UNCOMMON COMPANIONS

Jacquelyn Cynkar stands besides her portraits in the Uncommon Companions exhibit at the Frick Environmental Center.

SPRINGTIME BRINGS Uncommon Companions

UNCOMMON COMPANIONS, A PHOTOGRAPHY EXHIBIT, opened at the Frick Environmental Center in December, giving viewers an intimate glimpse into the realm of insects and arachnids through portrait photography by Jacquelyn Cynkar.

Jacquelyn says it’s an honor to show her work at the Environmental Center, especially because many of her images were captured in Frick Park. She credits Susan Rademacher, Director of the Pittsburgh Parks Conservatory/Head Curator, and Reed Hoffmier, Frick Environmental Center Site Manager, and their team for their collaboration and support to bring her photos to the public.

When Jacquelyn started photographing insects, she didn’t realize it would turn into a series. She took her first insect portrait in 2006 and has worked on this exhibit little by little over the past ten years or so. She found herself increasingly intrigued by the detail in these insects, that a person on an average walk might not notice. “I love capturing something you might not naturally see. As I’m refining my photography skills, from a technical standpoint, I’m also learning how to investigate insects in the park. It’s a place I can slow down. I’m not feeling as rushed or hurried like I might be when photographing people.”

Jacquelyn wasn’t always a photographer. After college, she worked at Carnegie Mellon in a lab researching cognitive brain imaging, but it was during her pregnancy with her second child in the early 2000s that she realized she needed to take up a new kind of work to be at home more often. In 2005, she went CONTINUED on page 17

CONTINUED from page 16 to the Art Institute to earn a degree in Photography. Having degrees in Psychology and Anthropology, she thought it was a natural fit. “I’ve always been drawn to people and portraits. I think that comes from working with people in my research early on in my career, looking at brain activation, continually exploring that. [My photography] is research-oriented in a way - I investigate and look at things and document my point of view.”

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The Carolina Mantis is an example of Cynkar’s more dramatic visual work. This Mantis is considered very beneficial in yards and gardens for their natural pest control ability.

Why does she consider the insects in the park uncommon companions? “Whether you’re in the park, at home, in your yard, or your garden,” she says, “these insects are there with us, and so they’re all of our companions. You might not be thinking of them as a companion; hence, the uncommon. They are so seemingly innocuous that most people would pass by them and not even notice. But we need to take care of them and to notice the company we have around us. They are our company, and beautiful creatures.”

You can see a fuller sample of Jacquelyn’s work on her website at jacquelyncynkar.com. Sunday, April 19 • 2020 • 9am - 1pm

@ the Corner of Forbes Ave. & Murray Ave.

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