The Figge Art Museum is looking to the stars as they welcome Iowa Night Skies: Photographs by Johnny Brian as their newest exhibit. This stunning display of photographs opens on Saturday, June 17, and showcases the work of Iowa City-based photographer Johnny Brian, who has captured the spellbinding beauty of the evening sky above us.

Iowa Night Skies: Photographs by Johnny Brian features a dozen of Brian’s stunning pigment prints. Using a technique that exposes film over extended periods, Brian captures the tiny details of the nightly show that plays over our heads each night. He’s photographed everything from the Milky Way to aircraft to fireflies and has captured amazing photos that showcase the beauty of the night sky in the Midwest.

Brian’s passion for photography started early. “In the first grade (1963), my parents gave me an Instamatic 100 camera that I still have to this day,” he said. “I have traditionally been a large and medium format film-based photographer, but with the pandemic and lockdown in 2020, I decided that I had to reinvent myself and my photography with a new photo project.”

During that summer, he spent a great deal of time photographing the night sky from his yard. “It was a fortuitous time to take up night sky photography due to the appearance of the Neowise Comet,” he said. “On June 17, 2020, I stepped out of my basement door, equipped with a digital camera with a 70 to 200 mm zoom lens and a tripod. I situated the tripod immediately outside the door and adjusted the F-stop shutter speed and ISO of the camera and clicked off the first frame. When I reviewed the frame on the camera screen, I was astonished to find it contained the Neowise Comet with its fiery green head and long plume like tail being fully evident.”

Since then, Brian has taken over 60,000 images of the evening sky from his yard, finding inspiration in the nightly dance of stars, meteors, and comets. “As a retired anesthesiologist and accomplished chemical and biomedical researcher, Johnny Brian brings a unique perspective to his photography,” said Figge Executive Director and CEO Michelle Hargrave, “Through his meticulous technique of exposing film over extended periods, Brian’s prints offer us a mesmerizing and unique glimpse into the awe-inspiring beauty of the night sky.”

A highlight of the exhibit is Brian’s personal favorite, called “Meteor, Milky Way over Farm.” It captures the allure of the Milky Way at night, enhanced by the serendipitous appearance of a meteor—a truly stunning sight.

The exhibition will be on display through August 27 in the Figge’s second-floor Katz Gallery. There will be a program celebrating the opening of the Johnny Brian exhibit, as well as one from Ansel Adams, on Thursday, June 20. Figge members can attend a reception starting at 5 p.m. and the public program starts at 6:30 p.m.

For more information, including admission fees and hours, click hereor call (563) 326-7804.