TRENTON — Its first in a series of guest curated shows, Mercer County Community College’s (MCCC’s) James Kerney Campus (JKC) Gallery presents a new photography exhibition by “Float Photo” magazine founders Dana Stirling and Yoav Friedlander entitled, “The Road.” The show, which opened February 24, runs through March 27 and features photographic images of iconic Americana. The public is invited to a reception with curators, Stirling and Friedlander, Thursday, March 12 from 5 till 7 p.m. with a talk at 6 p.m. at the JKC Gallery, Trenton Hall, 137 North Broad Street in Trenton.

A Slice of Americana Through the Lens of a Camera

The American road is a theme that winds through some of the most well-known works of American photographers such as Stephen Shore, Ed Ruscha, Alec Soth and many others from the United States and abroad. Photographers have travelled through vast landscapes to document this country and all that surrounds the road: the vistas, the gas stations, the motels, the neon signs, the diners and the people that depict America’s culture.

“'The Road’ is the first in a series of guest-curated shows at the JKC Gallery,” said Michael Chovan-Dalton, Gallery Director. “The show represents the largest number of artists ever presented at the JKC Gallery. By utilizing a monitor, the curators were able to represent approximately 150 artists who masterfully document America’s social and geographical landscapes through the lens of a camera.”

Curators Dana Stirling and Yoav Friedlander, who grew up in a small town in the Israeli desert, described the inspiration behind the exhibit and their affection for American culture:

“We absorbed American culture through movies, TV shows and pop culture,” explained the curators. “We were raised an ocean away from the American landscape – thousands of miles away from the nearest stretch of American highway – yet our perception of this country was shaped by these depictions that are curated into this show today. The great American road trip represented freedom, the occasional unknown ... the great variety of landscapes — from a thick forest to an empty desert.”

After moving to New York several years ago, Stirling and Friedlander began living the American visual for themselves. “We suddenly found ourselves not as outside spectators, but as participants of the visual bank that is being created every second of every day by artists all across the nation,” said the curators. 

The two explained how “The Road” depicts a slice of American culture. “The photography curated is a great testimonial of this theme in our time,” said the curators. "These visuals, beyond being quintessential identifiers of this country as a whole, also act as a survey of its internal parts – small towns, local communities and subcultures that represent these places and the unique human tapestry that live alongside the road.”

About the Curators

Dana Stirling is a still life and fine art photographer born in Jerusalem, Israel and based in Queens, New York. She received her Master of Fine Arts in Photography, Video, and related media in 2016 from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Stirling also received a Bachelor of Arts from Hadassah College Jerusalem in Photographic Communications in 2013. Yoav Friedlander is a miniature scale model fine artist and photographer. Born in Israel in 1985, Yoav received his Bachelor of Arts in Photographic Communications from Hadassah Academic College Jerusalem in 2011 and graduated in 2014 with a Master of Fine Arts in Photography, Video and related media from the School of Visual Arts in New York City. Together, Stirling and Friedlander founded “Float Photo” Magazine (www.floatmagazine.us) in 2014 with the goal to share and celebrate the photographic work of a versatile roster of contemporary photographers from around the world.

JKC Gallery Spring Hours

The JKC Gallery is open Tuesday and Thursday from 12:30 till 5:30 p.m., Friday from 9 a.m. till 3 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m. till 2 p.m. or by appointment at jkcgallery@mccc.edu. Information about this show, JKC Gallery and upcoming shows is available on the JKC Gallery website at www.mccc.edu/jkcgallery.

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"RV Fire, Nevada 2019” by Lindsay Godin is one of the pieces in “The Road” photography exhibit which runs through March 27 at the MCCC James Kerney Campus Gallery, Trenton Hall, 137 North Broad Street in Trenton. The public is invited to a reception and talk on March 12 from 5 - 7 p.m.