Art-O-Mat Gallery presents Faces of a Village: Photographs of a Universal Principle featuring photographs of faces from our LIC neighborhood specially captured for this exhibition by Jackie Weisberg and Alexander Richter.

Small towns are the best, and that is what LIC really is. Despite the rapid changes of development there is a certain breed that gravitates towards our small town. Some are drawn without even thinking why – just responding to the open sky. Others immediately pick up that this has ALWAYS been an active community and whether they participate or not, they crave the myriad experience of a small town. I like to think of our village as a universe. And within are its many galaxies. Some galaxies are families, some galaxies are the folks who run business, and some are groups that meet at local watering holes. Some come together through tragedy, others through the dog run, playground and the church. They all have their distinct orbit. Through the organic passage of time eventually the different faces come colliding together to build a collective spirit.

For many years Jackie Weisberg has been photographing her environment and the people who inhabit it, primarily in New York City, and Brooklyn in particular, the borough in which she was raised and now lives.

Photographing trees are also an obsession for her, and Jackie has photographed them all over the world, on film, digitally, in black and white and in color. In the last four years Jackie has been the recipient of many prestigious awards, including the International Color Awards Outstanding Achievement and Merit of Excellence Awards in the Abstract Category as well as placing second as Photographer of the Year. During each of the past four years Jackie was a winner in both the Black and White Spider Awards and again in the International Color Awards competitions.

Her work has appeared in many shows and is in numerous private and corporate collections.

“Creating the photographs for this exhibit was a little bit like following Alice down the rabbit hole. Long Island City is a wonderland of unique people, including artists, musicians, community activists, and just plain people with great backbone and character who take pride in themselves and their neighborhood. These are people who do not suffer fools lightly, and I was very gratified to gain their trust in order to make their portraits. It is my great wish that I will be lucky enough, and privileged enough, to continue photographing many of them, with the hope that eventually I may be thought of as not just a photographer, but as a friend.” – Jackie Weisberg

Alexander Richter is from the great state of Maine and currently resides in Sunnyside, Queens. Alexander is a regular contributor to magazines such as Hip Hop Connection, Cool’eh and XXL among others. When he is not in New York, Alexander can be found in Cape Porpoise, Maine cooking up chowder and devouring lobsters.

“This has been a wonderful experience. The people that I have met are all amazing; whether it was their relentless spirit, quiet charm or witty humor, they allowed me into their lives for a few hours and I left inspired by their stories. They truly represent the Long Island City of the past, present and future.” – Alexander Richter

Faces of a Village: Photographs of a Universal Principle converges with a singular event in LIC. Our neighbor Rose Fazio will reach her 100th birthday on February 14, 2009. Rose is a remarkably vibrant individual who regularly climbs to her third story walk up and still remains an active particpant in neighborhood goings on. Art-O-Mat will recognize her birthday with a special presentation.