East Gallery
M J Alexander
The Centenarians
October 29, 2007 thru January 6, 2008
MJ Alexander traveled nearly 5,000 miles of dirt roads, main streets, and interstates to photograph and interview more than 100 Oklahomans born in or before 1907. Her mission was to photograph the oldest people in one of the youngest states for Oklahoma’s 100th birthday.
Alexander explained that the portraits featured in her exhibit, The Centenarians, show us 100 different ways to be 100.
“I met them where they lived, traveling through tornado sirens in Blackwell, forest fire haze north of Ardmore, and ice storms in Yukon, through temperatures ranging from 5 to 105 degrees. The trek demonstrated the conditions Oklahoma ‘s elders weathered without the luxury of running water, much less central heat or air-conditioning. As I spent more time with more centenarians and absorbed their stories, I came to realize their unique significance. They are America’s last pioneers,” said Alexander.
The copper-washed portraits are elegant in their simplicity. “My original idea was to photograph them surrounded by the artifacts of their lives – seated in cozy parlors lined with photographs, I imagined, or in rocking chairs on the porch. But sometimes their current living arrangements did not reflect the richness of their lives. Instead I used a plain backdrop and ambient light, putting the focus squarely on their features and expressions. Ironically, stripping away the background resulted in a strong sense of place. To me, the faces convey the landscapes where they have lived for a century.”
As a photographer and writer, Alexander explores the people and places of the American west, combining the vision of an artist with the skills of a storyteller. Her photographs have been published in the United States and abroad and exhibited in venues ranging from Pleiades Gallery of New York City to New Mexico ‘s Hubbard Museum of the American West.
She is a dual citizen of Canada and the United States who graduated with degrees from Vassar College and Columbia University’s Graduate School of Journalism and earned a Certificate in British Culture from Cambridge University. Since moving to Oklahoma City in 1998, she has become a fulltime independent photographer and creative writer. She is the first Oklahoman to have a solo show in the Main Gallery of the International Photography Hall of Fame.
Sponsored by the Oklahoma Arts Council. For more information contact Scott Cowan at 405.521.2931 or scott@arts.ok.gov.
The East Gallery is located on the 1st floor of the State Capitol and open daily from 8:00-5:30.