Review: Fresh Approach

by Betsy Dollar …It is hard to bring something fresh to the world of black and white photography. Michael A. Shapiro’s powerful installation of shots from select cities across North America and Europe is a fresh approach. The grid of images, many larger than life, fully encircles the viewer and rhythmically moves the eye from image to image. The impact of these high quality photographic prints is both stunning and engaging. 100 Views of the City: Entries from an Urban Journal is an ongoing project for Mr. Shapiro that has immersed him in major metropolitan cities like Amsterdam, Montreal, Minneapolis, and San Francisco along with smaller more rural locations like Juarez, Mexico. The series is a mix of architecture, street action, and portraiture, all of which tells a story of universal experience while pinpointing cultural differences. Although viewers are intrigued by guessing the various locations of each image, it doesn’t really matter, the collective of the 100 images is a positive reflection of urban existence. The Phipps Center for the Arts is located at 109 Locust Street, Hudson, WI, 54016. The exhibition runs through January 11, 2015. Betsy Dollar, Executive director, Springfield Art Association, Springfield, IL