Studer Community Institute

'Between the Layers' showcases Graffiti Bridge project at PMA

April 17, 2015
/ Mike Ensley
/ training-development

Photographer Rachael Pongetti didn’t know what would happen she started taking photographs of the 17th Avenue CSX trestle, a.k.a “Graffiti Bridge.” “When I started, I had no plan,” Pongetti said. “Once I got going, being in a creative field, I just starting brainstorming.” Pongetti spent a year documenting the constantly changing landscape of the Pensacola landmark, day after day, layer after layer. The results will culminate in a book later this year (See our previous story here and here) and two exhibits, the first of which, “Between the Layers” opens tonight at the Pensacola Museum of Art and runs through June 13. The exhibit will feature selected pieces from the project, but not the entirety of the years’ photos. “With this show, I wanted to put the best images forward,” Pongetti said. “Not every image is always print worthy.” [sidebar] Want to go? Between The Layers exhibit at the Pensacola Museum of Art April 17-June 13 Opening Reception: 5:30 to 7 p.m. on April 17 Artist Talk: 6 p.m. on April 23. [/sidebar] The show will begin for the viewer in more concrete terms, but move into the more artistic. “When people come in, the first images they will see are shots of the entire bridge at different times during the project,” Pongetti said. “As they get further into the show, they can see the more abstract, up close shots of the layers.” Layers are a big part of the show and chunks of paint from the bridge itself are also part of the exhibit. “They just naturally fall off over time and I have been collecting them,” Pongetti said, holding up a large multi-colored, many-layered chunk. “If you look at them you can see the many, many layers and each layer is a story of someone who painted the bridge and the people I met over the year of the project.” Another element of the show will be interactive and amateur graffiti artists will get a chance to shine. “We’re going to have a chalk wall that anyone can use to draw on,” Pongetti said. “We will also have a limited number of purses and wallets with images of the Graffitti Bridge on them available for sale.” On May 1, Pongetti will open another exhibit, “Uncovering the Layers,” at First City Arts Center. The projects mark the first time that the Pensacola Museum of Art and First City Arts Center have worked together. “That show (Uncovering the Layers), will feature my work, but also the work of local graffiti artists who have been inspired by the bridge,” Pongetti said. The project has been a lot of work, but Pongetti says she can see the light at the end of the tunnel. “I’m finally starting to enjoy it now,” Pongetti said. “It has been a stressful road, but I’ve been amazed by the amount of help and support I’ve received from the community. It’s been really profound.”

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'Between the Layers' showcases Graffiti Bridge project at PMA

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