When I grow up
Austin Chadderdon’s ACA exhibit takes visitors on a nostalgia trip to simpler times
Chadderdon gave a brief speech describing the inspiration for his work and thanking those who helped make it come to life during an event on Friday night.
Neil Dalal, left, and Joss Boyens, right, engage in a competitive game of Guess Who during the opening of the "When I Grow Up" exhibit at the ACA building Friday night.
T-R PHOTOS BY ROBERT MAHARRY Most of the subjects of the portrait series pose for a photo at the grand opening of "When I Grow Up" with exhibitor Austin Chadderdon at the Arts + Culture Alliance building on Friday night.
The "When I Grow Up" portraits feature pairings of children and adults who bear a physical resemblance to each other but have no other real-life connection, encouraging viewers to reflect on childhood and identity.
Chadderdon gave a brief speech describing the inspiration for his work and thanking those who helped make it come to life during an event on Friday night.
Neil Dalal, left, and Joss Boyens, right, engage in a competitive game of Guess Who during the opening of the "When I Grow Up" exhibit at the ACA building Friday night.
T-R PHOTOS BY ROBERT MAHARRY Most of the subjects of the portrait series pose for a photo at the grand opening of "When I Grow Up" with exhibitor Austin Chadderdon at the Arts + Culture Alliance building on Friday night.
The "When I Grow Up" portraits feature pairings of children and adults who bear a physical resemblance to each other but have no other real-life connection, encouraging viewers to reflect on childhood and identity.
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Adults of a certain age -- namely, this author's -- could be forgiven for believing they'd accidentally stumbled into a time machine as they entered the opening of local artist Austin Chadderdon's "When I Grow Up' portrait exhibit at the Arts + Culture Alliance building on West Main Street Friday night.
The room, which was packed to the brim, was adorned with all sorts of nods to childhood in the 1990s, from the Nintendo 64 and VCR players to Kodak film cameras to board games like Battleship and Guess Who and even era-appropriate refreshments in the form of Lunchable style crackers, Fruit Roll Ups and Gatorade in a can.
The centerpiece of the exhibit was the namesake "When I Grow Up" portraits created by pairing children with adults who bear a striking resemblance to each other despite having no real-life connection. Adult participants included Black Iron Barbell Owner Jake Reynolds, Marshalltown Police Department Capt. Sadie Weekley, renowned Mexican folk dancer Bertha Santillan and postal carrier/artist Josh Cox, and the frames were created by another local artist, John Eich.
As he shared brief remarks, Chadderdon, a Class of 2008 MHS graduate who owns Soul or System Photography, likened it to the moment in a movie when the protagonist, about to make a dramatic speech, throws what he has written aside and addresses the audience straight from the heart.
"But I'm not going to do that today because if I try ad-libs, I'll lose my mind, forget my mom's name, the bar will run out of drinks and I'll completely ruin it for everybody," he joked.
He recounted a lecture from film school about the need to create interesting stories with large stakes, and Chadderdon described bringing the pieces on display to life as "a massive relief."
"As you look around, you'll see part of my art is physical things I collect, but for all of us, the true art of life is the people we collect -- its textures, its sounds, the memories we try desperately to protect from the cruel speed of time. Yet time is exactly what gives these things their beauty," he said. "That is what nostalgia is. Increasing pain and increasing beauty. This isn't just about looking back at the good old days, though they were good. The kids in these portraits are living in the world we have now. Their memories and their future nostalgia are being shaped today. It is our responsibility to accept their world, face its unique challenges and give them every opportunity to look back with the same reverence we have."
Growing up, Chadderdon said his passions for movies, music and books drove him inward, but now, they pull him outward, forcing him to be invested in someone else's story.
"The death of a youthful ego opens up the world. There's so much more out there beyond our four walls. It can feel like something we have to handle, but really, it's just something we have to experience, analyze and accept. If it's a mess, make it a beautiful mess," he said.
After referencing a scene from the 1937 film "The Grand Illusion," Chadderdon offered thanks to Amber Danielson and Kelbryn VanGundy of the ACA, Eich, Jonathan Bizios with Minuteman Printing for creating the canopy, the Printlab, his own family, especially his mother for her efforts to archive relics of his childhood, and his fiance Lauren Borcherding and their sons for grounding him. He ended on a lighter note.
"I don't drink as much red wine as I should, but those Lunchables pair really well with a nice fine," he said. "Thank you for listening. Thank you for showing up. Please enjoy the space. Find somebody you don't know. Play Clue. Play Battleship. Old people, show the kids what retro games really are."
The gallery will be open for viewing through the end of September on Tuesdays from 1 to 4 p.m. and Thursdays from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and Chadderdon said anyone who would like to walk through it with him as a guide is welcome to call or text him at (641) 328-4984, email him at austinofiowa@gmail.com, visit soulorsystemphotography.mypixieset.com or message @soulorstystemphoto on Facebook and Instagram.
"We were thrilled to see another full house at the ACA. It's incredible to see our community continue to show up for and support our talented local artists. We couldn't be prouder of Austin and are so excited to see the community embrace his work,” Danielson said.
Contact Robert Maharry at (641) 753-6611 ext. 255 or rmaharry@timesrepublican.com.