“THIRD THURSDAYS”: Photographs by Gene Barclay, whose work is shown here, and Jeff McConnell will be the subject of a presentation and talk on March 17 at 6:30 p.m. at Mercer County Community College’s James Kerney Campus Gallery in Trenton. The public is invited in person or via Zoom. Register at jkcgallery.online.

Third Thursdays,” the free monthly photography presentation and artist talk series at Mercer County Community College’s (MCCC’s) James Kerney Campus (JKC) Gallery at 137 North Broad Street in Trenton, will take place on March 17 from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. The event, curated by Heather Palecek and Habiyb Shu’Aib, will feature work by Jeff McConnell and Gene Barclay. The talk will be hosted by Michael Chovan-Dalton, director of the JKC Gallery, and will take place live and on the Zoom conferencing platform. All are invited to register at jkcgallery.online.

Chovan-Calton said, “Building on our momentum, our upcoming Third Thursdays photography artist talk on March 17 will feature the works of two artists who approach photography in completely different ways.”

Jeff McConnell lives in the forests of New Jersey and found alternative photography when there was no camera of a kind to make the pictures he imagined. He graduated from Tyler School of Art in Philadelphia in 2000 and has been exploring photography without lenses ever since. He has shown work and given workshops in numerous countries. The theme of McConnell’s artist talk will be street photography with slow pinhole cameras.

“Photography is a tool of perception,” said McConnell. “Even before we all had increasingly sharp, clear cameras in our pockets at all times, I had already decided to go the other way and embrace the messiness of chance. Maybe using simple, lens-less cameras, I might see something my eyes couldn’t on their own. It’s been a long time and I still get surprised.”

Barclay is intent on focusing on the present and especially street life in Philadelphia and New York City neighborhoods. His works include photography, books and short films.

“My photography is my best attempt to document the people, things, and events that surround me,” said Barclay. “I have a great passion for capturing the now because you never know what may be of interest years down the line.”

For more information about registration and attending in person or online, visit jkcgallery.online.