University of Maine at Presque Isle alumnus and photographer Jason Grass will present his first book Faded Away during a book signing on Friday, June 17 from 1-3 p.m. in the Owl’s Nest, located in the University’s Campus Center.
A personal loss inspired Grass to create this photography art table book, a pictorial journey through the last resting places of many people who, over the centuries, have lived here and called northern Maine their home. His 162-page book takes a thoughtful look at these landscapes, of love ones lost and remembered, or with the passage of time, forgotten, and explores how we deal with loss. Faded Away also showcases the quiet beauty to be found in the area’s cemeteries, and provides an important record of this aspect of local history.
Grass graduated from the University in May 2009 with a Bachelor of Fine Art degree. He also attended the New York Institute of Photography. He now teaches photography privately and also for the Fort Fairfield Adult Education program. The way he views the world through his camera lens has attracted many fans around the world, especially in this day and age of social media.
Grass began his journey as an artist 11 years ago in a most unconventional way – after he received his training as a private investigator and started taking photos, he discovered how much he enjoyed the medium. He decided then to use photography as his voice for subjects that he felt rather strongly about.
“In the almost two years’ work of putting this book together, I learned a lot not only about myself but also about those whose plots I was visiting,” Grass said. “One of the most poignant things I came to understand is that we put so much effort into creating these final resting places, but as years stretch into generations, these places become degraded and worn, and the distant descendants of these departed have stopped maintaining their family plots. My purpose was to then document those forgotten souls so that no matter how much further the stones degrade, we have a record of how they are right now.”
For more information about the June 17 book signing or about Faded Away, contact Grass at jgrass1@maine.rr.com or 207-227-9653.
