Highlighting the city’s designation as a recognized Arts & Entertainment District, Cambridge Main Street will feature the photography of a new artist when it unveils its website redesign at its annual Spring Fling fundraiser at the Choptank River Golf and Events Center on April 9.
Jameson Harrington has been selected as the first featured photographer, and Cambridge Main Street hopes it is able to showcase local photographers on a rotating basis moving forward.
“Young artists are finding inspiration here in Cambridge, and we think that can inspire others to visit us,” said Cambridge Main Street Executive Director Brandon Hesson. “Jameson is capturing the beauty of things we see everyday, and we think this work will speak to people.”
Harrington was born and raised on the Eastern Shore, and has turned his interest in photography into a professional endeavor, providing promotional photographs to local businesses and doing freelance work covering events for regional magazines. Ultimately, Harrington caught Cambridge Main Street’s attention by capturing the city’s unique relationship with our working waterfront, as well as finding unique subjects in more industrial, man-made environments.
“Sunrises over the Choptank River are beautiful, and there is an artful way of capturing those that makes them unique from other sunrises around the Eastern Shore,” said Hesson. “Similarly, there is a unique way of life here, and Jameson is depicting our industrious heritage through steel and concrete, or our rural setting through dirt and wheat.
“These are all parts of a unique pallete that can only be found here in Cambridge,” Hesson continued. “Like all of the amazing photos we’ve been able to share in the past, Jameson is telling a complicated story with his work.”
Cambridge Main Street has a long history and relationships with accomplished photographers. Dave Harp was one of the first presidents of the organization’s Board of Directors, and has had magazine credits in The New York Times Magazine, Smithsonian, and Coastal Living. In a career of photography, his work has been the subject of multiple books and he now runs Chesapeake Photography. Jill Jasuta’s work recently was the first show in the Leggett Gallery at the Chesapeake College Cambridge Center, but she began by taking photos as a Cambridge Main Street volunteer.
“Some of Dave and Jill’s work have become locally iconic, and helped shape the way others see our city,” said Hesson. “They have both agreed to continue to share their talents with us, because they are such good friends to the organization, but with the new website design it was important to make sure we were offering something new, and giving another local artist a chance to showcase their work.”
The Cambridge Main Street website is partially funded by a grant from the Maryland Heritage Area Authority and donations made during last year’s Spring Fling event. Tickets to this year’s event can be purchased at www.cambridgemainstreet.com, or in physical locations at the Dorchester Chamber of Commerce (528 Poplar Street) and Katie Mae’s Country Store (516 Poplar Street.) If you are interested in possibly being a showcase artists, contact the organization at , or by calling 443-477-0843.
