An image by Andrew Kilgore from his “Sunrise, 1970” collection which features photographs of blind, developmentally disabled children in Austin, Texas. (Andrew Kilgore/Courtesy Walton Arts Center)The work of Fayetteville photographer Andrew Kilgore will be on display at a new exhibition at Walton Arts Center next month.
The exhibition features 100 portraits of Arkansans curated by local artist Kathy P. Thompson from Kilgore’s archive of over 750,000 images.
In addition to his studio work, Kilgore has aimed to capture the lives of those who are “unseen” in society over his 53-year career.
He has worked with nonprofits and advocacy organizations to photograph children and adults with developmental disabilities, those who suffering from mental illness, at-risk adolescents and some of Fayetteville’s lowest-income citizens.
Kilgore is known across the state for capturing the underrepresented diversity of those who live in Arkansas, and is set to be awarded the 2023 Governor’s Arts Award for Lifetime Achievement at a March ceremony in Little Rock.
“I photograph these people because I love them,” said Kilgore. “When I open my eyes and my heart to someone whose vulnerability has so clearly defined their very being, I experience the deepest level of ineffable connection. And the best word that I have for that profound experience of connection is love.”
The center’s Joy Pratt Markham Gallery will host an opening reception for “100 Photographs by Andrew Kilgore” at 5 p.m. Friday, Jan. 6, 2023.
After that, the free exhibition will be open from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. weekdays through March 19. The gallery also opens one hour prior to Walton Arts Center performances and during intermission.
The exhibit will also include an audio component curated by KUAF, with more information about some of the photos.
An in-person conversation with Kilgore is scheduled for 6 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 26 in the gallery. The event is free and open to the public.
