Watchung Arts Center To Present Ross Wagner Exhibit

Press release from Watchung Arts Center:

Oct. 3, 2021

The Watchung Arts Center presents an inspirational Life In Photography exhibition by Ross Wagner during the month of October. This retrospective exhibit marks the release of his book “A Life In Photography”. The book details Mr. Wagner’s most memorable and renowned images since the 1950s and is a trip down memory lane rediscovering his unique creative style and talent that marked his progress to date. An artist’s reception held on Sunday, October 17 from 1 - 4PM will be a great opportunity to meet Ross Wagner. All in-house events and programs will require certification of vaccination and masking.

This exhibit is in conjunction with the release of the new photographic volume, “Ross Wagner, A Life in Photography”. The 163-page book features over 74 high-quality images highlighting Ross’s work over a lifetime as a photographer. It provides insights and biographic details that offer a depth of understanding to his various photographic techniques.

Thanks to the generosity of Ross and Kathy Wagner, the proceeds from each volume sold will be donated to the Watchung Arts Center. In addition, anyone purchasing a volume should feel free to provide any additional donation over and above the cost of the book to help support the Watchung Arts Center and their ongoing work in the arts. The books are available for sale at a cost of $150 each through the Watchung Arts Center office.

MR. WAGNER’S STORY.
My photography aspirations started in Hamilton Jr. High School where the instructor, Arthur Starks, had built a darkroom. It was 1946.

One day Mr. Starks asked who would like to learn how to photograph. Along with two other students, I raised my hand, and we were launched into the world of Verichrome film, Dektol developer and basic cameras. Mr. Starks, a capable and talented photographer inspired us. We began to make decent images, learned how to enlarge them, mount, and frame. The teacher had us pointing our efforts towards the Scholastic Magazine's national photo contest. All three of us won prizes. A portrait of my father, "Exploring the World" won first place in the Portrait category and became the front cover of the magazine. Life with my father improved.

Photography continued through High School - Yearbook, sports photography. I even began to photograph neighborhood children with a 35mm camera, black and white film, and natural light in an 'at home' setting. I photographed the kids doing what kids do, and parents liked the results. Word spread. I was busy.
I attended Cornell University, where I connected with the daily newspaper, The Cornell Sun, and soon found my specialty photographing campus faculty and campus visitors, often well-known classical musicians, dancers, and other artists.

One special assignment for this 19-year-old was to photograph an aging Ralph Vaughn Williams, the British composer. He and his new wife, Ursula Wood, the British poet, invited me to their apartment on short notice. One dreary March afternoon with Vaughan Williams seated near a window, I improvised a reflector for the shadows with newspapers draped over a chair. I asked if he would remove his glasses and hold them in his hands. He relaxed. I exposed the four frames. The parting words of the beautiful and charming poet, Ursula Wood, were that her husband had just returned from Canada where he had been photographed by Karsh of Ottawa, the famed international portraitist of the time. I knew my effort was doomed. However, Ralph Vaughn Williams liked the photo more than the Karsh of Ottawa effort and asked permission to use my photo as his publicity image. Granted instantly. Ross Wagner's portrait of RVW appeared shortly thereafter in the New York Times. I began to think of my life ahead as a photographer.

In 1985, a pamphlet had arrived from Omega Institute, Rhinebeck, New York, devoted to "awakening the best in the human spirit". I had stayed behind enjoying the spirituality of listening to recorded classical music through an elaborate music system at home. But my attention was drawn in that year's Omega program to a description of Harry Mattison's one-week photography program emphasizing Omega's devotion to spirituality. Not your usual camera club agenda of f-stops and depth of field.

I signed up. There were, perhaps, 15 of us from all over North America....Brooklyn, New York to a cattle ranch in Colorado and a few beyond from Canada. With Harry's enthusiasm and leadership skills the group bonded. I found that part of myself I had left behind twenty years earlier. I was photographing again. The next year, Harry repeated at Omega, and I signed up again. More coals on the fire. I was fully committed to photography. Harry and I had become friends and built a relationship even though we lived 200 miles apart.

Wishing to relate to other local photographers, I began to attend monthly “Camera Club” meetings. At this time, Harry suggested I establish what could be considered an alternative group. The Unique Vision Workshop was to be “dedicated to photographers seeking for themselves and for others the clearest expression of their deepest connection with the world.” Our group, now 21 years old, continues its mission with monthly meetings reviewing each other’s recent work creating a “body of work”, discussing local and New York shows, sharing books of photographs (recent and historic) and whatever else we feel is relevant and demanding attention.

Throughout these many years as facilitator and as curator of our annual exhibit seen by hundreds, I never fail to be stimulated and re-energized by my involvement with The Unique Vision Workshop.

Photography continues to flourish in my life. Each day I “envision” dozens of photographs as I hurry through my daily routines. These days, many can be found on my iPhone. Some may be promising. And some of those may be made into prints. And some of those have found their way into this exhibit and book for reasons known only to me.

The Watchung Arts Center, located at 18 Stirling Road in Watchung on the Watchung Circle, is a multi-disciplinary arts facility serving Watchung, the surrounding communities and the Tri-State Area. To obtain more information about upcoming performances, classes and workshops, and monthly art exhibitions, please visit WatchungArts.org or call 908-753-0190.

This press release was produced by Watchung Arts Center. The views expressed here are the author's own.