Light Work Presents Summer Exhibitions

Light Work will present “According to the Laws of Chance,” a group exhibition, through Aug. 16 in the Kathleen O. Ellis Gallery, 316 Waverly Ave, on the Syracuse University campus.

“According to the Laws of Chance” is a group exhibition showcasing 11 artists whose work embraces chance as a core element of their image-making. The photographers in this exhibition embrace the unpredictable and find ways to amplify chance to suit their own conceptual and creative needs.

Jaclyn Wright, Blaze Pink, I, 2023
Jaclyn Wright, “Blaze Pink,” I, 2023

The artists in this exhibition are Cheryl Miller, Claire A. Warden, Jaclyn Wright, Josh Thorson, Kyle Tata, Louis Chavez and Will Stith, and Light Work’s collection artists Cecil McDonald, Jr., James Welling, Peter Finnemore and Rita Hammond.

An opening reception will take place in the Kathleen O. Ellis Gallery at Light Work on July 26 from 5-7 p.m.

About “According to the Laws of Chance”

Chance is a core tenet of photography. The image-makers in this exhibition embrace the unpredictable and find ways to amplify chance for conceptual and creative purposes. These artists interpret chance via darkroom and analog experimentation, conceptually driven exploration, daily image-making and studio-based arranging. The results of these methods are surprising expressions of each artist’s voice. Together they showcase the wide-ranging use of chance and highlight it as a vital tool in contemporary photographic practice.

2024 Light Work Grants in Photography

Light Work announces an exhibition featuring works of the winners of  the 49th Annual Light Work Grants in Photography. The 2024 award recipients are Malik Abdoulmoumine, Rosely Htoo and Kari Varner. The two runner-ups are Alex Cassetti and Ian Sherlock Molloy.

Kari Varner, Monett & Sedalia, 2022
Kari Varner, “Monett & Sedalia,” 2022

The exhibition will be on display through Aug. 16 in Light Work’s Jeffrey J. Hoone Gallery. An opening reception will take place July 26 from 5-7 p.m.

The grants are part of Light Work’s ongoing effort to provide support and encouragement to Central New York artists working in photography within a 50-mile radius of Syracuse.

Established in 1975, the Light Work Grants program is one of the longest-running photography fellowships in the country. Each recipient receives a $3,000 stipend and appears in Contact Sheet: The Light Work Annual. This year’s judges were Sydney Ellison, Lacey McKinney and Darin Mickey.

General Information

Light Work’s galleries are located in the Robert B. Menschel Media Center, 316 Waverly Ave., Syracuse. Summer gallery hours are Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Light Work closes on all major holidays. Contact Light Work to schedule a guided tour of the galleries or the Light Work Lab. Follow Light Work on Facebook and Instagram. For general information, please visit www.lightwork.org, call 315.443.1300, or email info@lightwork.org.

Parking Information

Paid parking is available in the Comstock Avenue Garage at the intersection of Comstock and Waverly Avenues, diagonally across the street from Light Work. There is also metered parking in front of  Bird Library, on Walnut Avenue and on Comstock Avenue across from the Comstock Avenue Garage. Visit parking.syr.edu for more information on parking and directions to the galleries.