Legislative Office Building is Site of New England Trail Photo Exhibit

The New England National Scenic Trail, a solo photographic exhibition by Xiomaro showcasing the Connecticut portion of the historic hiking route, will be on view April 3 to 14, 2023, at the Connecticut General Assembly’s Legislative Office Building located at 300 Capitol Avenue, Hartford.

A selection of over 40 large prints will occupy 250 feet of wall space, which visitors can view from either a moving walkway or by strolling up the corridor that links the Legislative Office Building and the Capitol Building, Connecticut’s seat of government. The immersive experience will introduce visitors to the scenic diversity of fields, forests, river valleys, and mountains encountered along the New England National Scenic Trail – also known as the “NET.”

Designated by the U.S. Congress as a national scenic trail in 2009, the 215-mile passage stretches through 39 communities from the Long Island Sound in Connecticut to the Massachusetts-New Hampshire border. Although long known to America’s first landscape painters and adventurers, “Connecticut’s 110-mile portion of the trail is still being discovered by residents who enjoy hiking, walking, and nature,” explained Xiomaro (pronounced “SEE-oh-MAH-ro”).

Through the unique perspectives of the artist’s photographs, viewers will virtually hike the NET in various seasons and weather conditions to encounter Connecticut’s large-scale beauty. But what Xiomaro finds compelling about the trail is more than the sublime long-distance vistas of mountains, valleys, and forests dotted with rural towns.

As explained in Unseen Beauty, a short film produced by the National Park Service (NPS), Xiomaro’s images reveal the smallest overlooked details of the trail’s range of diverse ecosystems. Interesting historic landmarks near the NET are also featured.

Xiomaro was commissioned in 2016 as a Centennial Artist-in-Residence by the NPS and its partners – the Connecticut Forest and Park Association and the Appalachian Mountain Club – for a year-long project to create an artistic photographic collection of the trail in celebration of the NPS’s 100th anniversary. A few images from the collection – consisting of 223 photographs in both Connecticut and Massachusetts – have been published over the past seven years. The 40-plus Connecticut images to be displayed in Hartford, however, comprise the first formal public exhibition.

Xiomaro is an internationally recognized and exhibited artist specializing in photographing iconic American sites to raise awareness of their history, culture, and natural beauty. He is the author of Weir Farm National Historic Site (Arcadia Publishing) with a foreword by Senator Joseph Lieberman. The artist’s work has been exhibited at venues such as Harvard University, Fraunces Tavern Museum, Long Island Museum, and Fruitlands Museum, as well as galleries in Scotland and Italy.

The exhibit is free of charge and is on view from April 3 to 14, 2023, Monday through Friday from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, at the Legislative Office Building, 300 Capitol Avenue, Hartford, CT 06106. The exhibition is presented by the artist with the support of the National Park Service, Connecticut Forest and Park Association, Connecticut Land Conservation Council, and Friends of Keney Park. For more information, visit www.xiomaro.com.