The new Northern Stage building is now complete and my images are incorporated on both the donor wall and space naming plaques.  Very exciting!  There will be a grand opening on October 10 from 11:00 to 2:00 so if you’re in town, please do come see the beautiful new building and check out my photos that are scattered throughout the building.  Here’s a preview of the donor wall, the artist’s statement I wrote for this project, and a final short slide show of a few more of my favorite images:

Northern Stage Donor Wall

My artist’s statement:

Several years ago, in a conversation exploring the nature of Presence, a dear friend and colleague said that for him beauty and Presence were synonymous. I believe that when we are fully present and not distracted by labels, judgments or expectations, we are available to flashes of perception that allow us to discover the beauty that most often goes unnoticed.

As I think about this project photographing the Northern Stage construction site, where we see the most ordinary, the most mundane… a ladder, a stack of pipes, a work glove, the colorful electrical wires hidden behind the walls, evidence of welding on metal… we can also see the beautiful artistry (and Presence) of true crafts people.

One day, as I was taking photos in the partially completed theater, I had a conversation with one of the workers who had just finished hanging dry wall around a curved space. There was such pride in his voice that conveyed to me his pride in the work of art he had just created.

Every moment during the construction of this new theater project has been an expression of true artistry, from the detailed design of the architect to the simple act of hammering a nail. And then there’s the unexpected symphony of color, the play of light, the texture of raw material, the design of function, and the dance of emergence, that all go into the making of a beautiful whole. Each moment is a work of art that will support the creation and experience of ongoing beauty in a theater designed to entertain, inspire, and express the vast spectrum of human emotions.

By capturing these moment in photographs, I hope also to have captured the beauty and presence of each artist/craftsperson who contributed to the creation of the new Northern Stage. I am immensely grateful to have had the privilege to witness and photograph the gradual emergence of this beautiful new theater.

Carla Kimball
September, 2015

A few more of my favorite images from this project: