As always, this event is free and open to everyone, and refreshments will be provided by Gaines Group Architects.
Series Name: LO•CAL
Medium: Traditional and Instant Film Photography
Artist Statement: “I moved to Harrisonburg from Northeast Ohio eleven years ago. In the decade-plus since, the rolling hills of Rockingham County have shifted from a foreign landscape into the backdrop of my daily life. This exhibition explores the evolution of that perspective, questioning what it means to truly become a “local” when your roots began elsewhere. Working exclusively with traditional and instant film, I look for the textures that define this region. My choice of medium is intentional: film is a physical record of light and time. Unlike the infinite reproducibility of digital images, these photographs are tactile artifacts of a specific moment. This show is my personal map of the Shenandoah Valley. By capturing the mundane and the majestic through the lens of a long-term resident, I hope to offer a version of Harrisonburg and Rockingham County that feels both deeply familiar and newly discovered. It is a tribute to the eleven years it took to stop looking at this place as a destination and start seeing it as home.”
Artist Bio: Lindsey Kohler-Austin is a photographer whose work is defined by a commitment to the tangible and a deep reverence for the deliberate pace of film. Originally from Northeast Ohio and currently based in Harrisonburg, Virginia, Lindsey first picked up a camera at the age of twelve—beginning a lifelong journey of observing the world through a viewfinder.
A self-taught artist, Lindsey’s practice is characterized by a complete immersion in the photographic process. From the initial exposure to the final print, every step is handled by hand. By processing and developing her own traditional film and scanning each frame personally, they maintain a physical connection to the work that digital photography cannot replicate. For Lindsey, the limitations of film—the finite number of frames and the lack of an “undo” button—are essential tools that force a slower, more intentional engagement with the subject matter. This is the first public exhibition of Lindsey’s work.
