From the Files: Charles Gatewood

The Light Work files contain all kinds of valuable detail about artists we’ve worked with over the years. Collectively, they help us form a narrative of our history as an organization. Case in point is this letter (click on the letter to enlarge it) found in Charles Gatewood’s artist file. Gatewood was the first Light Work Artist-in-Residence, the inaugural entry in a list of artists that now reaches into the hundreds. In the letter he mentions the day he will arrive in Syracuse, allowing us to pinpoint the exact anniversary of the program.

A press release from 1976 has this to say about Light Work’s first resident: “During September, Charles Gatewood, photographer, will be spending the month in residency at Community Darkrooms. A self-taught photographer, Gatewood’s interest in people is evident always in his work. ‘I like people. Human behavior has always fascinated me especially when it is tied to strong emotion. As a photographer, I try to capture these emotions on film to remember, to communicate with others and to comment on what I have experienced.'”

Also in the files was this thank-you note that Gatewood wrote days after the residency upon his return to New York City . . .  sounds like it was a good experience.

Click here to see images by Gatewood in the Light Work Collection and to read more about the artist.

—Mary Goodwin, Associate Director