A different kind of juried member exhibition…
Featuring work from Members: Lee Cott, Laurie Peek, Reed Pike, Keith Prue, Matt Temple, Sean Sullivan and Martha Wakefield
One of three annual member exhibitions, this Spotlight series was conceived as a way to present ideas that carry across a group of images and to shine a light on our members. This juried exhibition provides the selected members the opportunity to present a larger selection of images than a typical juried show. As a viewer I hope you enjoy this expanded look at the members featured and the different ways they assembled a selection of images to present an idea beyond a single frame.
This annual exhibition series provides an opportunity and a challenge to our members, to explore how photographs can work together… for some it is a new concept, for others it is an incentive to finish or projects already in progress or share something new. I’m happy to provide this opportunity to present the work of our members and celebrate their ability, commitment and the time invested to realize these ongoing projects. For gallery visitors and members alike, I would encourage you to consider how each series of images alters your perception of the single image… Sequence, editing and storytelling across a series of images are all elements beyond the capture process that I encourage you all to explore and constantly re-examine.
Join us on Zoom, August 27th for a review and discussion with Frances Jakubek, Preregistration is required.
A special thank you to all the members who submitted projects for consideration and to all our members for their ongoing support.
– David DeMelim,
Managing Director,
RI Center for Photographic Arts
From the Juror: Frances Jakubek
The portfolios selected for the 5th Annual Member’s Spotlight Exhibition at the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Art lead us through time. This show guides us like a tarot reading, visualizing how our past actions have influenced our present and future. Challenged by our immediate sight versus nostalgia that guides image creation, the different voices speak to how we exist to cherish what we already have.
Of the seven projects, seven are about humans and their experience and mark-making, but only one portfolio depicts any actual people. The emptiness of each landscape is filled with remnants of human intervention… the essay continues
Read the full essay
About the Juror: Frances Jakubek
Frances Jakubek is an image-maker, independent curator, and consultant for artists. She is the co-founder of A Yellow Rose Project, past Director of the Bruce Silverstein Gallery in New York City, and past Associate Curator of the Griffin Museum of Photography in Massachusetts.
Recent curatorial appointments include Critical Mass for Photolucida, Pause at Art League Rhode Island, Potential Space: A Serious Look at Child’s Play featuring works by Nancy Richards Farese, Filter Photo Space, The Griffin Museum of Photography, British Journal of Photography, Les Rencontres d’Arles, Save Art Space, and Photo District News.
Jakubek has been a panelist for the Massachusetts Cultural Council’s Photography fellowships and Adjective Production Prize, speaker for SPE National and Colorado Photographic Arts Center, and lecturer for the School of Visual Arts, Boston University, University of New Mexico, and Washington and Lee University. She has taught workshops for The Southeast Center for Photography, The Center for Fine Art Photography, Maine Media, and the University of Iowa. Her personal photographs explore the boundaries of private and personal space and the emotions that bind them. She has exhibited at the Center for Fine Art Photography, Colorado; The Southern Art Gallery, South Carolina; Filter Photo Space, Chicago; and Treat Gallery,
To learn more about Frances, visit francesjakubek.com
Fifth Annual Juried Spotlight Members’ Exhibition: Preview in 360˚
Opening Reception: August 15th, 5:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Exhibition: Thursday, August 15th thru Friday, September 13th
This exhibition features a selection of work from Members:
Lee Cott, Laurie Peek, Reed Pike, Keith Prue, Matt Temple, Sean Sullivan and Martha Wakefield
Lee Cott

Artist Statement: A Troubled Land
I wonder if this is what the planners had in mind; housing built too close to the highway, adjacent to railroad tracks and amid a large electrical sub-station. Troubled Land Alewife documents the character of the Fresh Pond, Cambridge community that has been developing since the 1960’s in a formerly industrial neighborhood. I imagine this area once held great promise but now seems like a dream unfulfilled.
– Lee Cott
Biographical:
I studied architecture at Pratt Institute and Harvard University. I am a founding principal of Bruner/Cott Architects in Cambridge, MA, where I practiced for forty-five years, and was a professor at Harvard’s Graduate School of Design for 17 years. My firm’s notable projects include the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MASS MoCA), the School of Law at Boston University, the Sloan School of Management at MIT, the Lunder Arts Center at Lesley University, the renovations of Memorial Hall and University Hall at Harvard, the Harvard Office for the Arts, the Harvard Dance Center, the Richard and Susan Smith Center at Harvard University, and the Krakow Witkin Gallery.
I have photographed in the United States, Europe, Asia, and South America. Images from an early travel portfolio, Prairie Vernacular, were published in Design and Environment magazine. I have lectured at Harvard University, Yale University, Columbia University, the Boston Museum of Fine Arts, the Peabody Essex Museum, the Royal Ontario Museum of Art, and the Graham Foundation. My photographs have been exhibited at juried shows at the Cambridge Art Association, the Concord Center for the Visual Arts, the Concord Free Public Library, the Chautauqua Annual Exhibition of Contemporary Art, the Danforth Museum, the PhotoPlace Gallery in Middlebury VT, the A Smith Gallery in Johnson City, TX, the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts, the Krakow Witkin Gallery’s Annual AIDS Benefit Auction and the Griffin Museum.
I have not been formally trained as a photographer but have been fortunate to have studied at the Griffin Museum with Meg Birnbaum and Emily Belz. I have also studied online with Sam Abell and Arthur Meyerson through Nobechi Creative. Other courses include those at the Los Angeles Center for Photography, the New England School of Photography, Maine Media Workshops, and the Santa Fe Photography Workshops.
Website: www.leecottphoto.com
Instagram: lee.cott
Laurie Peek

Artist Statement: In Lieu of Flowers
The photographs in this series, In Lieu of Flowers, were created in memory of my son Jackson R. Turner, who drowned in Mexico in the summer of 2020. Because of covid there was no funeral, only his shipped cremains. The flowers (mostly from my garden) are also for my mother, my grandmothers, teachers and friends whose funerals I could not attend… as well as for all those who’ve experienced a similar loss.
With this memorializing project, I draw on my long-time fascination with layers, abstraction, ambiguity and the natural world. The ever-renewing cycle of living and dying plants is a reminder of of our limited time on earth and the importance of making the best use of it. Studying East Asian and Chinese brush painting with two master painters has greatly informed my aesthetic sensibility.
The images themselves are digital composites printed as pigment prints on semi-translucent vellum. Hand applying gold and silver metallic-leaf gilding to the backs of the prints creates a shimmering glow evocative of sacred art. Methodically rubbing the gilding onto the vellum and varnishing the finished results reconnects me to the craft of film photography and makes each print unique.
Honoring my past significant relationships and the grief of losing my child has been healing and is meant to heal others. These are the flowers I was not able to send.
– Laurie Peek
Biographical:
A practicing visual artist for over twenty-five years, Laurie Peek’s experience in photography runs deep. This includes a staff position at the George Eastman House Museum, an MFA in Photography from Visual Studies Workshop/SUNY Buffalo; working as a photo librarian for the Bettmann Archive (now Getty Images) and Sygma Photo News; photojournalist (The Brooklyn Paper, Village Voice, City Limits, The Progressive); staff photographer for NYC’s Dept. of General Services; PR photographer for national political campaigns; and gallery manager for the NYC Art Students League Vytlacil campus.
Evolving beyond her many years of black and white film documentary and journalistic photography, most recently Peek’s “In Lieu of Flowers” series of gilded botanical abstractions has been both a celebration of and memorial to lost loved ones following the drowning of her son in 2020.
Peek’s photography has been exhibited widely across the US and internationally. In 2024 Peek is an “International Garden Photographer of the Year” Finalist for her Portfolio by Cambridge Botanic Gardens, UK. In 2023 Peek was a “Finalist” in Photolucida’s ”Critical Mass 2023.” as well as a RICPA “Behind the Lens” artist. For eight years she has been juried into the “Julia Margaret Cameron Awards for Women Photographers” competition at the FotoNostrum Gallery in Barcelona, Spain.
Her work has been published and reviewed in print and online at, among others: Artdoc Magazine, Fraction Magazine, A Photo Editor, Lenscratch, and The Photo Review.
Website: www.lauriepeek.com
Reed Pike

Artist Statement: Worn, Weird, Wonderful Warwick
“Worn, Weird, Wonderful Warwick” is a photographic project that aims to capture the essence of Warwick, Rhode Island, through a unique lens. Founded in 1642, it is the third-largest city in the state, with a population of 82,823 citizens. Warwick has 39 miles of shoreline along Narragansett Bay, two lighthouses and seventeen marinas. Warwick is my current home, but my roots are on the opposite coast in San Francisco.
Through this project, I seek to foster a deeper appreciation for Warwick’s multifaceted nature, shedding light on its quirks, beauty, and intricacies. “Worn, Weird, Wonderful Warwick” will encompass various photographic subjects, including urban scenes, natural landscapes, and architectural details. Each image will be carefully composed to reflect my interpretation of Warwick, focusing on the idiosyncrasies and beauty that I perceive through the lens of a West Coast transplant.
— Reed Pike
Biographical:
Photography was an adolescent passion that led me to study at the Academy of Art in San Francisco, then eight years as a photographer in the U.S. Navy and three years as a photographer/graphic artist at Stanford University. Ultimately, taking photographs for a living tamped down my passion, and I literally stopped taking photographs for over twenty years. Then, I picked up an iPhone and rediscovered photography. It was all new, all digital and the passion was rekindled. These images are the result of that re-engagement with the art and craft of photography.
Website: www.reedpikephotography.com
Keith Prue

Artist Statement: Seeing the Unseen
Witnessed in Maine, Providence, Boston, Manhattan and Oaxaca Mexico. Even when our alter egos are on display, our audience only sees what we choose to reveal. Do we not all hide behind our public façade?
– Keith Prue
Biographical:
Keith Prue‘s photographs challenge us to look at fleeting moments of wonder through the simple pleasure of seeing. Drawing on visual impact or contextual comparison from living and working on four continents and experiencing fifty-five countries, he reflects and contrasts cultural nuances in his pictures.
Published online and showing in group exhibitions in the USA, Italy and Mexico, Keith’s photographs are held in private collections in the USA, Mexico, Brazil, Uruguay, UK and France. Primarily a self-taught artist, he is an Exhibiting Member of the RI Center for Photographic Arts, and Elected Artist and former Board Member of Art League RI.
Website: keithprue.com
Matt Temple

Artist Statement: Time, Fate, and Mobile Homes: A Garden of Forking Paths
I grew up on Long Island in a neighborhood of modest houses built at the end of World War II on land that had previously been farmed. The street nearest me ended at a picket fence, where I could see an expanse of open land and a weathered, abandoned farmhouse. I walked up to the barrier many times, but never climbed the fence. Years later I heard that the owner had died. A new development replaced the field and building. The farmhouse survived only in my memory, but I continued to have a recurring dream about climbing up to decrepit, dusty attics.
I remained keenly interested in places like that farmhouse, and curious about which places would be renewed, abandoned, or demolished. I felt them as untold stories of people who could no longer speak for themselves.
The photographs here show the divergent fates of mobile homes in the West, as tastes changed, as the interstate highway system was built, and as the need for inexpensive housing sustained successful communities outside of larger cities. Specifically, they are from Bombay Beach, a once-thriving resort on the Salton Sea in California, Newkirk, Arizona, an abandoned village on route 66, and Tucson Estates, a thriving community surrounded by mountains and Saguaro cactuses. They show the energy and expansiveness that put them on their foundations, the haunting degradation of time and nature, and the human inventiveness that has kept others vibrant and current.
– Matt Temple
Biographical:
I’ve loved photography for as long as I can remember – as a child I watched my father develop photographs in his mysterious, fragrant darkroom. I’ve used point-and-shoot digital cameras, and before that, disposable cameras, but until I bought my first digital SLR camera in 2006, I was mostly a consumer. It took many years for me to recognize the places and moods I wanted to capture. I owe much to friends and judges from the Boston Camera Club and to several Facebook groups, all of whom encouraged me and, through critiques, helped me define where I was going. My photography reflects my passion for abandoned places, neglected places, but also un-gentrified, older, vernacular neighborhoods in cities and suburbs, places I view as transitional. They speak to me of history, loss, the patina of time’s passage.
What began as isolated, accidental encounters evolved into a more determined search: long, mindful drives on narrow New England roads, exploration of bypassed blue highways and side roads in the West, searches online for street views of old towns. There were also exchanges of locations with a network of trusted, like-minded photographers.
In my pursuits, I’ve found myself lying face up on gritty surfaces, walking on less-then-stable floors, catching the last daylight from the broken windows, finding ways to peer inside when entry is impossible, pushing the limits of my camera. In abandoned factories, I felt the presence of the workers who once toiled for long hours and saw the rusting machinery they commanded, the notes they scrawled on the walls, the footworn floorboards. A house might contain letters, or phonograph records, or stick-on labels, pieces of discarded clothing, a worn chair. Urban zones yielded hand-painted storefronts and lovingly made but homespun repairs. The people no longer had voices, but what remained spoke for them, and to me.
Over time, as I gained experience with my camera and post-processing, my output evolved from only documenting those encounters to creating images intended to draw viewers into those haunted spaces, evoking their history and their sad, muted, tranquil beauty.
My work has been shown at the Griffin Museum of Photography, the Attleboro Museum of Art, the Photographic Resource Center, the Galatea Art Gallery, Plymouth Center for the Arts, the Praxis Gallery, and the Wickford Art Association. Juror’s Choice Award, “Invading Armies,” “Empty Places” exhibit, 2023, Praxis Gallery. Director’s Choice Award, “Stop,” 10th International Exhibition at the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts, 2024.
Sean Sullivan

Artist Statement: Eighty-Sixed
Eighty-Sixed is a collection of photographs that explores the haunting beauty of abandoned places, including a former state hospital, a vintage barber shop, and private residences left to decay. These forgotten properties represent a loss of identity, family, and time. I’ve often wondered how these buildings became eyesores and were cast off by society. However, by viewing them and learning their stories, I’ve come to appreciate the life and humanity that once existed.
I photograph these sites at night to emphasize the silence and emptiness that now fills them. Using artificial light, I illuminate the buildings to reveal colors, textures, and details that hide in the shadows, bringing out the depth and history of each place. To give context to each image, I’ve researched the background history of the properties through interviews, newspapers, and historical records. By pairing these stories with the photographs, I hope to give these forgotten places a new life and help others see the beauty in decay.
Biographical:
Sean K. Sullivan is a talented Fine Art Photographer based in Boston and is known for creating powerful graphic images that emphasize color, details, and strong lines to capture the viewer’s attention.
Sean’s work has been recognized, and he was selected for Critical Mass Top 200 in 2017. He was also featured as an Emerging Artist by Panopticon Gallery in 2014. His photographs have been exhibited nationally at various galleries and museums such as The Griffin Museum of Photography, SE Center for Photography, PhotoPlace Gallery, Art League RI, Danforth Art Museum, The Curated Fridge, Darkroom Gallery, Panopticon Gallery, Plymouth Center for the Arts, and RI Center for Photographic Arts. Sean’s photographs have been published in the Boston Globe, F-Stop Magazine, Charles River Watershed Association, and East Cambridge Savings Bank.
Sean holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Northeastern University, majoring in Graphic Design and minoring in Photography. He studied under renowned photographers such as Neal Rantoul, Tom Petit, and Larry Volk.
Website: seansullivanphoto.com
Martha Wakefield
Artist Statement: How to Draw a Road
This series “How to Draw a Road,” started in the summer of 2021. As a passenger in the back seat of the car I needed to keep my hands busy, while my husband (Pip Shepley) drove his mom around Maine revisiting her favorite places. I decided to “draw” the roads as we traveled them. Holding the end of a Sharpie marker over a pad of paper the pen traced each surface, from bumps to gravel to newly paved highways. How else can one describe a road? These are visual depictions.
Once I had the series of drawings, I wanted to pair them with images of the Maine routes we have traversed for so many years. Summertime I discovered was not the best season to capture the essence of these byways with their lush foliage and tourist traffic clogging the views.
In November 2023, we spent a week in our favorite place in Maine. The leaves had abandoned the trees, and the tourists were scarce, even the locals seemed homebound. I could photograph each unconventional road without distractions revealing their solitude and meandering ways. Combining the photographs with my drawings this project is a portrayal of memory and the journeys.
This series is expanding into an artist’s book
– Martha Wakefield
Biographical:
Martha Wakefield is an award-winning painter and photographer. Her work has been shown in over 77 exhibits across the country including the Fitchburg Art Museum, Wheaton College, Lasell University, and the Griffin Museum of Photography. Awarded artists residencies include Weir Farm National Historic Site in CT, Vermont Studio Center and Orquevaux, France. Wakefield’s work has been featured in several publications including Artscope and Watercolor Artists magazine. And she has written many articles on artists and techniques for The Palette Magazine. Her paintings are in numerous corporate and private collections internationally.
Since 2012 Wakefield has been teaching art classes and intensive workshops on painting, color theory and creativity.
She loves empowering artists of all levels in strengthening their artistic voices.
Wakefield is represented by Powers Gallery of Acton, MA and Hera Gallery of Wakefield, RI.
Website: marthawakefield.com
Instagram: mmwakefield
The RI Center for Photographic Arts, RICPA 118 N. Main St. Providence, RI 02903
Located in the heart of Providence, RICPA was founded to inspire creative development and provide opportunities to engage with the community through exhibitions, education, publication, and mutual support.
RICPA exists to create a diverse and supportive community for individuals interested in learning or working in the Photographic Arts. We strive to provide an environment conducive to the free exchange of ideas in an open and cooperative space. Members should share a passion for creating, appreciating, or learning about all forms of photo-based media. We work to provide a platform for artistic expression, that fosters dialogue and drives innovation in the photographic arts.
We are member supported, the first step to membership is registration – https://www.riphotocenter.org/registration Details on membership options can be found at https://www.riphotocenter.org/membership-info
The Gallery at the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts is a member of Gallery Night Providence https://www.gallerynight.org
Questions: Contact gallery@riphotocenter.org To learn about other RICPA exhibits and programs, visit https://www.riphotocenter.org
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