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Inspiring Photography is on view in windows of Mashpee Common

Inspiring Photography Is On View In Windows Of Mashpee Bookshop

• By JOANNE BRIANA-GARTNER

•  

  • May 8, 2020

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  Photographs in the windows of the Market Street Bookshop in Mashpee Commons are by Pocasset photographer Robert Manz and some of the photographers represented in his gallery.

  Visitors to Mashpee Commons may still find the majority of the stores closed, but a new photography display in the windows of the Market Street Bookshop will give them something to look at—from a safe distance.

  As I was viewing the photographs the owner of the shop, Cynthia O’Brien, came to speak about the show, saying that her motivation for the display was the residents who live in the apartments above many of the businesses at the Commons, especially the ones who live above the bookshop. “The folks upstairs. This is for them,” she said.

  “I was talking with Robert [Manz] and he said, ‘What do you need,’ and I said, ‘I need art.’”

  Mr. Manz, an accomplished local photographer best known for his sweeping landscape photography, maintains a studio in Pocasset where he publishes his work and the work of other East Coast photographers. The show at the bookshop is titled “Art For You.”

  “These are photographers in the old photojournalist sense of the word,” said Ms. O’Brien. “They capture a story.”

  If you consider the photographs together, the two in the windows to the right of the building’s front exemplify morning: a lovely close up of a bluebird mother feeding a hungry chick and a cozy interior punctuated by an inviting cup of tea. The photographs are by Holly Ryan and Dunya McPherson, respectively.

  The front of the shop features arresting landscape photographs. Three are Cape settings; two are landscapes in Maine. “Monument Beach Sunset” by Shelli Mobilia and “Fog at Newcomb Hollow” by Mr. Manz both emphasize vast skies and quietude.

  The placement of photographs with similar ambiance or design elements is nicely done.

  On the adjacent windows are “Passing Bug Light,” taken in South Portland, Maine, by Jean Cousins; and “Summer’s End,” a photo of Port Clyde, Maine, by Susan Belle.

  Both photographs include strong imagery, balance and color. In “Bug Light” the lighthouse sits in the right corner of the photograph, dominating the frame, as a two-masted schooner glides by and a gull soars overhead. The difference in size between the three elements and their positioning creates a pleasing tension. “Summer’s End” also features a gray, weathered building on the right side of the image and a colorful skiff resting in overgrown grass alongside.

  Two Cape sunset shots by Mr. Manz evoke an end-of-the-day feeling. “I love a sunset,” said Ms. O’Brien, “and no one does better sunsets than Robert.”

  The last two photographs are portraits. The first, “Will Looking Forward” by Nina Fuller, is of a sheep. It is dramatic in its size. The sheep looks pensive. The second, “Jinka Blind Man” by Doug Adams, was taken in Moro Valley, Ethiopia. The blind man looks directly at the camera. His tan-colored clothing and hat are accentuated by a colorful scarf. Both shots present their subjects with quiet dignity.

  “I thought that was an interesting juxtaposition,” said Ms. O’Brien in regards to the placement of the last two photographs. “It’s a diversion,” she added, referring to the show in its entirety. “It’s socially close but physically distant, so it’s safe.”

  The show will be on view in the windows of the Market Street Bookshop through the end of the month. The bookstore is currently closed to the public but taking orders at 508-539-6985 and MarketStreetBookshop@protonmail.com.