On view from August 5-26, 2022

Wilmington, Del. (July 29, 2022) – The Delaware Division of the Arts’ Mezzanine Gallery presents 2022 DDOA Individual Artist Fellow Katie West’s exhibition, Jamaican Journey, running August 5-26, 2022. Guests are invited to attend a Meet-the-Artist Reception on Friday, August 5, from 5:00-7:00 p.m.

Travel to Jamaica with a collection of photographs depicting the rich culture and color from across the island – including landscapes, seascapes, flowers, people, and architecture. You’ll find yourself gliding gently down the Rio Grande River in Portland Parish, Jamaica, on a bamboo raft, powered and steered by a young Jamaican man using only a bamboo pole. A drive in the country yields an assortment of brightly painted buildings, as well as beautiful vistas of the green mountains and rivers. Take a walk along Negril’s 7-mile beach and cliffs to observe the sea, beach vendors, tropical flowers, and stunning sunsets. “Capturing life in all its forms on this beautiful island is my passion,” says West.

West describes her evolution as an artist: “I spent most of my working life involved in the arts – dancing professionally, teaching dance, and working in arts administration and grantmaking. As a child in upstate New York, I learned about photography from my father, an amateur photographer, but did not pursue it professionally until 2019, when I retired and decided to focus on travel, wandering, and photographing the sights and people along the way.”

In the two years since her first invitation to exhibit during the summer of 2020, West’s photos have been accepted into 6 juried in-person exhibitions, 12 international online shows, and two solo exhibits. Her works are now in several private collections; five of her black & white images of Delaware hang in the Marketplace on the Mezzanine (2^nd floor) of the Carvel State Office Building in Wilmington, and in 2022 she received an Emerging Artist Fellowship from the Delaware Division of the Arts.

“When I travel, or just take a walk at home, I always have my camera in hand to capture the multitude of unique images I see,” West recounted. “ Many photos end up in the trash bin, but when editing, I look for images that tell a story about a place or culture, or evoke a particular feeling. The theme of this exhibit, Jamaica, is close to my heart.  I began visiting the island more than 30 years ago and fell in love with the culture and environs. However, I also love to travel to other locales. My website, www.katiewestphoto.com, features images from Greece and Costa Rica, as well as my beautiful adopted state of Delaware, which I focused on capturing during the early days of the pandemic when travel was not possible.”

The Mezzanine Gallery, open weekdays from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., is located on the second floor of the Carvel State Office Building, 820 N. French Street, Wilmington.

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Contact: Andrew Truscott, Program Officer, Marketing and Communications

302-577-8280, andrew.truscott@delaware.gov

The Delaware Division of the Arts, a branch of the Delaware Department of State, is dedicated to cultivating and supporting the arts to enhance the quality of life for all Delawareans. Together with its advisory body, the Delaware State Arts Council, the Division administers grants and programs that support arts programming, educate the public, increase awareness of the arts, and integrate the arts into all facets of Delaware life. For more information about the Delaware Division of the Arts, visit arts.delaware.gov or call 302-577-8278.

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