“Calling Home”If you go
› What: “18 to 24,” featuring photographs by Jake Wheeler› When: Through April 10› Where: Exum Gallery inside St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 305 W. Seventh St.› Hours: 8:30 a.m.-4:30 p.m. Monday-Friday› Admission: Free› Information: 423-266-8195
As a young boy growing into a young teenager, Jake Wheeler lived on the back side of Signal Mountain, down a dirt road populated by log cabins that got their water from a well. He saw plenty of trees and lots of wildlife.
After graduating from McCallie School, he attended the University of Tennessee in Knoxville, arriving on campus just in time for his first class, which happened to be an art class.
Once in Knoxville, he was immediately struck by the vast amounts of graffiti, railroad tracks, asphalt, concrete brick, metal and homeless people. Transitioning from rural to urban life struck a chord within him and he decided to explore his new world, documenting what he discovered on film.
“I’m a big runner, so I would go on these long runs learning about Knoxville and I would go back to some places with my camera,” Wheeler recalls.
Forty photographs from that exploration are on display at the Exum Gallery in St. Paul’s Episcopal Church through April 10 in a showcase called “18 to 24.” The title is a reflection of his age during the years he took the pictures but also of his growth.
“The body of work was collected and curated between the ages of 18 and 24 as I’m transitioning into a young man, and I begin to understand the layers of society,” he says. “A lot of my time was spent getting out of my comfort zone and having new conversations.”
The photographs are all around 24 inches square; some color, some black and white; some are portraits, others are landscapes. All are mounted on found pieces such as cardboard scraps or pieces of plywood Wheeler found during his explorations.
He has exhibited the showcase on three other occasions in Knoxville, he says, but not in a couple of years and it’s his first gallery show here. The works represent a key point in his life on many levels, he explains.
“I think it’s about a big beat of curiosity to see what’s around the corner and to see what that person sitting next to you at a bus stop is thinking, and maybe taking the time to stop and look and maybe listen a little longer.”
Contact Barry Courter at bcourter@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6354.