Exhibition: Ethereal Echoes: A Journey of Light

In Ethereal Echoes, R.J. Kern fuses ancient spiritual philosophy with experimental photographic chemistry to create hauntingly beautiful works of art. Drawing on Buddhist teachings of impermanence and rebirth, Kern employs Chromoskedasic techniques – altering expired silver gelatin prints to produce shimmering, mirror-like surfaces reminiscent of 19th-century daguerreotypes. 

Crafted just steps from the graves of his ancestors in Lakewood Cemetery, each image reflects the rhythms of life, death, and renewal. Through organic forms shaped by light and alchemy, this series invites viewers to pause and reflect on the cycles that connect us all. 

The exhibit will be on display in the Welcome Center Gallery at Lakewood through September 1.

Chromoskedasic Photography Demonstration

Join artist R.J. Kern on Tuesday, July 22 from 6-8:30 PM for a demonstration of this unique process at the Lakewood Welcome Center. For more information, please visit the event page. 

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 exhibition will be on display in 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.

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.