A free photography exhibit at the Jamaica Wildlife Refuge in Broad Channel is now open to the public to view works of two Queens photographers capturing the “locations, worlds and points of time” at the Gateway National Recreation Area.
A grand opening reception was held on Feb. 16 for the exhibit entitled “Exploring Gateway” that will be on display for two months. It features works from nine local photographers celebrating the people, nature and history of Gateway. There are pictures from the beaches of Sandy Hook, Riis Park and Jamaica Bay.
Two of the photographers from Queens are Lucy Cooper from Middle Village and John Eng from Forest Hills. Cooper used her iPhone 7 and Eng used a Sony A7 III to capture their images for the exhibition.
Eng’s images include the birds and many bird houses throughout Jamaica Bay, historical planes on exhibit at Floyd Bennett Field, and remnants of Fort Tilden with the Verrazano Bridge towering in the background.
“I am happy to have been able to contribute to an exhibit which provides a glimpse of the variety of resources and history that are available at the Gateway National Parks,” said Eng, who has been taking photographs as a hobby for more than 20 years.
For Cooper, who also has four photos on display at the exhibit, it’s a thrilling experience, she said.
“I am an artist and a designer, so it’s a helpful tool for me to capture images and ideas everywhere I go,” Cooper said.
Cooper’s pieces include porcelain berries at Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge, paddles from a kayak outing on Jamaica Bay, buoys at the lifeguard station at Jacob Riis Park, and blankets on Fort Tilden Beach.
“I love volunteering for the NPS and it was a treat for them to offer to exhibit our work,” Cooper said.
The photographers who have a wide range of experience, signed on as volunteer photographers with the Public Affairs Division in 2019 as part of an effort to capture the myriad of events and activities at the three units of Gateway (Sandy Hook, NJ; Staten Island; and Jamaica Bay, Brooklyn and Queens).
The other photographers are as follows:
Long Island: Anisha Kall, Roslyn Long Island
New Jersey: Karen O’Donnell, Laurence Harbor; Donald Cross, Atlantic Highlands; Alyssa Fell, Lanoka Harbor
Staten Island: Jeff Mondlock; Stella Wu; and Devin Ward
