The Takoma Park Community Center will hold a free opening reception on June 15 for the exhibition “Celebrating Sligo Creek,” featuring two photographers and a mixed-media artist.
The exhibition, which will be on view until Sept. 7, features work by artists Julius Kassovic, Lynn Alleva Lilley, and Steven Robinson.
“Sligo Creek is a lifeblood for wildlife in Takoma Park, an important tributary in our watershed, and a source of creativity and inspiration for local artists,” city officials said in the event announcement.
Julius Kassovic is a Silver Spring-based fine art photographer. As the subject of his Intimate Waterscape series, Sligo Creek has been his major muse since 2005.
As a Peace Corps staff member, he documented the organization’s projects around the world using color negative film. The artist’s work has been exhibited in galleries in the Washington, D.C., region as well as in other states and countries.
“I have been intensively shooting photos in Sligo Creek, and I keep finding new expressions of its beauty,” he said. ”I wade into the creek to capture dreamlike images reflecting through the shallow water that appear to be double exposures but are true representations of the creek’s beauty.”
Lynn Alleva Lilley’s photography is inspired by poetry, music, painting, and science and explores personal connections to nature and place. In the upcoming photo book The Nest, she will feature photographs of Sligo Creek and other places. Her work has been exhibited nationally and internationally.
“Eight years ago, I walked into the woods of Sligo Creek and was struck by how the bright winter light fell on brambles in the early evening, creating masses of shimmering silver and red lines,” she said. “These lines in nature felt like possibility, a way to question and to weave a life from fragility, fracture, and chaos into a shifting, shimmering beauty.”
Steven Robinson majored in art at college and has worked for various advertising firms as an advertising artist. His mixed-media creations, embellished with glass and minerals, represent the vast diversity of nature, including butterflies, insects, reptiles, and amphibians, using his photographs of Sligo Creek as inspiration.
“For as long as I can remember, I’ve had a strong awareness of the natural world, especially the small details of shapes, textures, and colors,” he said. “Using my photography and technical skills, I enjoy producing a unique perspective of our beautiful, complex, and perfect natural world.”
The “Celebrating Sligo Creek” opening reception will be held Thursday, June 15 at 7:30 p.m. at the Takoma Park Community Center, located at 7500 Maple Avenue.
Takoma Park Graphic