Works by David A. Johnson & Christopher Mitchell
September 4-25, 2020
Works by David A. Johnson & Christopher Mitchell
Opening reception: Friday, September 4, 5:00-7:00 PM
Gallery hours: Wednesdays, 9:00 AM – 5:00 PM and other days (Monday-Friday 9 AM – 5 PM) by appointment only. Please note, the Emporium will be closed Monday, September 7, for the holiday.
David A. Johnson: The Standard Knitting Mill: A Love Letter
The Standard Knitting Mill is an old garment factory that sits empty on the west side of the Parkridge neighborhood. In its heyday, it produced one million underwear garments per week, employing over 3500 Knoxvillians. David A. Johnson, a former photojournalist, lives just two blocks from Standard Knitting Mill and spent 3.5 years documenting the abandoned factory, producing over 1400 images. This exhibition explores the tarnished beauty of the Standard Knitting Mill.
Artist’s statement
The Standard Knitting Mill: A Love Letter
Dear SKM,
When I first met you in 2008, I was like most people, hardly noticing your neglected, hulking presence on the west end of the Parkridge neighborhood. But in time, your loneliness called to me. After a few visits, it became clear to me that there was much more to you than an abandoned, shattered façade. I found your hidden entrance, and I was drawn in. I walked your capacious floors, climbed to your roof, plumbed your dark stairwells. With every turn, you showed me past relationships, some of them glorious; others, abusive and uncaring. And yet, none of their flattery or derision could obscure your strength, beauty, and dignity.
Now you sit alone, boarded off from the world, aching to once again be a home to us. And I ache with you.
Bio
David A. Johnson has a bachelor’s degree in Photojournalism from the University of Texas. He worked in Arkansas and Texas as a photojournalist for 6 years before returning to college to study engineering. David worked at Oak Ridge National Lab for 30 years before retiring in early 2020. Although he left professional photography years ago, David has never ceased to be fascinated by the visual world and continues to capture its beauty and mystery in photographs.
Christopher Mitchell: Film Photographs Printed from a Personal Darkroom
I believe in conversations. I often reach out to strangers because I am interested in meeting someone new. In this way, photography can act as a form of dialogue: a picture in exchange for some shared knowledge about everyday life, whether it’s a conversation with a local fisherman or a beautician at a rural salon. Now, with so much interaction taking place online and mediated across great distances, I use my photography to return to a space that is rooted in real conversations happening in real places. The places I am drawn to are usually overlooked, places that people no longer frequent as much. A laundromat or a diner, a train station or an elk lodge. A version of Americana that is less about the iconic and more about ways of life that no longer exist or are on the cusp of disappearing altogether. I want my body of work to preserve an otherwise ephemeral moment, to slow down time, and, ultimately, to say, Thank you for letting me take your picture.
Christopher has had a camera in his hand from a very young age. Inspired by his father who worked with TVA as a photographer and filmmaker for 27 years, taking photos comes naturally to Christopher. Brought up in the era of film photography, Christopher naturally gravitates to film, and loves spending time in the darkroom developing and printing. This love of photography has moved him in the past 10 years to directing and cinematography for hundreds of television episodes – earning an Emmy nomination in 2016. Follow him on Instagram at @photographerchristopher.