6th Annual Vernacular Photography

Annual One-Day Exhibition Celebrates the Fine Art of Amateur Photography

Once viewed as oddball snapshots but now prized by collectors and museums as a unique form of folk art, vernacular photographs are extraordinary images of ordinary people, places and things taken by unknown or amateur photographers, and often imbued with an accidental sense of whimsy or mystery.

Arizona photographer and master framer Richard Laugharn, the owner of Fine Art Framing in Tempe, has been collecting vernacular imagery for decades. Each year, he shares some of his greatest finds with the public.

Free and open to the public, the four-hour event showcases nearly 100 vernacular images spanning the 19th century to the present, from pre-digital-era “selfies” to everyday scenes of modern life. Among the highlights are an unusual “family reunion” from 1944 and a variety of interesting landscapes near and far, including vintage travel photographs from the American Southwest and as far away as Norway.

Each vernacular photograph was personally collected by Laugharn and is presented in a customized, handmilled artisan frame of his own design, ready for hanging or gifting. Also available for purchase are a variety of beautifully framed, turn-of-the-century stereo cards, antique maps, natural history prints and other interesting artifacts for every taste and budget. Prices start at $80, and serious collectors should arrive early for the best selection.

About Fine Art Framing

Fine Art Framing was established in 1993 by Richard Laugharn. The company has built a national reputation for its museum-quality custom frames that combine traditional craftsmanship with modern design and the highest conservation standards.

About Richard Laugharn

Born in New York City and raised in Los Angeles, Richard Laugharn earned his B.A. in art from California State University, Long Beach, and his M.F.A. in photography from Arizona State University. Laugharn has a deep interest in the landscape of the Sonoran Desert, where he has been engaged in a long-term project photographing more than 80 individual plants, including saguaros, palo verde, mesquite and ironwood trees, as well as a variety of cacti and other desert perennials, over time. His photographs are included in the collections of the Scottsdale Museum of Contemporary Art (SMoCA); Center for Creative Photography, Tucson; Arizona State University; and the law firm of Snell & Wilmer.

Laugharn’s recent work is currently on view in the group exhibition Land Exposures at Etherton Gallery in Tucson from Nov. 4, 2014, through Jan. 3, 2015. The exhibition also features works by photographers Jamey Stillings, David Emitt Adams, and Chris Colville.