POET OF THE ORDINARY Photographs by Keith Carter

September 27, 2009-December 14, 2009

January 11-17, 2010

The Esther Massry Gallery presents Poet of the Ordinary, Photographs by Keith Carter. On exhibit are 77 toned, silver gelatin and platinum prints that span tweenty-five years and document the area around the artist's East Texas home, the South and abroad.

Keith Carter

Keith Carter is known for his enigmatic photographs that reveal extraordinary observations taken from everyday life in the surrounding area near the artist’s East Texas home. Some of the artist’s favorite images are children, dogs, horses and people.

Born in Madison, Wisconsin in 1948, the family moved to Beaumont, Texas when the artist was 5 years old and he has remained there ever since. His mother was a professional photographer. The artist recalls, as a small child, sleeping on a pallet in the kitchen while his mother developed the images she took during the day. He was entranced by the orange light, the sound of splashing water and the magic of watching images emerge in the developing trays. As a teenager, he accompanied his mother on photography tours to small Texas towns, entertaining the children while she took their pictures. He went on to earn a living as a commercial photographer in Beaumont while he continued to hone his unique vision by practicing his art.

Today, Keith Carter is an internationally recognized photographer and educator. Dubbed “Poet of the Ordinary” by the Los Angeles Times, his photographs have been widely exhibited in Europe, the United States and Latin America. His work is included in numerous permanent collections including the Art Institute of Chicago; San Francisco Museum of Modern Art; George Eastman House and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston.

The exhibition is on loan courtesy of the artist in cooperation with the Wittliff Collection of Southwestern and Mexican Photography, Texas State University-San Marcos. For additional images and information, please visit www.keithcarterphotographs.com or www.library.swt.edu/swwc.com.