Wall House exhibition of “oeuvre” of local artists

[cec1]

It is exciting for me to be invited to display in a show at The Wall House Museum of the work of “local artists.” My offering is what was the principal piece in an exhibition of my photography at The Wall House as part of the Collectivité‘s Millennium celebration — 1999 / 2000. Most of the works were from my many young years of photographing island “cases” — being of the opinion that weather & development “progress” would increasingly rob the island of this aspect of its cultural & architectural heritage.

If you’re on the island from this Saturday to October 17, I hope that you’ll visit the show. My special piece, BTW, was from a pre-digital era . . . which means that film, as a format, could not be as easily refined as digital photography is today. The image, thus, lacks some of the texture, tones, saturation, & sharpness that are made possible today in digital enhancements.

Nonetheless, please enjoy a scene of 30+ years ago . . . you won’t find it today.

“The President of the Territorial Council and the elected members of the Cultural Commission are pleased to invite you to the opening of the 5th Saint Barth Artists' Exhibition which will take place at the Wall House Territorial Museum on Saturday, September 5, 2026, at 6:30 PM.”

 

[KevinS]

How special!

 

[Cwater]

Beautiful!

 

[cec1]

How special!

Thank you, Kevin!

 

[amyb]

Charming. Thanks for SAVING it for us to enjoy once again.

 

[bobrosen]

Wish I was going to be there - I'd love to see the rest! It prompted me to post a couple of old pix. One is from Corrosol in 2006, when you could still find weaved baskets and such for sale. The other's one of my favorites - this case (and door!) are also from 2006 - as I recall, it was more or less right across the street from the Post Office

 

[amyb]

Wish I was going to be there - I'd love to see the rest! It prompted me to post a couple of old pix. One is from Corrosol in 2006, when you could still find weaved baskets and such for sale. The other's one of my favorites - this case (and door!) are also from 2006 - as I recall, it was more or less right across the street from the Post Office

Oh yes. And the handwork displayed upon the wall! Ahh, St Barth

 

[cec1]

Oh yes. And the handwork displayed upon the wall! Ahh, St Barth

Thank you, Bob & Amy! I’m as excited to be part of this exhibition as I was to have had an exclusive showing of my work over 26 years ago, at the Centennial celebration. At the time, the island’s leader who, in part, led in preservation of island history (I’m sure he had a far more distinguished title) . . . Yves Greaux (then #2 person in supporting then “Mayor” Bruno Magras) opened comments at this festive occasion with the compliment that my photo documentary was “a window into the soul of St. Barths.” I’ve never forgotten the heartfelt accolade as it profoundly honored my sincere efforts to record SBH “patrimony.”

 

[Risa]

That's just so beautiful. What an amazing collection you must have...maybe one day I'll get to see it! (new life goal.)

 

[Jim Kelly-Evans]

Congratulations, Dennis! Nice photo evocative of a time long gone on the island.

 

[le_reve]

That's awesome - congratulations and a lovely image.

 

[cec1]

Congratulations, Dennis! Nice photo evocative of a time long gone on the island.

Thanks, Jim!

 

[cec1]

That's awesome - congratulations and a lovely image.

Thanks Tiffany! Will you be back before October 17, when the show closes?

 

[le_reve]

Thanks Tiffany! Will you be back before October 17, when the show closes?

No . Not back until January

 

[cec1]

No . Not back until January

Oooh . . . so sorry! I’ll be eager to get together after 1st of the year! Will you be in Chicago toward end of 2026? I’m becoming a member of a Board that will take me there for meetings every 3 months or so . . . it would be a pleasure to be there with you & Scot!

 

[le_reve]

Oooh . . . so sorry! I’ll be eager to get together after 1st of the year! Will you be in Chicago toward end of 2026? I’m becoming a member of a Board that will take me there for meetings every 3 months or so . . . it would be a pleasure to be there with you & Scot!

Yes, we are in Idaho now, but going back to Chicago on Wednesday and then we are there for the rest of the year. Would love to see you in Chi-town!

 

[Rosemary]

It is exciting for me to be invited to display in a show at The Wall House Museum of the work of “local artists.” My offering is what was the principal piece in an exhibition of my photography at The Wall House as part of the Collectivité‘s Millennium celebration — 1999 / 2000. Most of the works were from my many young years of photographing island “cases” — being of the opinion that weather & development “progress” would increasingly rob the island of this aspect of its cultural & architectural heritage. If you’re on the island from this Saturday to October 17, I hope that you’ll visit the show. My special piece, BTW, was from a pre-digital era . . . which means that film, as a format, could not be as easily refined as digital photography is today. The image, thus, lacks some of the texture, tones, saturation, & sharpness that are made possible today in digital enhancements. Nonetheless, please enjoy a scene of 30+ years ago . . . you won’t find it today. View attachment 73439 “The President of the Territorial Council and the elected members of the Cultural Commission are pleased to invite you to the opening of the 5th Saint Barth Artists' Exhibition which will take place at the Wall House Territorial Museum on Saturday, September 5, 2026, at 6:30 PM.”

What a compliment that your work has been remembered for so long and valued to be exhibited twenty-seven years later. It is a beautiful photograph.

 

[cec1]

What a compliment that your work has been remembered for so long and valued to be exhibited twenty-seven years later. It is a beautiful photograph.

Merci, Rosemary!

 

[cec1]

The “opening” was lovely. I’m, of course, grateful to be included.

St. Barths residents eagerly seize opportunities to celebrate in public ways. As a small community, it especially makes the most of occasions. In this regard, the opening of the exhibition of works by local artists was an exceptional evening. Probably 50 attendees . . . all (“locals,” for the most part) sharing warmth in savoring a beautiful, dreamlike, Summer evening . . . manifesting friendships, bonds, & tireless community soul. The island spirit is unique & committed.

This image records a fragment of 19th Century vernacular island architecture: A weathered wooden door set in cracked plaster, sheltered by a slatted timber canopy and crowned by a balcony whose carved railings repeat a stylized floral or fleur-de-lis motif. Vines climb the left jamb; dry grass and peeling surfaces occupy the foreground. Faint graffiti on the right wall reads as an afterthought of later occupation.
The subject is a working threshold—the kind of modest, layered structure that appears on Mediterranean and Atlantic islands where timber, lime, and plant life meet salt air and time. The balcony projects outward; the canopy casts a lattice of shadow; the door remains closed. History is present as accumulation rather than spectacle: Successive repairs, the slow work of weather, the persistence of ornament on a building that has outlived its original use. Beauty here is not restored or picturesque. It is the beauty of surfaces that have been used, abandoned, and partially reclaimed.
Photographically the print keeps the eye on texture—grain of the door, flaking paint, the rhythm of the slats, the contrast between living green and desiccated brown. The framing of the print, with its wide white mat, isolates the fragment and treats the old house as both document and object.
Architecture is intimate, history is visible on every surface, and photography registers the particular beauty of what is left standing.