Fine art photography on display at Hinkle Memorial Library in October

The Hinkle Memorial Library is pleased to announce that it will be exhibiting the work of Corning-based fine art photographer Chris Walters from Oct. 3-30.

A total of 18 color photographs will be on display in an exhibit titled “From Whence We Came,” which comes from a speech by John. F. Kennedy Jr. before the 1962 America’s Cup in Newport, RI. All of the photographs are of water in a variety of settings and locations, many of which have been captured using long-exposure photography.

“As the son of a coast guardsman, the water has always been in my life, and exists heavily in themes in my photography and writing,” Walters said.

Walters, who specializes in black and white and long exposure photography, spent two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the country of Georgia, which he describes as a “transformative experience, with my photographic skills growing and my eyes opening up to the world around me.”

After completing his Peace Corps service, Walters received a master’s degree from Columbia University, and began working with IREX, an international non-profit organization. That job took him back overseas to Georgia, where, while working, he was able to travel extensively and photograph throughout the area and beyond, from the plains of the Serengeti to the shores of Lake Bled.

Returning to the US in the fall of 2012, Walters began exhibiting his work in galleries, museums, and private collections throughout the Finger Lakes. He also works as a grant manager and gallery curator for The ARTS Council of the Southern Finger Lakes, delivering grants to individual artists and organizations for arts and cultural projects throughout the state.

Photography, Walters says in his artist statement, allows him to capture the beauty of the present moment, “and through photography, I can remind others to engage in rather than disengage from life around them. By experiencing life through a different set of lenses, I can show the world to those unable to see it.”

When asked what he hopes people are able to take away from viewing his exhibit at Alfred State, Walters said, “I hope people will find solace in (the photographs’) ever-welcoming arms, a calming of the soul, and a return to an eternal cycle that brings past to present. I hope the viewer can bask in these waters that call to me, to become aware of the beauty that flows in them, and that they too will seek a return from whence they came.”

For more information on Walters and his photography, visit http://www.christopherallenwalters.com/.

The exhibit will be open for viewing during normal library hours. To inquire about exhibiting your work in the Hinkle Gallery, email library@alfredstate.edu or call 607-587-4313.