that are not tainted by pain, even if my pain was along for the ride when these images were initially captured.”
She said the “in bloom” aspect could also be taken at face-value because the collection depicts landscapes that are actively blooming. “(Choosing the photos) was a really hard choice for me. What I was really looking for is photos that capture a certain atmosphere,” said Smarr.
All are welcome when photography exhibit, “In Bloom/In Pain” opens Friday at the Maffei Gallery and will be on display through April 17. Regularly scheduled February Third Friday members exhibit will also be held in the Members Gallery from 5-8 PM in the Circle Centre for the Arts.
