Photo exhibit features iconic portraits of rock stars from the 1960s

By Mike Anderson

If you are a fan of fine art photography, then don’t miss the current exhibit at the Georgina Centre for Arts and Culture (GCAC).

Artistic Director Charlotte Hale has put together an eclectic selection of vintage and contemporary photographs under the theme: Faces, Places & Music, from six celebrated photographers: Baron Wolman, Vitas Luckus, Jerry Riley, Jeremy Taylor, Carlos Ferguson, and Tom Zsolt.

This is the first year under Hale’s tenure the gallery has been included in Toronto’s Contact Photography Festival, which runs until June 2.

The exhibit’s centrepiece is work by the late Baron Wolman, who was Rolling Stone Magazine’s first staff photographer from 1967 to late 1970.

Wolman’s photos are featured in the main space and include portraits of Jimi Hendrix, Jerry Garcia, Pink Floyd, Steve Miller, and Eric Burden, among others.

Wolman also took photos of groupies from the late ’60s, which he published in a book called “Groupies and Other Electric Ladies” in 2015.

A selection of images from that book is also on display, including a photograph of the GTOs, the first all-girl band formed by Jerry Garcia.

“These photographs are iconic; you won’t see them anywhere else,” Hale said.

“Wolman was on the scene in the early days. It was a totally different environment for shooting. He had complete access; there was no security or anything. They were all together hanging out.”

Hale had a professional connection with Wolman, having worked with him in 2016, four years before his death from ALS in 2020.

“This exhibition was one I had in my gallery in Toronto’s Mirvish Village,” she said.

“I reached out to him and asked if he had ever shown in Toronto before, and he said no. And I asked if you would like to. And he said yes. So we brought him up. He went on CBC Radio, and we had a book signing at the Drake.”

Also on display are some striking photos from the late Vitas Luckus, a Lithuanian-born photographer who committed suicide in 1987 after a confrontation with a KGB agent.

“He’s not well known in North America but widely acknowledged in Lithuania as a master photographer,” Hale said.

Jerry Riley, now based in Nairobi, Kenya, provided a series of portraits from Cape Dorset, an Inuit hamlet in Nunavut, on the southern tip of Baffin Island.

Carlos Ferguson, a former resident of Keswick, and Sutton’s Tom Zsolt were present for the exhibit’s launch on May 2.

Ferguson’s photographs depict musicians like John Hammond and Jazz bassist Paul Novotny, while landscape photographer Tom Zsolt has three photographs on display, including a new one called Will’s Hideaway, which he calls “a shed to beat all sheds.”

“There are six photographers in this exhibit, and all the photos are wonderful,” Zsolt said.

“Sure, you can see the same image on your phone. But it won’t be the same as looking at a physical print up close that’s large and clear, the way the artist meant to show it. That’s why physical photographs are important.”

Also included in the exhibit is a rare collection of period photographs of Sutton and Jackson’s Point, provided by the Georgina Historical Society (GHS).

They depict numerous heritage buildings, as well as many structures that are long gone, including railway stations, hotels and lodges from the late 1800s to early 1900s.

According to Paul Brady, GHS President, the oldest photograph predates cars, depicting ladies on bicycles in front of what is now known as Papa Luigi’s Family Restaurant on High St, Sutton.

Brady’s favourite photograph shows a train at the Sutton railway station.

“It would be about 1877. That’s the first train coming into the Sutton station. It was the Lake Simcoe Junction Railroad, a spur line,” he said.

“These precious photographs tell the story of Georgina. And it’s a great opportunity for the public to come out and see our history.”

GCAC will host a special event on Thursday, May 16, billed as “an immersive photography and music experience.”

“Rock & Talk” will feature Wolman’s photographs, with Hale discussing his work accompanied by classic rock and blues music from Juno Award winner Lance Anderson, Robbie Duffus, Neil Chapman, and Joe Angello. Tickets are $20 and can be purchased at www.eventbrite.com.