March 7–31, 2025 @ Johnson County Center for the Arts
The faces and places of Johnson County have always been the focal point of Dennis Shekinah’s photography.
Through social and traditional media, many people have seen Shekinah's images and appreciate how they capture the beauty of this area’s people and its surroundings. For the past six months, he has focused his lens on Johnson County anew for a show entitled "I Dream in Black and White."
The Johnson County Center for the Arts is excited to showcase Shekinah and his photography at the Gallery on Main as the featured artist for the month of March.
Asked what inspired the title of his show Shekinah said, "When you dream in color it is thought to be an enhancement of memory, but to me a remembrance in black and white highlights the moment more."
For more than 40 years,Shekinah has used photography as his artistic medium and says, “I study photography daily in publications and online and I am just now gathering the equipment to do it properly.”
“I have worked with other mediums, like India ink,” Shekinah says, but almost exclusively in black and white. With my photographs, I found I was gravitating to black and white images more and more.”
“It’s a popular hypothetical to ask ‘would Ansel Adams use Adobe Photoshop if he was alive today?’” Shekinah mused. “But a more intriguing question to me is ‘would he still print images in black and white?’ I would think yes, because it creates a more powerful image to behold.”
Like all artists, Shekinah hopes his images strike a deep chord with viewers, “I would love to inspire patrons to explore photography as a means of seeing our world anew. Don’t we all carry a camera with us most of the time on our smart phone? One of my show entries was taken with my phone camera.”
The "I Dream in Black & White" show opening is Friday, March 7 from 4-6 p.m at the Johnson County Center for the Arts' Gallery on Main at 129 W. Main St, Mountain City, Tennessee.
Category: Exhibits
