Exhibit Info
This Exhibition Is No Longer Showing
Title:
THE Question: A Photographic Journey
Dates:
April 1 until June 12, 2023
Location:
2nd Floor Reading Room
About:
The latest work of longtime photographer Larry Parsons dares to ask THE Question, and takes the viewer on a photographic journey in search of the answer. A young boy and his water buffalo constitute our guide through this narrative series, and we follow the questioner as he encounters many different characters and answers. Both the tale and the photographs that narrate it evoke a childlike inquisitiveness that echoes classic storytelling traditions, as Chinese hand-carved wooden figures come to life along with a host of eclectic household objects. Is there an answer to THE Question? Follow along to find out.
Parsons is a longtime businessman as well as an avocational photographer, having worked many years in investment management in the Princeton area. While studying history at Wake Forest as an undergrad, he was taken by the images illustrating historical tales, and his pursuit of photography began in earnest in the 1970s when his parents gave him a camera. While he had no formal training, he was able to study with many master teachers, including Bob Denby, Ricardo Barros, and the late Sally Davidson.
He has contributed to many shows at Gallery 14 in Hopewell, NJ, and has locally exhibited work at Phillips’ Mill, Mercer County College, Nassau Presbyterian Church, The Present Day Club, Princeton Arts Council, and Princeton Public Library. He has taught photography at the Princeton Adult School, Chautauqua Institution, and Grounds For Sculpture.
The story idea for this series came to Parsons almost a year ago, in what his wife Jean recounts was a brilliant surprise of clarity in the midst of his cognitive decline due to dementia. With the help of many friends and community members, the story has grown into this narrative photography series, for which this is the second exhibition, as well as a children’s book with the story written in both English and Chinese. We hope you will encounter the many voices that contributed to this series as you join in asking – and one day answering – THE Question.