Exhibition: Ethereal Echoes: A Journey of Light
July 15, 2025 - August 30, 2025
In Ethereal Echoes, R.J. Kern fuses ancient spiritual philosophy with experimental photographic chemistry to create 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.
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.
Exhibit Opening Reception
Meet the artist and view the new exhibit on display in the Welcome Center. Tuesday, July 22 from 6:30-8 PM. This reception is free and all are welcome. For more information, please visit the event page.
Chromoskedasic Photography Demonstration
Join artist R.J. Kern on Tuesday, August 12 from 6:30-8 PM for a demonstration of this unique process at the Lakewood Welcome Center. For more information, please visit the event page.
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.
