In collaboration with the UNM Art Museum and Fay Pfaelzer Abrams, the campus community is invited to the opening reception of The Wide View: The Photographs of Harvey M. Kaplan, on Friday, Sept. 20 from 5 to 7 p.m. at the Jonathan Abrams MD Art Gallery, located on the fifth floor of the Ambulatory Care Center (5ACC).

As a young boy with his Brownie camera, Harvey M. Kaplan photographed the 19th-Century buildings of his hometown in northern Pennsylvania. Later, while earning a Bachelor of Architecture degree from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, he had the good fortune of studying photography under master photographer Clyde “Red” Hare. Walking the streets through snowstorms, camera in hand, he recorded the buildings, people, and streets of Pittsburgh’s East Street Valley as it was being destroyed for Interstate 79.

While working in architecture, historic buildings and streetscapes fascinated him as much as the work of the design firms that employed him. His career in historic preservation began with a master’s degree from Columbia University. Photography always played a role in his work, but about 20 years ago digital technology re-ignited his passion. The depth and range now available through digital imaging, along with ultra-wide lenses and panoramic equipment, has enabled him to realize his vision.

The Jonathan Abrams MD Art Gallery was founded in 1991 by Dr. Jonathan Abrams, a world-renowned cardiologist who came to New Mexico while serving in the Army in 1968. Dr. Abram’s and his wife were passionate art collects, so when the University built the Ambulatory Care Center Dr. Abram decided that all the new, empty walls needed art and started by bringing art from his home to display.

From there, Dr. Abrams founded the Jonathan Abrams, MD Art Gallery in the fifth-floor hallway outside of the Department of Internal Medicine to offer New Mexican artists a place to display their artwork, and to provide a venue at The University of New Mexico Health Sciences Center for patients, visitors, students and staff to view contemporary art.

The gallery is typically open from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and is located on the fifth floor of the Ambulatory Care Center. Parking is available at the UNM Hospital West Parking Structure at Lomas & Yale. This exhibition will be on display through Nov. 1, 2019.

For more information, contact Chris Fenton at 505-272-9700 or cfenton@salud.unm.edu.