Photography show features Bangor in whole new light

BANGOR – We all walk around downtown – from Bagel Central to the office, or from the Grasshopper Shop to the parking garage in Pickering Square. We look at the storefronts, the sidewalks, the people. But do we really take time to see the city?

The photographers in Bangor Center Corp.’s third annual Downtown Photo Show do. The small but striking collection of local work on view at the University of Maine Museum of Art in Bangor proves that substance often lies in the details.

Take Michael Alpert’s subtle and sublime black-and-white photograph of the “Victory” statue, for instance. Streaks of weathering on the patina line her arms like veins, showing the eloquent effect of time and age. In muted tones that evoke Edward Hopper’s paintings, Kenton Williams captures digital panoramas of the city. His most head-turning work, “Bangor Traffic Jam,” shows downtown’s central artery as the human eye never could – State, Main and Hammond streets converge on a sunny day with only one car in sight. In the flattened landscape, the buildings pop out against a summer-blue sky like facades on a movie set.

Judges Alan Stubbs, Bob DeLong and Bill Kuykendall selected Williams’ work as the first-prize winner in the photo competition, and Alpert took second place. Kathleen Wall’s nightscape of West Market Square took third prize, while Buffy Parker, Spiros Polemis and Kristofer Broski received honorable mentions for their work.

At Friday night’s opening reception, Stubbs and Kuykendall commented on how difficult it was to select prize-winners.

“This year’s entries are the strongest we’ve seen in the three years we’ve juried the contest,” Kuykendall said in a statement.

Bangor Center Corp., a nonprofit that promotes economic and cultural growth development in the downtown area, started the contest as a way to encourage people to “explore and enjoy” the heart of the city. But the mission was twofold – the contest and exhibit also serve as a way to compile a photographic history of downtown landmarks, for current and future use.

This year, the portfolio includes unique visions of downtown, such as Jen Chiarell’s glimpse of glittery evening gowns in a storefront. Polemis shows a city in motion – the blur of a school bus as it makes its way up Harlow Street, or ghostly figures rapidly crossing Hammond Street – while Allison Gray captures stillness. Through her lens, the Pickering Square parking garage at night becomes a thing of beauty, its illuminated floors reflecting in a placid Kenduskeag Stream.

In an adjacent gallery, Tenants Harbor photographer Jonathan Bailey, who was commissioned by the museum to take photographs of Bangor, shows exquisite views of the city. His photos, taken with a toy Diana camera, have a soft, warm look about them. He takes familiar landmarks such as Stephen King’s gate and the Standpipe, and turns them into something magical.

There’s a sense of whimsy in Bailey’s work – the top of a rock wall resembles sharp teeth, ready to gobble up the house in the background. A twisted tree trunk looks like the work of a wizard, and some of the city’s biggest, most gracious homes become a bit spooky when Bailey gets through with them.

Together, the photo shows on view at the University of Maine Museum of Art will show you sides of Bangor that you’ve probably never taken the time to see, and perhaps cause you to take a closer look at the world around you.

Both shows are on view through Jan. 17 at the University of Maine Museum of Art on Harlow Street in Bangor. Gallery Hours are 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday-Saturday, 11 a.m.-5 p.m. Sunday. For information, call 561-3350.