‘Chattanooga Scenes’
Photographic Society of Chattanooga focuses on summer show
The next show by the Photographic Society of Chattanooga will have a slightly shorter exposure.
Renovation work at the exhibition space, the Gallery at Blackwell, has taken a little longer than expected, so instead of a first Friday debut, the opening reception was postponed until June 15.
“I think they’ll be finished [this] week, but we just personally have other activities going on,” says exhibition chairman Milton McLain. “So we’re going to hold off for two weeks.”
McLain says he expects about 15 artists will bring in multiple works for the summer show, which has a “Chattanooga Scenes” theme.
“We change these out approximately quarterly,” he says, “and typically we’ll have 40 to 45 pictures in the gallery.”
Most works represent the suggested theme, but there are often surprises within the collected images, often stemming from the photographers’ recent trips or latest projects.
McLain says he welcomes the grab-bag approach for the variety it adds to the show
“I encourage it, as a matter of fact,” he says. “We have a lot of people with very varied interests.”
Chartered in 1952, the Photographic Society of Chattanooga “Under the Sea” by Bill Mueller is the oldest continuously active camera club in the state, according to McLain. Programming for the more than 150 members includes exhibitions, contests, monthly meetings and photography field trips. The membership roster includes professionals and “avid amateurs,” McLain says.
The Gallery at Blackwell might be considered an unlikely place to showcase art. The exhibition space is part of the customer-care area inside Blackwell Automotive, a full-service repair shop that specializes in Lexus and Toyota vehicles.
Richmond Blackwell, co-founder and co-owner (with his dad, Richard Blackwell), says rather than generic pieces that are hung and forgotten, the ever-changing art “makes our waiting rooms nice and pleasant.”
“We may see our regular customers three or four times a year for regular maintenance, and each time they come in, it’s a different show. … There’s a fresh new look every three to four months.”
The renovation to the “gallery” is actually enlarging the customer-care area.
“So there’ll be more wall space to hang more items,” Blackwell says.
Their arrangement with the Photographic Society began in about 2005, he says. Sales of two to six works per show are typical.
McLain says photographers who submit works for the shows are expected to bring them in ready to sell.
“Although that may mean canvas-wrapped or metal prints, as well as traditional frame-and-glass pictures,” he says. “That way it’s not just a row of pictures. Photographers are always looking for new ways to present their work.”