22 November 2014-1 April 2015

Mint Museum Uptown

...is there a way into the labyrinth? & out of the maze?

Kristina Rogers, a German born photographer who came to Charlotte in 1950, developed an early passion for the arts.  Her contentious relationship with religious education as a child, provided grounds for her future photographic work.  Her photography questions and challenges past conventions in search of deeper spiritual and philosophical resonance.  Rogers recalled the childhood experiences, stating: "...this was when my lifelong quest for knowledge and understanding began."  She visited The Mint Museum shortly after her move to the United States, and referred to the occasion as "an utterly captivating experience."  She was drawn to art and museums in what she claimed to be her "guilty little secret."  

Realizing her passion for art, Rogers studied at the Inchbaud School of Design in London, and after extensive traveling, she eventually settled with her husband in Waxhaw, NC just south of Charlotte.  She purchased her first camera in 1983 and began her pursuits in the field of photography during the mid-1980's. Through her teachings at Central Piedmont Community College and independent study at The Light Factory in Charlotte, Rogers perfected her skills of composing and printing gelatin silver photographs and collages. Rogers recalled: "It was if a previously unknown world had opened up before me."  Shortly before her death in 2011, Rogers generously donated nearly 100 of her photographic works to the collection of The Mint Museum.  This exhibition brings together 25 of Rogers' most provocative works of art providing a rare window into the intriguing complex world of one of Charlotte's celebrated artists.

Kristina Rogers (American, 1945 – 2011). Untitled, October 1, 2010, collage of gelatin silver prints and mixed media. Gift of the Artist. 2011.41.21. Collection of The Mint Museum

Common Attributes Of Rogers' Works

• Gelatin Silver Prints
• Usually In Layered Print Collages
• Rarely Titled or Dated
• Develops in Phases or Series 
• Inscriptions on The Back Of Her Works
• To Identify Meaning, People, and/or Places 

Gelatin Silver Photography

• Photograph Identification Guide on Gelatin Silver Photography
• Silver Gelatin Developed Out Prints (DOPs) 

Rogers' Charlotte Connection

• The Mint Museum's Collection Database 
• The Light Factory 

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Created by Miles Franco, Executive Intern For The Mint Museum