From our friends at the Island Reporter:
What happens when you take 120 years’ worth of archival photos of Sanibel and Captiva and use them as inspiration for local artists? A fresh and fascinating new exhibit called “A Brush with History.”
On display at the Sanibel Public Library for the month of February, the exhibit was conceived by award-winning author and Sanibel resident Steve Saari, who presented the idea to the Sanibel-Captiva Art League, which in turn made it a signature event of this season’s schedule.
“Early on during Covid, like many, I had begun painting again,” Saari said. “Since no one was getting out much, I looked for subjects wherever I could — and eventually discovered the incredible collection of photos in the digital archives of the Sanibel Public Library. I thought they made fabulous subjects for paintings and shed a new light on island life and history.”
Considering how much he enjoyed creating art from the old photos, Saari thought perhaps other artists might, too.
For the exhibit, local artists were encouraged to browse through the library’s digital archives and its collection of over 1,000 vintage photographs and choose one to use as inspiration for an original artwork.
The photos date back as far as 1895. Although many are weathered and grainy owing to their age, the mostly black and white images remain vivid reminders of bygone days, and people and places long gone.
The finished art hangs next to the photo from which it was inspired. A sample from the exhibit (artist Shah Hadjeb) is shown above.
The Sanibel Public Library is at 770 Dunlop Road and is open Mondays and Thursdays from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. and Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information, call 239-472-2483 or visit www.sanlib.org.
