Get ready to be captivated by the stark beauty of nature through the lens of Emmitt Booher at the Branigan Cultural Center. The photography exhibition titled "Dunes & Dreams: A Portrait of White Sands National Park" will display Booher's collection from Sept. 6 to Oct. 19. Admission is free, and both art enthusiasts and nature lovers alike are invited to get swept up in the almost otherworldly landscape without any charge to their wallets, as detailed by the City of Las Cruces.
The allure of the exhibition lies in its ode to White Sands National Park's vast gypsum dunes, best at evoking those feelings of awe and serenity. Booher forsakes the usual panoramas for a closer, more personal look at the dunes using a square photograph format. It's a five-year labor of love and a testament to the visual storytelling powers of a photographer who understands his subject matter from the inside out. An opening reception is slated for 5 p.m. on Friday, Sept. 6, with Booher himself making an appearance.
According to the City of Las Cruces, Booher's connection to the New Mexican landscape runs deep. His early years on a small ranch instilled in him a profound affinity for the state's landscapes, history, and people, something that has fueled his artistic endeavors.
This exhibit is more than a mere collection of landscapes. "These photographs reflect an introspective and intimate observation of this environment and as a metaphor of our world today," Booher said, as per the City of Las Cruces. He invites visitors to not only admire the aesthetics of the fragile ecosystem but also to ponder the diversity housed within it, making for a dual experience of visual pleasure and mental engagement.
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