Photographic Exhibition To Celebrate The Relationships Of Text, Image, Nostalgia & History

C.M. Chapman has created a unique collection of fine art photography. His body of work has earned two juror’s awards and has been shown in over a dozen juried exhibitions from Seattle to Washington, D.C.

Mr Chapman, a Newtown resident, will be the next artist the be featured with an exhibition of work at The Blue Z Coffee House, 127 Main Street South in Newtown. An opening reception for “Rememoration” will be hosted by the coffee shop on Friday, August 6, from 6 to 9 pm, and the collection will remain on view until August 31.

Beyond the camera, Mr Chapman can be found working on computer animation for feature films including Ice Age 3, The Chronicles of Narnia and The Golden Compass (for which his work was recognized with the 2008 Oscar for Best Visual Effects). Additionally, he created a variety of visual effects for the feature films Mummy 3, The Kingdom, Night at the Museum, Fast & Furious 3, Superman Returns, Elektra and Daredevil.

In 2009 he moved to Newtown, to raise his family. Now he has the opportunity to share his fine art with the local community.

“My camera is the time machine by which I explore the world of Miss Margaret E. Lang as a young adult, circa 1930,” Mr Chapman says in part via his Artist’s Statement. “This body of work began several years ago when Margaret’s belongings were found, by a friend, abandoned outside of her vacant home on garbage night.

“A school teacher from Rochester, N.Y., Margaret died the day before Valentine’s Day at the age of 85 without any children, spouse or relatives to remember her,” he continued. “Because we had never met, my experience of Margaret’s life comes from the meticulously kept photos, letters, travel souvenirs and notes from her early adulthood; from these personal documents inspiration for this work was born.

“I am attempting to convey the loss of individuals, whose stories go untold to future generations, their worldly goods sold off, or abandoned to landfills across America. If in conveying a loss, I am also trying to raise questions about documenting the past along with the relationships between text and image nostalgia and history.”

A-Z Museum Services, led by curator Adam W. Zuckerman, provided design and installation services for the opening of “Rememoration.”