Closed since March, Lexington museum opens with photo exhibit to ‘give people some hope’
After being closed since March because of the coronavirus pandemic, the Headley Whitney Museum is reopening this weekend with an exhibit featuring the work of four well-known Kentucky photographers, including James Archambeault.
The exhibit, “Indelible”, showcases photographs by Archambeault, who died last year, as well as John Stephen Hockensmith, Linda Bruckheimer and Deirdre Lyons. It opens Friday and runs through Nov. 15.
“We’re very excited that we’re able to do this, and we’re taking every precaution” to ensure safety for guests and staff, said Executive Director Christina Bell. The museum grounds offer “very large open spaces, so I felt like it would be a safe way to have a moment with art, which we can all use right now.”
Many of the exhibit’s 175 photos feature “nature and the beautiful landscapes and vistas of Kentucky,” which Bell said she hopes will “give people some hope” during a time when many of us are tired of looking at the same four walls of our homes each day.
Archambeault’s work, which spanned 40 years, is the centerpiece of the exhibit.
“It’s really an honoring of his legacy,” Bell said.
Archambeault’s wife, Lee Archambeault, said she was “thrilled” that the museum chose to do the retrospective. She said she and Bell together chose photos representing his best work that touch on subjects most dear to him, including horses, Kentucky landmarks and scenes from around the couple’s second home on Pawleys Island, S.C.
Some of the photos also prominently feature barns, a symbol of Kentucky’s family farms.
“That was something that was so important to Jim when he did the book ‘Historic Kentucky’, Lee Archambeault said. “He was so struck by the fact that so many family farms were disappearing. It was his mission for a number of years ... to recognize those farms before they disintegrated.”
Bell said the other photographers featured in “Indelible” each bring something unique and beautiful.
Hockensmith, an equine photographer and print maker, brings his own light-infused Kentucky landscapes in the form of a series called “Back to Creation,” as well as “The Chrysalis Project,” documenting the life cycle and migration of monarch butterflies.
Bruckheimer, a photographer, novelist and preservationist who is married to film producer Jerry Bruckheimer, brings images that often are focused on the quirkier side of her home state.
“She has a lot of humor in her work,” Bell said. “It’s really sort of a journalistic look at the back roads and people of Kentucky.”
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This is Alltech co-founder Lyons’ first public showing, and she offers a collection of photos of big cats that were taken during her visits to African game preserves.
“It’s a pretty powerhouse gathering of some very artistic people that all care about Kentucky and the environment,” Bell said.
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‘Indelible’
Where: Headley Whitney Museum, 4435 Old Frankfort Pike
When: 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays beginning Sept. 11 through Nov. 15
Admission: $10, includes the museum’s permanent collections.
More: A reception will be held from 5 to 7 p.m. Sept. 12. Social distancing and masks will be required.
This story was originally published September 10, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
