An exhibition that captures the lives and spiritual essence of ordinary people and places in Broome County.
Binghamton, NY — Roberson Museum and Science Center has installed a new photography exhibition, “Bruce Wrighton: Through an Open Window,” opening February 25. This work features portraits of Broome County residents, streetscapes, and buildings in the area—all captured by Bruce Wrighton.
“Wrighton was an amazingly talented photographer, with the uncanny ability to extract a surprising layer of deeper meaning and sophistication from often the most mundane, quotidian subjects,” said Peter Klosky, Director of Exhibitions. “Architecture, street people, artists, or ashtrays, the eye moves to the very essence of the work. Bruce did a lot of work with Roberson’s curatorial staff in the 1980s, documenting exhibitions, folkart, and local history. His untimely passing was a major loss to the local artistic community.”
Wrighton operated almost solely in Binghamton, carrying around a big pack with heavy tripod and an 8 x 10 film camera, and maybe an extra lens of two. If he was working inside, he might bring along a few light stands to expedite the exposure. The set-up still takes time. The work is purposeful. “[S]etting up the 8 by 10 is not like the snap-snap of an SLR. It takes 16 minutes to get the whole thing together. It’s a commitment and it’s a building relationship,” he said in a 1988 interview with American Suburb X.
In interviews, he stressed the importance of setup, especially in his street portrait work. During that time between when he first asks, “Can I take your picture?” to the shutter of the viewfinder, he gets to know them in those 16 minutes—and how they view themselves.
A graduate of the University of Rochester with a B.A. in History, Bruce Wrighton continued his education in the Visual Studies Workshop, Rochester, New York. For over a decade, he worked extensively as a commercial photographer in the Binghamton area, including creative and interpretive documentary projects for Roberson, with a specialization in architectural and local history.
Up until he died of cancer at the age of 38 in 1988, he captured the lives of ordinary people and places in Broome County. Aside from Roberson, his compelling photographs are represented in collections throughout the U.S and Europe, including the Pompidou Center, Paris, the Getty Museum in Los Angeles, the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam, and the Martin Margulies collection in Miami. His work has been exhibited at galleries in New York, Paris, and Hamburg.
Get to know the spirit of 1980s Binghamton as seen by Bruce Wrighton.
Exhibition page: https://roberson.org/project/bruce-wrighton/
About Roberson Museum and Science Center
Roberson Museum and Science Center is a cultural hub of activities and events, serving the greater Binghamton community. Our mission remains to engage and educate people of all ages and backgrounds by providing regionally significant exhibitions and programs in art, history, and science.
Support is provided by the general operations support grants from the United Cultural Fund, a program of the Broome County Arts Council; the Conrad and Virginia Klee Foundation; the Zoos, Botanical Gardens and Aquariums Program, administered by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation; and the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Governor and the New York State Legislature.
