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Photographer Guy Harvey to host talk on ‘Fairfield Iconic’ exhibit
Southeast Iowa Union offers audio versions of articles using Instaread. Some words may be mispronounced.
FAIRFIELD – Fairfield photographer Guy Harvey will host a talk about his exhibit titled “Fairfield Iconic” on Wednesday, July 23.
The talk will begin at 1:30 p.m. at the Hallway Gallery in the Fairfield Arts & Convention Center, where Harvey’s photos are on display. An optional lunch meet-up will be held at 12:30 p.m. in the arts center’s atrium. The exhibit is presented by the Fairfield Art Association.
The exhibit is a series of 20 photographs taken over a 15-year stretch from 2008 to 2023 showcasing mostly scenes from downtown Fairfield but other locales as well such as the New Chicago area on North Fourth Street. Harvey will speak about how this project came to life, what inspired him, the creative process behind the exhibit, and why themes and long-term projects are important in photography. The exhibit will remain up through Aug. 8.
Harvey is from the northeast of England, and came to Fairfield 25 years ago to study at Maharishi International University. He enjoyed the town so much he’s been here ever since. He was interested in photography in his early 20s, but then really got involved once the first digital cameras came out in the early 2000s. He began taking photography courses online and through Carolyn Waksman’s photography workshops.
“Early on when I was learning photography, I was taught about the concept of working on themes, and downtown Fairfield was kind of a theme,” he said. “I was practicing finding beautiful colors, shapes and forms, and over time I started to see the connection between the photographs and the places in Fairfield that were important to people.”
Harvey’s photographs can fill one with nostalgia for the businesses that are no longer around. He captured images of Breadeaux Pizza, Binghimon’s, Red Rock Tavern, The Sweet Spot and Walkers’s, all of which have closed their doors.
“People respond to the photographs because they remember what they’ve done in that place, hanging out with their friends, and it brings back those feelings,” Harvey said.
Harvey pays close attention to how sunlight illuminates a building’s façade, and most of his photos were taken when direct sunlight was hitting the building. He also prefers to photograph scenes without any parked cars blocking the view. For one shot, the exterior of the Red Rock Tavern, Harvey waited two years to get the perfect shot of the building in sunlight with no cars and two retro bicycles parked out front.
Harvey also sought to capture what’s new in the downtown, like the addition of the Noble House Kava Bar, and Petra Park.
“I never tried to represent every aspect of the community because that’s impossible in 20 images, but I did try to represent the different flavors,” he said.
Call Andy Hallman at 641-575-0135 or email him at andy.hallman@southeastiowaunion.com
