June 08, 2007
Jennifer Silverberg: Selected Projects
So embarassed about this, but I had to have a good ol' mano a mano with a lady that was about two feet shorter than me tonight. She meant well - she was door-guarding at the Sheldon, and I showed up late to Jennifer Silverberg's photography show there. She was just trying to do her duty and kick everyone out at closing time. Slackerly me, I usually head out to art shows around 8 p.m., not 5 p.m. - which was when Jen's opening started. So I barely squeezed in, after dodging the tiny lady in the tuxedo at the front door. The lights were being dimmed in warning as I ran up the stairs to do a jog-through. Even in the five or seven minutes I had, I was smote with the sublimity of it all. There are some classic RFT shots - images of Hunter Brumfield, Fred Friction and Pops Farrar among them - but also some gorgeous images series on the cotton gin mills down in the boot heel, which employ mainly migrant workers. I've been a big admirer of Jen's work in the RFT since moving here, and it was swell to see her pictures blown up to incredible size, hanging on a gallery wall. (If there is any justice in the world, someone will give Jen another gallery show.)
I'm planning to go back to do a proper walk-through, and I suggest that anyone who loves photography as an art form do the same. I've been foiled by the Sheldon's quirky hours before, and barely managed to see their blow-out Josephine Baker exhibit last year as a result. Plan accordingly; give yourself some time to really linger, because there's a lot to see here. As I frantically raced through the gallery, I also got a glimpse of Miles' Davis' jacket and some blues paraphernalia that caught my eye, so I'll have to go back with a good hour to burn at least ...
Jennifer Silverberg: Selected Projects
Sheldon Art Galleries
3648 Washington Boulevard
314-533-9900, www.thesheldon.org