Home photography collection goes public

Allen Thomas’ vast collection of photography can usually be found in every nook and cranny of his Wilson, N.C. home. A visitor is likely to find a photograph leaning against a wall or bookshelf. This spring the North Carolina Museum of Art in Raleigh has organized Thomas’ personal collection into an exhibition called In Focus: Contemporary Photography from the Allen G. Thomas Jr. Collection. The showing is the first time the museum has shown a photography exhibit featuring photographs from a single, private collection.

Thomas began collecting contemporary photography on a trip to New Orleans. He purchases pieces that speak to him on a personal level, regardless of the photo’s subject matter or style. “What I like most about collecting is the act of buying someone's passion and being able to take a piece of it home,” Thomas said. “Meeting an artist or having a studio tour invites you to see the art through their eye. It’s a personal, often revealing experience.”

The exhibit’s curators are balancing the personal nature of presenting a private collection with the demands of intellectually engaging a public audience. In order to provoke conversation, co-curators Lauren Harry Ryan and Dennis P. Weller have arranged more than 50 of Thomas’ photographs according to three themes: identity, place and the natural world. The pieces included in the exhibit also touch on the concepts of gender, race, sexuality and ethnicity. Quotations from the various photographers will be shown next to their pieces in order to provide the personal connection to an artist that is so integral to Thomas’ collecting experience.

Most of the works of In Focus have been created in a large and colorful format. Many of today's best known American and international photographers are represented in the collection. The featured photographers, such as Kate Breakey, Simen Johan and Loretta Lux, employ both traditional and innovative techniques.

In Focus opens April 3 and runs through July 17. Throughout the exhibit's run, the museum will be hosting a variety of events including talks given by Thomas and public tours. All of the events, as well as general admission to the exhibit, are free.