Chromoskedasic Photography Demonstration with R.J. Kern

Join us for a rare opportunity to witness a live demonstration of Chromoskedasic photography with Lakewood Artist in Residence, R.J. Kern. Watch this camera-less process transforms traditional silver gelatin prints into radiant, metallic images through chemical manipulation. The artist will guide viewers through each stage of this experimental technique, beginning with expired photographic paper and developing it without a negative. Using selective exposure to light and hand-applied chemistry, the artist coaxes abstract, mirror-like forms to emerge directly on the paper’s surface. As viewers watch the image shift and evolve in real time, they’ll witness the unpredictable interplay of light, silver, and developer.

In addition to watching the demonstration, visitors will also be able to talk with the artist, ask questions, and see his exhibition Ethereal Echoes: A Journey of Light on display in the Welcome Center.

About the artist: 

R. J. Kern (b. 1978) is an American artist whose work investigates ideas of home, ancestry, and a sense of place. Accolades include Critical Mass Top 50 (2018, 2021, 2024), artist grants from Metropolitan Regional Arts Council and seven grants from the Minnesota State Arts Board. Monographs include The Sheep and the Goats (Kehrer Verlag, 2017) and The Unchosen Ones (MW Editions, 2021). Public collections include Minneapolis Institute of Art and the Walker Art Center.

The Lakewood Welcome Center

This event will take place outside of the Welcome Center at Lakewood. This beautiful, state-of-the-art building provides a warm and sunny backdrop for community events, in addition to offering quiet space for families to gather and make arrangements for end-of-life.

In the event of rain, the event will be moved inside.

About the Lakewood Heritage Foundation

The Lakewood Heritage Foundation is a proud sponsor of the Lakewood Artist in Residence program. The Lakewood Heritage Foundation is a nonprofit 501(c)(3) organization created to sustain Lakewood as a local treasure by supporting educational programming and the preservation and restoration of Lakewood’s landscape, art, architecture and public spaces—for the benefit of all.