The History of Now: Photos, Polaroids and the Poetry of Artist Tara Shannon Thayer

On a rainy but crisp cool night, in a funky cool yellow house, off a busy Tarrytown street, lives a place where everything in eyeshot is art. That place is called Pretty Funny Vintage.

And at minimum, everything is ultra creative, museum meets vintage clothing, antique furnishings and retro books with sparkly jewelry.

In this yellow house in a spare room reserved for the night's event is the photography of Tara Shannon Thayer. The room tonight operates as a gallery and the Polaroid photography operates as storyteller.

The photo project on view is entitled: "the history of here: photographs from in and around sleepy hollow cemetery."

The Polaroids, though taken recently, house the endless ability to speak to yesteryear, those years of the 60's, 70's and 80's, when many of us pointed clicked and got instant images to hold in our hand.

"Even with iPods and colored screen computers, my girls think Polaroid pictures are cool. It's old technology, but a reverse cool to my girls," Tara said.

The photos of the tombstones, the church's pews, the land that surrounds the Old Dutch church capture what is closer to Tara's memories of her youth spent in the surrounding area than they speak to present day.

Tara writes:

this is my home.

this is where I'm from.

the place from where I slipped

away at twenty,

and climbed back into,

slowly,

surely,

at thirty two.

In a Q & A, Stephanie Leggio, the owner of Pretty Funny Vintage had this to say about Tara's work.

Why did you decide to present Tara's art?

"Tara is an incredible talent. I think her talent goes way beyond her unique photographic perspective. Her intuitive approach to capturing the essence of something can be sometimes humorous, while other times haunting.

"Although in the end, the image is always breathtaking. Whether a misty morning in the cemetery or a carrot on a table, Tara knows just where to find the true spirit in a moment." 

How does it complement your space and creations?

Tara's work fits perfectly into the shop... the idea of having a show of cemetery photos shot with a Polaroid is just the type of unique presentation we seek out when looking for our vintage finds out on the road."

In a Q & A with Tara, she had this to say about herself:

Do you consider yourself a photographer or poet?

"I consider myself a wife, mama, daughter, and homemaker, and an amateur photographer who likes to write."

What story do you mean to tell with this particular project?

"The landmarks for which this town is famous hold personal memories for me that may be quite at odds with their obvious context."

What do you have to say about being a hometown girl?

"Don't knock it 'til you try it."

A small and quaint book of Tara's Polaroid photography and poetry journals elements of her life and experiences living and growing up in the Tarrytown/Sleepy Hollow areas and can be seen and purchased at Pretty Funny Vintage and at Tara's website publicbookstore.blogspot.com. 

Stephanie Leggio runs and operates Pretty Funny Vintage, which is located at 80 South Broadway in Tarrytown, NY. She can be reached at her website http://prettyfunnyvintage.com/.