“Icons of Rock, Blues, and Soul” to Congregate at Hartwick’s Yager Museum

August 4, 2022

Larry Hulst, Jimi Hendrix at the Golden Bear Raceway, Cal Expo, April 26, 1970, photograph, courtesy of the artist

Legendary concert photographer Larry Hulst has captured some of the most important artists in music history. This summer, a traveling exhibition of these images comes to Hartwick College’s Yager Museum of Art & Culture.

Front Row Center: Icons of Rock, Blues, and Soul will provide the Oneonta area an all-access pass to some of the most memorable musical performances ever captured on film. Running August 30 – November 22, the exhibition features 75 photographic prints of everyone from Janis Joplin and Jimi Hendrix through B.B. King and Lauryn Hill. Front Row Center: Icons of Rock, Blues, and Soul is organized and toured by International Arts & Artists, Washington, D.C.

An opening reception is slated for Thursday, September 8, from 5 – 7 p.m. which also marks the formal start of the Museum’s Fall season.

“Front Row Center will be appealing to many audiences: Hartwick’s student photographers and musicians, fans of the myriad performers so well captured by Larry Hulst’s lens, and anyone interested in photography and popular culture of the late 20th century,” said Museum Coordinator Doug Kendall. “We are thrilled to be bringing these compelling images to Oneonta this fall.”

Born in 1946 in San Diego, Hulst is a longtime participant and chronicler of the concert scene. His collection of nearly 3,000 black-and-white negatives has help immortalize the live acts of influential musicians over five momentous decades of rock history. His photography career began in 1969, when the former Navy corpsman returned home to Sacramento after a tour of duty in Vietnam.

Citing Jim Marshall, Ansel Adams, and Lynn Goldsmith among his influences, Hulst is fueled both by his respect for his musical heroes and by his dedication to perfecting his photographic eye. The hallmark of Hulst’s work is his authentic ability to evoke the raw energy and emotion of the concert experience. The only prop he has ever needed was the stage. “I never wanted to go backstage,” Hulst said. “I want to be where the action is. After all, the ‘show’ is projected out onto the audience. I want to be in the audience.”

International Arts & Artists (IA&A) is a nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting cross-cultural understanding and exposure to the arts internationally. Since 1995, IA&A has fulfilled its mission by providing programs and services to artists, arts institutions, cultural organizations, and the public—reaching over 2 million people. Visit http://www.artsandartists.org for more information.

The Yager is the Oneonta area’s only museum of art and culture. The Museum reopens for the Fall Semester on Tuesday, August 30 and will be open Tuesday-Saturday, 11:30 – 4:30 when the College is in session. The Museum is closed Sundays, Mondays, and College holidays. Admission is free and parking is available near the entrance on the first floor of Yager Hall. To reach the Museum, take West Street to Clinton Street and turn right onto Cayuga Drive. Follow Cayuga Drive to Yager Hall.

For more information on The Yager and these exhibitions, visit the museum’s website or Facebook page, call 607-431-4480, or e-mail Kendall at kendalld@hartwick.edu.