Photography exhibit at Mulberry Cultural Center requires thoughtful viewing

MULBERRY, Fla. - Photographer and artist Sherry Ross wanted to share some of the thousands of photographs she's captured over time.  

"There are photos from my travels all over the place, near and far," Ross said. "That was the impetus for the show name."

The backstory:

"Big World, Little Photos" is the brainchild of Ross and City of Mulberry Director of Culture & Programming Chelsea Young. Both knew it was going to be the latest exhibition at the Mulberry Cultural Center. Admittedly, Ross couldn't imagine the idea that Young had for how to set up the gallery.

"We love to transform the space uniquely to fit whatever the exhibit is, whether it's the artist's personality or a unique way of displaying their artwork," Young said "It is a unique challenge to display artwork that is so small, so we wanted to have it be like a pinhole into everyday life."

Once Ross saw the completed gallery, she was fully on board. More than 100 photos are scattered across colorful lines throughout the whole center, displayed in 5x5 inch shadowboxes.

What they're saying:

"As an artist, as a painter and a photographer, typically I work large, so I love the idea of taking something and making it so intimate," Ross explained. "When Chelsea said pinhole photographer, she was talking about how she wanted people to have to stop and lean in and to look at the pieces. I thought that was a great kind of extrapolation of what I was doing. I wanted people to have a moment with something they might not normally look at. So, making them small means that you have to stop. You have to look and kind of ponder it."

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There are photos from Mulberry, Lakeland and Bartow to go along with ones from Greece, Madrid and other different parts of Europe. Some are beautiful compositions of historical buildings and interiors. Others are something else.

"I'm looking for an interesting composition, but more importantly, I usually look for something that makes me laugh," Ross said.

A headless gingerbread cookie is an example. Ross also likes shining the spotlight on everyday objects. For example, a piece of shrimp, utility pipes and even mold.

"Taking something that's every day that people walk by, and they never thought about it before and then showing it to them in a new way. When you elevate the everyday to art, that's what happens, and I love that idea of taking something that could be considered mundane and showing to somebody in a new way," Ross said.

Every photograph in the exhibition is available for sale for $25.

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