Sun. Water. Weeds

Nanci Kahn + Meredith Kennedy
August 31 – October 27, 2023
Maine Jewish Museum

Kahn+Kennedy’s photographs are meditations on the fleeting quality of sun glint on water. Initially, the pair began by creating cyanotypes of seaweeds and water plants by the water’s edge. Noticing the glitter patterns on the image while processing, enticed them to capture that sparkling, environmental phenomenon. Their photographs are a combination of nature study and scientific wonder – beckoning the viewer below the the surface.

Nanci Kahn is an artist/photographer living in Maine. Since graduating from Cornell University (BFA) and the San Francisco Art Institute (MFA with Distinction) she has continued to explore the numerous facets of photography. Her work is in permanent collections at the National Museum of Ethiopia, Portland Museum of Art, Kroch Library at Cornell University, University of New England and the Institute of Human Origins at Arizona State University. She is the Curator of Photography at the Maine Jewish Museum and also works as an Assistant Preparator at the Portland Museum of Art, Maine. Kahn’s photographic practice stretches from the street shooting style of her heroes Henri Cartier-Bresson and Diane Arbus to photographic installation incorporating sculptural elements and historic printing methods.

A graphic designer by profession, Meredith Kennedy gravitated towards photography while living 11 years in Japan and China. In addition to street photography and portraiture, Kennedy now works in 19th century historic processes of gum bichromate and cyanotype. Creating photographic images by hand allows each image to be unique and her sense of style and design to shine. Meredith has a BFA in Visual Arts from University of Massachusetts at Dartmouth and has studied horticulture at Arnold Arboretum of Harvard University. She is a member of the Bakery Photo Collective and lives in Portland, Maine.