The work of the French painter and sculptor Edgar Degas, particularly his work featuring dancers, combined with access to the unique space of the derelict Queen Theater inspired me to design a series of images contrasting the classical beauty of ballet with the harsh beauty of the decaying Queen Theater. Working with Fine Arts Photography student Evan Krape to bring the concept to life, the resulting images evoke a dream-like melding of beauty and ruin. The work would not have been possible without the exceptionally generous cooperation of The First State Ballet Artistic Director, Pasha Kambalov, and the patient, graceful style of dancer Aubrey Lynne Clemens.

The Light Up The Queen Foundation is a non-profit corporation dedicated to reviving the once-vibrant Queen Theater in Wilmington, Delaware. The Queen showed its last film in April of 1959 and over the past 40+ years the theater has been left to decay. The foundation hopes to transform the Queen into the new center of Wilmington’s urban renaissance as well as a unique venue for music and education.