Mercer University’s McEachern Art Center will celebrate First Friday in downtown Macon with the opening of its new exhibit, With Contrast, and a talk by artist Gary Blackburn.
 
The talk is free and open to the public and will begin Nov. 1 at 6 p.m. at the center, located at 332 Second Street. Light refreshments will be provided.
 
The exhibit will remain on display during the McEachern Art Center’s regular hours – Thursdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 4-8 p.m. – through Jan. 17, though the center will close Dec. 7-Jan. 7 for the University’s winter break.
 
Blackburn is a professor and chair of the Art Department in Mercer’s College of Liberal Arts and plans to retire following the current academic year having served for 33 years on the University’s faculty.
 
With Contrast will feature a selection of his photography and turned woodwork.
 
“In this exhibition we celebrate Professor Blackburn’s 33 years of service with a look at his recent works and a peek at his next step,” said Ben Dunn, director of the McEachern Art Center.
 
“He has photographed the barrier islands and waterways of Georgia and Florida for more than 20 years. The photographs in this exhibition are the result of a sabbatical taken during the fall of 2018. The theme is loosely the ways in which contrast – as an idea, a technique and a point of intersection – are manifest in his work. He emphasizes the interplay of land, water and sky using digital images in much of the work. There are also sculptural frames dating to an earlier sabbatical with fresh images as well as turned wood pieces – an indication of the upcoming works on Gary’s own horizon.”