Falls Church Arts: 'Light & Dark: Contrast' Opens with March 1 Reception

In a time of sharp contrasts, it can be soothing to explore artists' subtle interpretations of light, darkness, and tonal variations in between.

The creativity of 44 local photographers in a 66-piece exhibition will be presented when Falls Church Arts (FCA) hosts the exhibit Light & Dark: Contrast opening with a meet-the-artists reception from 7 - 9:00 p.m., Saturday March 1 at FCA's gallery at 700-B W. Broad St., Falls Church. The exhibit continues the organization’s long-standing support of arts in the community.

For the show, photographers were invited to submit images that "explore light and dark in contrast, whether in black-and-white or color photography."

Aimee George, juror for Light and Dark: Contrast, is an artist and educator native to the Shenandoah Valley. She teaches art at James Madison University (JMU) and holds a Master of Fine Arts degree with concentration in photography from JMU and a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from Shepherd University. She has juried a national photography exhibition at the Fredericksburg Center for the Creative Arts and given a gallery lecture on experimental photography at JMU. 

“When I began looking through the 147 entries from 57 photographers for Light & Dark: Contrast, I was struck by the small, yet profound moments captured in each image,” George said.

Commenting on the judging process, George wrote: “The artists who submitted their work explored contrast in an expansive variety of ways — through bold tonal shifts, striking juxtapositions of subject matter, and dynamic compositions that played with light and shadow. Some took contrast literally, capturing stark differences in brightness and form, while others embraced it metaphorically, telling profound stories of opposing forces, emotions, memories, and ideas. Seeing such diversity in perspective and execution filled me with deep appreciation — the thoughtfulness behind each piece and the creative endeavors to capture these moments made this exhibition even more compelling.”

“Light & Dark: Contrast is a tribute to the world we live in and the fleeting, blissful moments we all share.”

The reception is free and open to the public. The Juror’s Choice Award will be announced at the event. Visitors are invited to vote for the People’s Choice Award at the gallery before March 21.

The color and black-and-white images will be on display from March 1 to April 6, 2025. Admission to the gallery is free. The gallery is open Tuesdays–Fridays from 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. and Saturdays and Sundays from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.

The images can also be viewed at https://www.fallschurcharts.org. Images are available for purchase at the gallery or online. 

For more information, please email: info@fallschurcharts.org.

Exhibiting photographers are:

John Allen

Asia Anderson

Maureen Budetti

DeVante Capers

Kathleen Conklin

Nasr Dallaa

Robert Davidson

Chuck Dervarics

Success Ellington

Gregory Felder

Steven Ferri

Sharon Fields

Rafael Franco Dolande

Maureen Goss

James Hengst

Dan Hildt

Justin Holtzman

Lizzy Javier

Steve Jennings

Chris Kagy

Nihal Koyash

Al Krachman

Thomas Lauzon

Naomi Lipsky

Samantha Mandeles

Alan McAfee

McKaid McConnel

Suzanne McIntire

Zan McKelway

Nancy M Patrick

Margaret Raymond

Elise Ritter-Clough

Carl Salsbury

Susan Sanders

Cynthia Schoeppel

Janet Sifers

Thomas Smith

Tom Updike

John Valenti

Alexandra van den Heever

Jeff Vincent

David Voss

Andrew Wohl

Amy Woodhouse

By Christopher Jones