Vicki McKenna

Geological time is deep, but it is composed of the accumulation of the change and complexity produced by the everyday interactions among water, air, rock, and biology. The resulting landscape forms and sediments are elements of an epic movie. McKenna’s photographs are still frames from that movie and they offer glimpses of the earth’s story in the making. Since the frames feature everyday occurrences she invites you to forego any expected grandeur and appreciate the ordinary.

As a geologist and teacher, McKenna started taking photographs to illustrate concepts to her students. Soon she became intrigued by the challenges of representing a three-dimensional world with an engaging, two-dimensional image. The image is a starting point, and a print is the final expression of what she had conceived when taking the photograph. McKenna views the craftsmanship involved with printing to be as important as the original composition of the photograph. Her black and white prints are made using historic, hand-crafted techniques since this provides her with an additional avenue of expression.

After earning a PhD in Geological Sciences from Brown University and ALB in Natural Sciences from Harvard University, McKenna studied photography at the New England School of Photography, the Photography Atelier at the Griffin Museum, and Maine Media Workshops. She has had juried solo shows at the Firehouse Center for the Arts, Newburyport and the Newton Free Library, and has exhibited extensively throughout New England and along the East Coast. Among those galleries are the Danforth Museum, Framingham, MA, the Cambridge Art Association, Cambridge, MA, PhotoPlace Gallery, Burlington, VT, and the Kiernan Gallery, Lexington, VA. McKenna has taught a freshman seminar focused on photography at M.I.T., where she also photographs for student programs and events. McKenna works from Riverwandering Studio in Newton, MA.

Fountain Street Exhibitions: Outlook, The Space for Maybe, Upended, Geographies of a Shifting World, Sharp Focus, Read Between the Lines, Breaking the Rules, At the Edge, Thrive, Space Invaders, Yellow Too!