2022-23 LIFT Series Expand All + Collapse All - A View from Here features the works of artists Anthony Reinhart, Christy Winegarden, and Brian Douglas. It is part of the LIFT community outreach program which highlights the creative talents of artists from the Region of Waterloo. A View from HereA well-crafted story captures our attention and imagination. It leaves us curious and hoping for more. The art of documentary photography does just that – it’s a visual story that unfolds to reveal a historical or everyday narrative to be shared and circulated before it is lost forever. The camera lens becomes a critical eye exposing uncomfortable truth, celebrating the human spirit, and encouraging viewers to think more deeply about the world around us. From the works of Philip Delamotte, Jacob Riis, and Dorothea Lange to Diane Arbus, Nan Goldin, and Sophie Green - the art of documentary photography pushes viewers to open their eyes to new understandings. Suzanne LukeCurator, Robert Langen Art GalleryDescription of Stand, 2018A black and white photograph of the bottom of a tree with branches and leaves blooming outwards stands in front of the remnants of a brick J.M. Schneider Meat Processing Plant wall.Stand, 2018digital photograph on rag paperAnthony ReinhartAnthony Reinhart is a Waterloo based photographer and former print journalist. Casting a wide net in terms of subject matter and genre, he uses a camera as a pause-button on everyday life, documenting scenes that many people might never stop to consider – a person walking, a reflection in a window, buildings going up or coming down. From these moments of found art, he strives to pull the monumental from the mundane. He has taken part in several exhibitions in Waterloo Region since 2012, and co-founded FLASH: Contemporary Photography Here, a series of sold-out, one-night events in 2015, 2016 and 2017 at the Tannery in Kitchener, Ont. FLASH won the Waterloo Region Arts Award for Best New Festival or Event in 2015. Anthony is the editorial director for Communitech, a non-profit innovation hub based in Kitchener.Artist’s StatementIn a city long known for its industry, none was so deeply rooted in the local identity of Kitchener, Ontario as the J.M. Schneider meat processing plant. Founded in 1890, the company provided livelihoods to thousands of local families before its sprawling site was shut down in 2014. A housing community – dubbed The Metz, in a nod to its historic owner, John Metz Schneider – is planned to rise in its place. These images, made during multiple visits to the demolition site between 2018 and 2022, constitute a composite snapshot of the plant’s gradual unbuilding, against the backdrop of an evolving urban community and broader concerns about meat consumption and its environmental impacts. Description of Hope, 2020A photograph of a woman against a grey background. The woman is wearing a white shirt with her hair pulled back. A cluster of twigs and feathers cover the girl’s eyes. Some of the feathers are long, as well as black, grey, and blue, and some are short, and orange and white.Hope, 2020 digital photograph mounted on alupanelChristy WinegardenChristy Winegarden is a photographer who lives and works in Southwestern Ontario. She received a degree in Social Work before returning to an interest in photography in her 30's. She then studied photography at Sheridan College, Conestoga College as well as the Ontario College of Art and Design. In 2017, Winegarden began a mentorship with Jennifer Thoreson to further develop the conceptual aspect of her photography. Her work has been presented in Group Exhibitions such as Salon 14, The Propeller Art Gallery, Toronto 2020Group Exhibition, Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival 2019, N/gage, the Parkview Gallery CAPIC Xpose 2019 curated exhibition in Etobicoke, Scotiabank Contact Photography Festival 2019 at the Papermill Gallery at Todmorden Mills Heritage Site, Toronto, Ontario, the CAPIC XPOSE Juried competition 2019, and the 2019 Contemporary Art Committee and Museum 12th Annual Contemporary Art Exhibition in Kirkland Lake. 'Golden Reflections'. Museum of Northern History, Sir Harry Oakes Chateau. She is a member of the Art District Gallery of Waterloo.Artist’s StatementAll of my photographic work explores the role that objects play in forming personal histories. This new series, Forage, contemplates how humans might live in harmony with nature using found organic materials in combination with images of people. The feeling of grief produced by environmental change directly connected to one's home environment, is known as Solastalgia. The impact of human destruction and urban sprawl on naturalized spaces in our neighbourhoods has an adverse effect on our sense of identity. Wilderness loss also causes more contact between animals and humans, and with this, the spread of viral transmission. Thus, the discussion of our own destructiveness becomes imperative at this time.In these images, forest debris is used to suggest a new relationship with the natural world. As the natural fragments engulf and embrace humanity, they suggest new possibilities for restoration. By using the same models repeatedly in the series, my intention is to have the photographs act as mirrors and encourage reflection on the topic.Description of Patty, baker (city cafe), 2013There are four sections in this image. The top left section is a black and white photograph of a woman with her back turned to the camera. The woman has a short ponytail and is wearing a shirt that says ‘City Café Bakery,’ a striped bakers hat, and a plaid apron. She is holding a wooden baking paddle. The top right section shows the woman’s workplace. The photograph showcases bread in City Café. There are signs that have the food and beverage prices, as well as a display for food. The bottom left section is inside Dare Foods, which shows two packaging machinery beside each other. In the bottom right, a man wearing glasses, a hairnet, and a white coat that says Dare stands with his hands on his hips facing the camera. He is smiling with his mouth closed. The image is black and white.Patty, baker (city cafe), 2013Tom, production supervisor (dare foods), 2014digital photographs on aluminumBrian DouglasBrian grew up in the Newmarket area but after completing a Master of Social Work degree through the University of Toronto he moved with his wife to Kitchener-Waterloo, where he continues to pursue his passion for photography.Contact Brian directly at:brian@bdouglasphotography.comWebsite: www.bdouglasphotography.comInstagram: @brianrdouglas Artist’s StatementBrian Douglas is a photographer who thrives on finding new, creative forms of visual expression. His photographs depict his subject matters in their most raw and honest forms. Brian believes that there is beauty to be found in any and all surroundings and strives to show this with his photographs.