Join us at "The Material Image" art opening celebrating Analog and Experimental Photography on Fourth Friday, 6-9 pm, October 24, 2025 at ACME Art Studios, 711 N 5th Ave, Wilmington, NC, 28401. Admission is free and open to the public.
The exhibit features artists from across Wilmington and Southeastern North Carolina and highlights diverse approaches to photography that foreground process, materiality, and the handmade in an age dominated by polished digital images.
Curated by UNCW Lecturer in Studio Art & Art History, Dr James Farley, The Material Image features works by Rebecca Chappelear, Madison Creech, Alison Harshbarger, Ava Hicks, Kyle Jernigan, Courtney Johnson, Andrew Jones, Chelsea Lea, Jennifer Mace, Lindy Schoenborn, Andrew Sherman, Nate Smith, and Melissa Wilgis.
The exhibition explores photography as both image and object. From nineteenth-century processes on glass and metal to film photography, hand-printed and experimental printing techniques, and photographs made without cameras, The Material Image presents photography as a tactile and alchemical art form that is thriving in a digital age.
“In today’s world of digital perfection, artificial intelligence, and instant gratification, these artists remind us that photography can be slow, material, and deeply experimental,” says curator
Dr James Farley. “This exhibition invites viewers to experience photography not just as a picture, but as a material and physical practice — something made, touched, and transformed.”
About ACME Art
Founded in 1991, ACME Art is Wilmington’s longest-running artist collective, providing studio space and a platform for local and regional artists to share their work with the community.
For press inquiries, interviews, or images, please contact:
James Farley
(919) 902 9751 |
ZmFybGV5aiB8IHVuY3cgISBlZHU= | @studio_australis
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