Jim Dow’s photographic work displayed at Concord Art Association

Jim Dow uses the art of photography to "try to record the manifestations of human ingenuity and spirit still remaining in our country's everyday landscape," according to the Concord Art Association.

Dow has had a particular interest in places where people have daily rituals such as the barbershop and baseball park, according to the Concord Art Association's Web site, as he has particularly focused on baseball stadiums.

His work is being displayed at the Concord Art Association as part of the "Seeing is Believing" exhibit.

"The exhibit features nine artists who employ photography as a tool to trace the arc of different realities, memory and the various meanings associated with a sense of time, place or identity," according to a press release from the art association.

Other artists' work who are displayed in "Seeing is Believing" aside from Dow are: Thomas Birtwistle; John Chervinsky; Andy Freeberg; Cynthia Greig; Pamela Ellis Hawkes; Dave Jordano; Oscar Palacio; and Christopher Sims.

Dow took the opportunity to talk with Patch and answer some questions regarding his new exhibit at the Concord Art Association.

Q.  According to a press release from the Concord Art Association, you state in a press release, regarding your work: "My interest in photography centers on its capacity for exact description …  I use photography to try to record the manifestations of human ingenuity and spirit still remaining in our country's everyday landscape." Can you elaborate on this? What landscapes have you focused on and why?

A. I try to celebrate the way that supposedly ordinary, generally vernacular things and places look. I see these things as unique and special and I use the tactics of large format photography, such as precise rendition and delicious color to emphasize that. We live in a global culture that repeats itself everywhere, to the point that most of California looks like most of Maine and much of Argentina, except for the actual landscape. But my subjects are cultural and not natural so finding unique things like Fenway Park or a defaced wall painting of Evita Peron is the result of a lot of hunting and searching. I'm much more of a collector than I am a creator.

Q. What inspires your work? How long have you been an artist?

A.  I (want) to document the specific subjects so that others appreciate them. I'm more interested in the subject than the way in which I depict it. The former drives the investigation; the latter is mechanics and technique. I've been a photographer since the late 1960s' and while I've learned a lot and changed a bit, my interests have remained pretty much the same.

Q. What picture is your favorite of your work and why?

A. This is a tough one; I really don't have a favorite. I think of the pictures I take as being arguments in the development of a case, evidence, if you will, that hopefully leads the viewer to the same conclusions that I have. Those tend to shift and change over time but essentially are celebratory, wanting the viewer to feel that these places and things are as important as more official or famous sites. An example might be a wonderfully idiosyncratic mom and pop shop as opposed to an overly slick boutique.

Q. What do you hope audiences take from your work?

A.  Respect for the subject matter. Not "how cute," or "how quirky," but a sense that these things are as important as any other cultural markers that exist. The look of a taco truck, parked on an LA boulevard at night is as wonderful as the Gardens at Giverny.

Seeing is Believing runs through Aug. 12 at the association, 37 Lexington Road. Hours are Tuesday-Saturday from 10 to 4:30 p.m. and Sunday from noon to 4 p.m. Admission is free. For more information, contact the gallery at (978) 369-2578 or visit the website at www.concordart.org.