ATHENAEUM HALL EXHIBITION:

“The Bellows Brothers”

Photography by

Robert C. Jenks and James A. Kipfer

On View Through September 2026

Fourth-generation St. Johnsbury photographer Bob Jenks collaborates with Jim Kipfer of Maine for a joint exhibition of their photographs entitled “The Bellows Brothers.” The exhibition will be on view during library hours from July through September in the second floor Hall Gallery.

The Artists’ Reception will be held on Saturday, July 18 from 4-6 pm, and the public is invited to attend.

Robert C. Jenks, Master Photographer and Craftsman, is a 4th-generation photographer keeping the family-run business going. The business was established in 1886 by Robert’s great-grandfather, William H. Jenks. Robert graduated from Culinary Arts School in 1979 and didn’t feel like heading into work in a hot kitchen, so he started working for his dad and never stopped. He took over the business in 1986, following in the footsteps of his ancestors. Robert has a love for black & white images and hopes someday in the future to shoot only black and white.

Bob believes the Jenks Studio may be the oldest family-run studio in the United States. Other photographers may have been in business longer, but have sold out to non-family members.

Bob will show images shot by his great-grandfather, grandfather, father, and some of his own, including his recent photo of Stevie Van Zandt of the E Street Band and the Malvado Maple Mezcal produced by the St. Johnsbury Distillery.

James A. Kipfer is a fine art photographer whose studio is in Alna, ME. “I consider myself a photo-documentarian,” says Kipfer. “I focus on places that are distinct, with character, that are unique; places that are on the verge of disappearing either by nature or by man’s overwhelming need to homogenize our culture. My tools are analog, yet complex. I primarily use large format view cameras and gelatin silver film to record what I’m feeling. The quality of the finished contact prints capture a detail and depth that I feel is unmatched by modern digital images.”

The exhibition is free, ADA accessible, and open to the public.

Our Next Hall Gallery Exhibition: Stereoscopes (October-December)