The second-floor gallery at the Utica Public Library is currently hosting an exhibition called “Utica:  Then and Now,” featuring nearly 60 local photographs—over two dozen that photographer Larry Pacilio took in 1973-74 in East Utica, and nearly three dozen by other local photographers across today’s Utica. The public is invited to attend an opening reception at The Library at 5-7:00 PM on Monday, November 4.

Pacilio’s photographs are on display publicly for the first time in nearly 50 years.  In 1975, they were part of “East Utica:  1973-74,” the first one-man photography exhibition at the Munson-Williams-Proctor Institute.  Pacilio then pursued a career as an editorial and fine arts photographer.  He has exhibited widely and published his photographs in such respected publications as The New York Times, Newsweek, Paris Match, The Guardian, Adirondack Life, and Better Homes & Gardens.

“Seeing images of past Uticans on one wall and today’s Uticans on the opposite wall powerfully tells the story of how much Utica has changed,” notes Library Director Chris Sagaas, “but it also shows how much remains the same—this is still such an interesting community. We can’t wait for visitors to see it for themselves!”

Library Board President Phil Bean has collaborated with Sagaas, The Library’s Assistant Director Heidi McManus, Pacilio, and Vartan Poghosian of Utica’s 4 Elements Studio, as well as the Oneida County History Center (which preserves Pacilio’s original photos), to create this distinctive exhibition. “The entire team has been fantastic,” Bean commented, “but I’m especially grateful to Chris, Heidi, and The Library staff for immediately embracing this project.  It has been a labor of love that shows how central The Library is to our cultural life.  Larry’s photos are so very compelling, as are those of today’s Utica—people need to see these thought-provoking images of Uticans past and present.”

Pacilio began his journey as a photographer as a 10-year-old captivated by the “magic” of the medium.  Growing up in the 1950s, he was influenced by photographers who produced images that “were technically rough but conveyed a well-developed sense of moment and an acute visual elegance.”  Reflecting further, Pacilio adds:  “Life is full of unforeseeable events, but if you pay attention you can locate ‘windows’ that are open wide. You mark your time in this state of grace with a click and move on to whatever happens next.”

In the early 1970s, the “windows” through which Pacilio “looked” were Italian American ones, as he captured powerful images of an ethnic community that was still vibrant but in the throes of change. The photographs of today’s Utica capture a place reshaped by refugees and other recent immigrants that is achieving new vibrancy and a distinctive new character.  “This exhibition is an authentic portrayal of Utica, both in its historical context and its present state, consistently embracing and welcoming individuals from diverse backgrounds,” notes Poghosian.

The Utica Public Library is located at 303 Genesee Street in Utica.  Parking for the November 4 reception will be available on Genesee Street and in a lot next to The Library on Park Avenue, as well as in the Munson parking lot.  The show is free and open to the public through December.

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