Friday, August 6th - Friday, August 27th, 2021

The Strand Center for the Arts was thrilled to host “North Country Exposures: A Candid Look at the Past Decade,” artwork created by photographer, Gabe Dickens, in the Main Gallery.

Since obtaining his degree in newspaper journalism from SUNY Plattsburgh in 2011, Dickens, a native of Minneapolis, has worked as a freelance photographer documenting life in the North Country and beyond. In that time, he had amassed numerous accolades and a remarkable portfolio, primarily through his work as a photojournalist for the local newspaper, the Press-Republican. Dickens had also worked closely with various departments at SUNY Plattsburgh, most notably becoming a key component of the Cardinal Athletics brand through his action photography.

His work has appeared in other local publications including Lake Champlain Weekly, Seven Days, and the Burlington Free Press, as well as nationally and internationally via the Chicago Tribune, The New York Times, The Guardian, and The Daily Mail.

 While Dickens has had thousands of photographs published, he’s a newcomer to the world of artistic exhibitions. At the suggestion of his mentor and fellow photographer, Ron Nolland, he began submitting work to local exhibitions in 2018. The following year, he took home first place for his piece “Amorphous” in the 2019 Strand Center for the Arts juried show.

 Concerning his work, Dickens states: “Ropert Capa, an iconic photojournalist most famous for documenting the storming of Omaha Beach on D-Day, once said ‘If your pictures aren’t good enough, you’re not close enough.’ While I believe there is merit in taking the quote at face-value as an indication of physical distance, I believe the true meaning is more spiritual in nature – the ability to capture the very essence of a person. It’s this essence that I’ve long sought to capture in my imagery and an aspect which I hope to convey through much of my work in this exhibition.”

Dickens’ photography spans many genres, although it’s overwhelmingly focused on breaking news, events, sports, and “slice of life” photos, which will be the focus of the gallery. Some notable news stories that will be featured are the destruction of St. Mary’s Academy in Champlain, the manhunt for convicted killers David Sweat and Richard Matt following their escape from Clinton Correctional Facility, Donald Trump’s presidential rally, and protests on the SUNY Plattsburgh campus following a racist Snapchat image by a fellow student.

Outside of his paid work, Gabe enjoys exploring the outdoors in search of photographic opportunities including wildlife, landscapes, and abstracts. There will also be a subsection of the gallery devoted to this work. For leisure, he enjoys live music, hiking the Adirondacks (occasionally without a camera), kayaking, fishing, and thrifting.