WILKES-BARRE — Through March 16, Wilkes University’s Sordoni Art Gallery will resemble the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, at least with the photographs adorning its walls. From blues legend Mississippi Fred McDowell, who wrote “Baby Please Don’t Go” and influenced the Rolling Stones, to a boyish Mick Jagger, an inquisitive Jim Morrison and an at-home George Harrison, candid photos of musical legends have taken residency in the gallery.
“Backstage Pass: Baron Wolman and the Early Years of Rolling Stone” opened Jan. 28 to a reception of at least 50 people. Members of the academic community, photographers, artists and fans of the Rolling Stone photojournalist gathered in the gallery at 150 S. River St. to admire Wolman’s seminal work.
Robert R. Husty, an artist and musician from Wilkes-Barre, said the photographs brought back memories of meeting some of the pictured musicians and seeing the Rolling Stone photos when they were initially published.
“These shots are iconic shots, and I remember many of these,” Husty said. “Just to see the quality of them in person, I was so impressed.”
The variety of settings was also noteworthy, Husty said.
“Just to see these artists from the peak of their careers in these candid shots, some of them live on stage, some in the studio, some of them relaxing, reading a book, it’s just amazing,” he said. “I think the work is phenomenal.”
Musicians were captured at a variety of ages. A shot of McDowell portrayed a weathered and tired-eyed blues man, and the accompanying literature told his story of farming and doing menial labor until he first recorded in 1959 at 55. A youthful Pete Townsend was captured in the studio, cradling a beer at a production board, when The Who was recording “Tommy,” and an almost impressionist image of Tina Turner showed the electricity she brought to the stage.
Wilkes-Barre filmmaker and Wilkes University graduate Nathan Summerlin called the exhibit “fantastic,” and he noted how close Wolman must have been to his subjects.
“He’s captured these amazing moments,” Summerlin said. “You can definitely see the personality coming through, so it makes sense that that would be a result of that access. They seem like very intimate pictures.”
Dawn Leas of Shavertown said she gravitates toward black and white photography and she recalled how the artists were first introduced to her.
“I think the subject matters really speak to me, because I grew up with this music around me because of how old my parents are and how old I am,” Leas said. “When I look at all of these musicians, some of whom are still around, it’s really interesting to see them in their heyday, back in the late ’60s.”
Having the exhibit at the Sordoni Gallery, Leas said, works to proliferate culture in the Wyoming Valley.
“I love that we can bring things of this magnitude into NEPA, especially since people often will criticize our area for lack of events such as these,” Leas said. “To be able to have a Rolling Stone exhibit here gives me something else to talk about when I talk about the area and Wilkes to other people.”
Two photographers, Tiffany Hadley, of Dunmore, and Keith Perks, of Wilkes-Barre, both admired Wolman’s work.
“I like the composition,” Hadley said. “I think they were difficult to do. The lighting is perfect, the black and white, the shadows. I think they’re nicely done.”
Perks, who has experience shooting musicians, said Wolman’s work is the kind he aspires to do.
“For me, this is stuff that I dream to be doing,” Perks said. “So to see this stuff, I look at it as more than just a photograph. I’m looking at the story, what was going on. I’m looking at some of these, and they bring a tear to my eye. It may sound corny, but they just do.”
Wolman’s skill with the technology of his time was amazing, Perks said.
“The concept and the way of doing it is all there,” he said. “We have an ease today, of course, in that you can look and see what’s good and what’s not. With film, the exciting thing was developing it and seeing what you came up with afterwards. I’m looking at the shot of Tina Turner. It’s blurry, but it’s an amazing photo, capturing that action and the madness that she was.”
Anne Skleder, provost and senior vice president of Wilkes, said she found the exhibit to be “cool.”
“I think what’s really interesting about it is the mixing of the social, the cultural, the musical, the artistic,” Skleder said. “I just read one of the photographer’s comments about, ‘I get all these compliments about how extraordinary my photography is. Is it really that my photography’s extraordinary or is it that my subjects are extraordinary and I’m competent?’ I think that’s humble, but I think it’s also interesting about the perspective of the subject and the photographer. I think there’s probably a really interesting relationship there if you could watch the interaction.”
Skleder said travelling exhibits like these are important for the gallery.
“I think we’re very fortunate,” Skleder said. “What I love about the idea of having shows come and travel to us and stay a while with us, it means we get to have our campus community as well as the local community benefit from it. I think the more we can have these opportunities to benefit from a travelling show, the better, and I think that’s what we’re aiming to do at the Sordoni.”
