Friday, June 2, 2023

Doug Muir: Coming Home
Everson Museum of Art

Everson Museum of Art
401 Harrison St., Syracuse

For photographer Doug Muir (1940-2016), Syracuse was always home, even though he moved away in 1967.

Muir grew up on Syracuse's South Side where — as a 12-year-old — he embarked on a lifelong passion for capturing moments of daily life.

His early snapshots of places and people familiar to him evolved into sophisticated and compelling photographs that documented a changing America while speaking to a fundamental humanity shared by all. Spanning more than 30 years, "Doug Muir: Coming Home" surveys Muir's journey as a keen observer of humankind, from his beginnings in Central New York to his adopted home on the West Coast where he made his living as a steamfitter.

Although Muir photographed places all over the country throughout his lifetime, Syracuse remained his touchstone and he returned countless times to visit family and friends and reconnect with the source that gave his works such poignancy. "Doug Muir: Coming Home" marks a final return for the artist to his hometown, a place his heart never left.