Plainsboro Public Library’s art gallery features “Totally Trenton, A Modern Look Back,” an exhibit of 14 large-scale, interpretive photos by Guy Ciarcia, right, that focus on the city’s rich history and cultural contributions. The show opens Friday, November 13, and is on view through Wednesday, December 2. An art reception will be held Sunday, November 15, from 2 to 4 p.m.
The collection is described by Jinny Baeckler, the show’s curator, and former director of Plainsboro Library:
“Balancing the need to document specific topics, with the desire to be experimental, the photographer developed fresh angles and techniques for his seemingly ordinary subjects: the Delaware River, the Trenton War Memorial, Shiloh Baptist Church Choir, Waterfront Park, the Barracks, the offices of the Trentonian, and John Fitch, inventor of the steam boat.”
“With the aid of digital technologies, and a lifetime of experience teaching in Trenton, Guy knew where to go, and how to create works that penetrate far beyond snapshots of the real world. To capture the spirit and pride of the first pro basketball game, played in Trenton on November 7, 1896, Guy contacted high school coach Reggie Murray, who set up a special game for the artist to record. Splicing, dicing, coloring and aligning the images, the artist created a composite work that evokes the energy and wonder of the game that Trenton did much to popularize.”
‘In striking contrast to the intricate design of the basketball picture, are two oversized images, abstract in nature, featuring fundamental elements in Trenton’s industrial heritage: Roebling’s innovative cabling for suspension bridges; and clay, the basis for Trenton’s world famous pottery industry, from Lenape times to present day Boehm, Lenox and Cybis. Ciarcia’s touch creates strikingly beautiful views of the multi-segmented rounds of Roebling’s wire in cross section, and the inviting softness of fresh, ready-to-be-molded clay.”
Born in 1942 in Union City, Ciarcia, a classically trained artist, studied at Pratt Institute, New York University, and the Accademia di Belle Arti in Florence, Italy. His massive body of work spans more than 50 years and runs the gamut from painting, murals, photography, film, and digital drawings, to sculpture, ceramics, crafts, and jewelry. He has received grants from the Mercer County Cultural Heritage Commission and the New Jersey State Council on the Arts.
Totally Trenton, A Modern Look Back, Plainsboro Public Library, 9 Van Doren Street, Plainsboro. Reception Sunday, November 15, 2 to 4 p.m. On view to December 2. 609-275-2897. www.lmxac.org/plainsboro.
