current Exhibition AT THE GALLERY AT STILL RIVER EDITIONS
bill quinnell:
words and pictures
july 12 – september 26, 2025
Opening reception saturday july 12, 2 pm – 4 pm
Free and open to the publiC
Shadow © Bill Quinnell
ARTIST STATEMENT
Many years ago when I was at Pratt, I discovered the photographer Duane Michaels’ book, Now Becoming Then. The first image that struck me was a snapshot of a couple sitting on a bed. Looked like something form the 1950’s. He’s in a suit, she’s in a dress. [Michaels] simply hand wrote “I knew there was a time when we were in love.” The book is a series of similar reflections and, for want of a better description, short stories using images and words. To that point, I had thought of photographs, serious photographs, as precious objects. None of Michaels’ work fit that description, but I found them terribly powerful.
The first piece I made like this used two photographs of my son, and I reflected on fatherhood. Many years later, I used a picture of two nuns and two secular young women to talk about life’s choices. These were both one-offs.This show represents a concerted effort on my part to create a body of work like this and not simply wait until lightning strikes.
I think of them as pages from a journal or diary that happen to use images along with words. The thought of doing this has been in the back of my head for years. Whether it goes any farther than here, I don’t know. This is kind of the best test.
about the artist
Bill Quinnell earned a BA and MA in Philosophy and an MFA in Photography from Pratt Institute, Brooklyn, NY.
He taught at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, CT from 1970-2003, finishing his long career as the Head of the Photography Program in the Department of Art.
Quinnell has had solo exhibitions at Western Connecticut State University, University of New Haven, Canterbury School, and Sterling Sound in NYC as well as group shows at the Washington Art Association, Pratt Institute, 123 Watts Gallery in NYC, Gallery 56 in Memphis, TN, McNeese State University in Louisiana, Aura Gallery in Santa Fe, NM., and the University of Texas in Austin.
ABOUT THE GALLERY AT STILL RIVER EDITIONS
The Gallery at Still River Editions has hosted national and regional photographers and artists since 1989. In spring 2011, after a brief hiatus from exhibiting new work, the gallery returned to hosting up to four exhibitions a year. The Gallery's mission is to show traditional and digital prints of photographs and fine artwork, and to be a center of creativity and connection in the Danbury area.
The Gallery at Still River Editions is open during normal business hours 8:30 am - 5 pm Monday through Friday, and during posted hours for special events. The Gallery does not accept unsolicited submissions at this time.
