Linn County Peoples and Places is the subject of a retrospective exhibit of the photographs of Mount Vernon’s Bob Campagna that opened Saturday at the Linn County Koehler History Center, 615 First Ave. S.E., Cedar Rapids. The exhibit and weekly programs will continue through November.
For over 30 years, Campagna has been photographing life and places in Linn County. In addition to his commercial and studio work, he is a well-known teacher of photography to children in several Midwest states through the artists-in-the-schools program. The 60 photos on display represent life in the area during the past three decades and feature men and women at work in the entire county. The framed collection documenting Linn County lives and communities will become a permanent part of the archives of the Linn County Historical Society.
The images are augmented by weekly gallery talks centering on how and why Linn County has changed over these three decades that are documented on film. Local professional historians share in the leadership of each discussion. To help put the immediate past into a larger perspective, small historical groups in rural areas will be displaying historic photos of their communities at the turn of the 19th century.
A series of three workshops will be held for those who wish to know more about taking pictures, developing film, and matting and framing. A special session is devoted to the problems of storing digital pictures, as well as film and videotapes.
On Nov. 8 at 10 a.m. Mount Vernon Bank and Trust is sponsoring a special appreciation for the years Campagna has been documenting Mount Vernon life, and his many contributions to community life. Some of the old images of Mount Vernon and Cornell College will also be on display. Many of these have come from glass negatives that Campagna has restored and printed for the city.”