On Thursday, January 15, the Nesto Gallery introduced Influence, an exhibition featuring different kinds of artwork created by a total of 18 artists and curated by artist and photographer Lou Jones. While the exhibit features mostly photography, it also includes various paintings, collages, and visual media.
The moment you step into the gallery, you encounter a mixture of bright colors and creative pieces. These pieces capture mostly people and location. Most of the pictures reflect figures in moments of action, for example, one of the pieces is a portrait of a skaterboarder (Lynch Family Skate Park, Boston, Matt Kalianowski). Another includes a photo of an eagle hunter (Guardian of the Golden Eagle, Rick Sammon). Additionally, while there are many photographs with bold colors, some of the photographs are taken in black and white. Other photographs, including landscape photography, capture a nest in the forest (The Nest, Emily Belz) and much more. Even though the exhibit mostly includes photography, there are other types of art, including paintings that capture shadow and light through layered-oil painting (Intensity of Light, Julie Houck). All of the artists included in the exhibit had previously been mentored and influenced by Jones.
At the opening reception on January 15, Jones expressed his determination and resilience as he revealed challenges he faced to attain his position today. He explained, “When I started in this business, it was impossible for a black man to make a living as a photographer.” He also shared that he took advantage of every opportunity he received, and challenged himself to be the best. Despite facing racial challenges, Jones was still determined to succeed and continues to inspire young, aspiring artists Lila Feldman ‘29, who attended the opening reception shared, “It was impressive and interesting to hear him talking about his journey as an artist. It made me realize all the struggles people go through that are often forgotten and left out of their path to success.”
Additionally, in the opening of the new exhibition, Jones shared, “If I ever had an opportunity [where] somebody came to me and asked me a question about how to do what I do…I’m going to go and make sure that I tell at least what I know at the time.” This openness of shared knowledge conveys Jones’s willingness to be a mentor and to inspire artists.
As the exhibition has been open for weeks now, students were able to share their own opinions about the gallery. Madeleine Kelley ‘26 shares, “It was really an eye opening experience for me to see all the different kinds of art. I had never had much interest in photography before, but this exhibit changed my opinion about that.”
One of the main takeaways from this new exhibit is art’s powerful way to communicate stories without fully saying them. Tatum Shoettle ‘26 explains, “I was able to see how the artist was telling a story in each of the pieces of artwork using specific details and bold and subtle colors. This is something I’ve been working on with my own pieces both in and out of the classroom so seeing a professional who had succeeded was very inspiring and gave me many ideas to improve and try new techniques.”
The exhibition Influence, curated by Lou Jones, will be open until March 4th at the Nesto Gallery, a week before the beginning of spring break.