Everett W. Kuntz exhibit at the Argus Museum

I probably should have posted on this a bit earlier, as the show opening is this Friday, October 21, from 6 - 9 pm. The official press release follows: The Argus Museum proudly presents Sunday Afternoon on the Porch: Reflections of a Small Town in Iowa, 1939-1942, photographs by Everett W. Kuntz. The exhibition runs from October 21st through November 18th, 2011. As a teenage farm boy in Ridgeway Iowa, in the late 1930s and early 1940s, Everett W. Kuntz, using the Argus AF camera he purchased for $12.50, captured images of everyday life near and around his hometown. He did not have the money to have the shots printed, and eventually, as he went off to college and later settled in Minneapolis, he forgot he even had them. Some 60 years later, as he lay dying of cancer, he remembered. "He went to the basement and opened a box," said his son, David Kuntz. "And there they were." In 2008, The University of Iowa Press published the photographs, which are accompanied by vignettes written by Jim Heynen. The book, as well as matted prints of Kuntz's images, may be purchased at the Museum for the duration of the exhibit.
The opening will be held on Friday, October 21st from 6 to 9pm at the Argus Museum. The museum is located on the second floor of the Argus l building, 525 West William, Ann Arbor, MI 48103. The event is free and refreshments will be served. The musical performance of the Julian Allen Trio will add to the festivities. (The previously-recorded Ann Arbor-based group consisting of Marcus Elliot, Ben Rolston, and Julian Allen, finds relevance and inspiration through many musical forms and origins.) Kuntz's photographs will be exhibited October 21 through November 18th, Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm. For more information, please contact Cheryl Chidester at 734-759-0770 or email Cheryl at cchidester@onealconstruction.com. The event is supported by the family of Everett W. Kuntz, the Argus Collectors Group, Bill Martin, and O'Neal Construction.

In addition, there is more: Also on display will be artifacts from the Argus Museum collections. Products manufactured by the Argus Camera Company, including rare objects and prototypes, are featured, as well as military items and employees’ personal effects. Many of the artifacts on display were manufactured in the same building which now houses the Museum.

Former Argus employees and their families will be invited to the opening, giving those interested a chance to speak with them. Argus-related presentations are planned for Saturday, October 22nd, with an afternoon field trip to the Yankee Air Museum which will include a private tour and photography opportunities. (A $2.50 admission fee per person will be charged.) The Argus Museum Archives will open for research on Sunday, October 23rd. Reservations are required for Saturday and Sunday events. If you are interested in giving a presentation (it can be an informal one), please contact Cheryl Chidester.

If you have any interest in vernacular photography, history, old cameras, and especially Argus, this will be a very fun event! I'll be there Friday night.