Newburyport Art Association presents this show as part of the “2022 International Year of Glass” (as designated by the United Nations), shining a light on the significant role that glass plays in facilitating our perspective on the world. This exhibition, juried by Pete Johnson, bridges our use of glass with the art of photography.

Due to its extraordinary material properties, glass is (and has been) at the heart of many discipline, industry, and societal shifts throughout the past five thousand years of our history. In other words, glass—and human, creative experiment with glass—have played pivotal roles in our development for nearly all recorded history. According to Pew Research in April 2021, the vast majority of Americans—97% of us—now own a cellphone and 85% own a smartphone. Glass is carried in the pockets of millions of people and enables us incredible access to our world and new ways of seeing and capturing it. Glass permeates our daily lives and is so common, we often overlook and take for granted this critical material that bridges the gaps among science, art, design, craft, and our daily lives. The durability and strength of glass enable us to carry mobile devices that resist scratches and breakage. The unique qualities of glass and its capacity to conduct an electric charge enable our ability to navigate those same devices through touch. And experimentation by lens makers continues to extend the possibilities of human vision, allowing us to capture images through the very same devices (relying on the tiniest pieces of glass) to document our world.

Celebrating Access Through Glass Innovation: Smartphone Photography is juried by Pete Johnson, who has used photography in concert with his life pursuits, relationships, and travels. His diverse professional and artistic background has fashioned a style that combines street photography, portraiture, and photojournalism. He has had the opportunity to shoot across industries and extensively throughout the world. Pete currently teaches creative photojournalism and produces educational media in Charlotte, NC.

Join us on Saturday, February 26th, 2022, from 4:00 pm - 6:00 pm for a reception in the galleries, with some live music, an opportunity to meet some of the artists, and a reading of awards. This will be a joint reception featuring two other exhibitions: Winter Juried Show (Part I) and Winter Juried Show (Part II).