The Material Image emanates from a love of photography as a tactile and time-bound practice —  one that reveals itself slowly, through equal measures of touch, chemistry, precision, and chance.

In an era where images overwhelm us and photography is defined by immediacy and frictionless global circulation, analog and experimental processes invite a different kind of attention. Working with analog technology, chemical emulsions, or experimental darkroom methods requires intention. It demands slowness, patience, and a willingness to accept unpredictability as part of the process. Here, the photograph is not something seen and taken; it is something made, shaped through physical engagement with light, materials, and process.

This exhibition brings together a host of local artists who share an interest in photography as a material experience. Where grain, texture, anomalies, and imperfections carry as much meaning as subject matter. 

But more than a presentation of technique, The Material Image is an invitation to community. These practices thrive in dialogue: in darkrooms, in coffee shops, through swapped ideas, and serendipitous discoveries. The exhibition creates a space where artists working in analog and experimental modes can connect, exchange notes, and celebrate the challenges, joy, and rigor required to make images by hand when easier alternatives abound. 

At its core, The Material Image is not only about the photographs on the wall, but about the relationships, the open curiosity, and collective energy that sustains this type of work – things we could all use more of right now. 

Rebecca Chappelear, Madison Creech, James Farley, Alison Harshbarger, Ava Hicks, Kyle Jernigan, Courtney Johnson, Andrew Jones, Chelsea Lea, Jennifer Mace, Lindy Schoenborn, Andrew Sherman, Nate “Igor” Smith, Melissa Wilgis