Town Hall Theater Presents The Work Of Tad Merrick In Their Jackson Gallery 8/14

Many know Tad Merrick as the commercial photographer who, for nearly thirty years, has captured the most treasured moments of lives and community, including weddings, graduations, and alumni gatherings, and who is a fixture on Main Street, complete with his own special at the bakery. However, a new exhibit of his work, opening at the Jackson Gallery at Town Hall Theater on Friday, August 14, focuses on work that represents Merrick's personal artistic vision.

Before embracing still photography, Merrick was first drawn to the black and white imagery of film noir and the films of Federico Fellini and Ingmar Bergman. It was at Antioch College in Ohio during the early 1970s that he first began taking still photographs in earnest. From 1974-1976 he attended the pioneering Center for Photographic Studies in Louisville, Kentucky, receiving the Ralph Eugene Meatyard Scholarship in 1975. His photographic roots include the grim poetic imagery of Meatyard and Clarence John Laughlin, the intimate views of family by Harry Callahan and Emmet Gowin, and the humorous surrealist compositions of Lee Friedlander and Elliot Erwitt. Merrick concentrated his early work on photographing people within cityscapes, using shapes, shadows and scale to create a sense of drama and isolation. As he moved from Kentucky to San Francisco, and finally to Vermont, he incorporated his new surroundings into his images and gradually let humor and irony become part of his vision as well. "While I view these images as serious poetic moments," states the artist, "I also believe in viewing them with a sense of humor." His latest works add a spiritual awe for nature that refreshes his concept of man's insignificance, now setting it against majestic scenery and a geologic timeline.

"A Certain Ambiguity: The Photography of Tad Merrick" will be on exhibit at the Jackson Gallery at Town Hall Theater, Merchants Row, Middlebury from August 14 through September 13. The opening reception on Friday, August 14 from 5-7:00 pm, will coincide with the monthly Middlebury Arts Walk, and is free to the public, with a cash bar. The Jackson Gallery at Town Hall Theater is open Monday-Saturday, noon to 5 p.m., and during performances. For more information call 382-9222.

Photo caption: Tad Merrick's photograph "Lonesome Home" will be among his work on exhibit at the Jackson Gallery at Town Hall Theater 8/14 - 9/13, with an opening reception 8/14, 5-7 pm.