Picture Perfect

When Tracey Hicks contacted us to say she'd like to donate some photography equipment to betterArts that once belonged to her late brother, an extremely talented photographer and teacher, we were thrilled. The Better Farm crew and its visitors for years have expressed interest in an on-site darkroom—a dream we've realized layer by layer as we empty the basement, clean it, install vents and dehumidifiers, and build tables for enlargers and trays.

When the 300-plus pound washer box arrived yesterday packed to the gills with photography equipment, we couldn't wait to see what we were in store for. Inside we discovered a huge enlarger, several cameras including a 4x5 and 8x10, light boxes, timers, paper, flashes, and more. The equipment will all be available for rental by anyone in the community; and our darkroom (when finished) will be up for grabs by our artists-in-residence, community students and teachers, or anyone who'd like to learn the classic art of film photography.

Here's what Tracey had to say about her unbelievably generous donation:  

I think my brother would be very happy to know that students of life, photography, school, whatever will be using it and learning and enjoying what they are doing especially since he loved photography and was a teacher. I truly believe that he would have loved to have visited the farm and... I couldn't think of a better place for the equipment to be. I hope it all works and works out for you.

Heartfelt thanks to Tracey for giving us all we need to get this darkroom off the ground! Contact us if you're interested in renting some photography equipment, and check back here for updates on the renovation.