JOSEPH LAWTON

STATE FAIR

August 24 - October 13, 2000
Contact Sheet 108


For Joseph Lawton, the Fair is like the force of gravity, pulling him back to Syracuse every August for a new experience at a cherished event that he would attend with or without his camera. The process of putting together this exhibition began with reviewing nearly 2,500 work prints that Lawton began to make during his second residency at Light Work in January and February of 2000. In regards to this series, he says, "I'm interested in relationships between people--not just a document about the Fair itself."

In each image, he seems always to bring out strong sentiment without being sentimental, and to cast a critical eye without being judgmental. One would think that this stance is achieved because while he is looking out through the viewfinder into the crowd of strangers he is also looking back and recognizing something about himself--the place he is from, and the experiences he knows and remembers. The Fair, like most things in life, will bestow memorable rewards on those who are curious enough to step out of their own lives and risk investigating the experiences of others.