A Photography Series 400 Million Years in the Making

‘A stone is a thought that the earth develops over inhuman time.”

This line from Louise Erdrich’s story “The Stone” served as inspiration for photographer Sarah Prud’homme when creating her new series that is now on display at the Cornwall Library in Cornwall, Conn.

The exhibit entitled Inhuman Time opened to the public on Saturday, Jan. 21.

Prud’homme described the series as “a meditation on stones from New England’s coasts,” and says the natural world has always been a key influence on her art.

“I was just struck how nature could form something like this,” said Prud’homme as she held one of the roughly 400-million-year-old basalt stones. “These are from a cove which is very narrow, and because the wave action was so intense, they became very rounded.”

Many of the stones in Prud’homme’s series were found along the coast of Maine and were formed when volcanic magma erupted to the surface almost half a billion years ago.

“Mostly basalt, they have high concentrations of magnesium, iron, and calcium, which gives them a rich black hue.”

Prud’homme hoped the series would allow viewers to “reflect on the fact that humans and stones are composed of the same minerals, that the universe is interconnected, and that our survival depends on this awareness.”

The images on display were created by layering up to 50 unique photographs of each stone into a “hyper-focused composition that appears both flat and three dimensional.”

“Inhuman Time” is Sarah Prud’homme’s debut exhibit at the Cornwall Library and her first solo show since 2012. The prints will be on display in the library through March 4.

Photographer Sarah Prud'homme at the opening of her show at The Cornwall Library. Photo by Riley Klein

Black I by Sarah Prud'homme Photo by Riley Klein

Photographer Sarah Prud'homme at the opening of her show at The Cornwall Library. Photo by Riley Klein

Latest News

County legislature candidates lay out their priorities

Contested seats in the Dutchess County Legislature are close to home this election season, with Districts 19 and 25 covering the rural towns across the northern and eastern corners of the county. Though the candidates bring distinct experiences and perspectives, they share common ground on some of the biggest challenges facing local communities, including emergency medical services and affordable housing.

Here’s a look at the candidates.

Keep ReadingShow less
Classifieds - October 23, 2025

Help Wanted

Weatogue Stables has an opening: for a full time team member. Experienced and reliable please! Must be available weekends. Housing a possibility for the right candidate. Contact Bobbi at 860-307-8531.

Services Offered

Hector Pacay Service: House Remodeling, Landscaping, Lawn mowing, Garden mulch, Painting, Gutters, Pruning, Stump Grinding, Chipping, Tree work, Brush removal, Fence, Patio, Carpenter/decks, Masonry. Spring and Fall Cleanup. Commercial & Residential. Fully insured. 845-636-3212.

Keep ReadingShow less
An interview with Bestor Cram: filmmaker discusses ‘Tiananmen Tonight’ and the power of the press
Filmmaker Bestor Cram
Provided

On Thursday, Oct. 30, from 5:30 to 7 p.m., the Norfolk Library will host a free public screening of “Tiananmen Tonight,” a film by Bestor Cram and Michael Streissguth about the 1989 student uprising in China and the daring coverage by Dan Rather and CBS. Director Cram will introduce the film.

A documentary filmmaker whose life was forged in the fire of Vietnam, where he served as a Marine, Cram earned the Navy Commendation Medal. He returned home to become a conscientious objector and leader of Vietnam Veterans Against the War. After working in the MIT Film Studies Program, he founded Northern Light Productions in Boston, producing media for museums, and has made more than 30 feature documentary films.

Keep ReadingShow less
Vincent Inconiglios brings ‘Face Time’ to Hunt Library
Artist Vincent Inconiglio’s show “Face Time” opens Oct. 25 at the Hunt Library.
L. Tomaino

Abstract artist Vincent Inconiglios' love and enthusiasm for color and form are evident all around him at his Falls Village studio, where he has worked for 25 years. He is surrounded by paintings large and small, woodcuts, photographs, collages and arrays of found objects.

The objects Inconiglios has found while out walking — in Falls Village, near his studio on Gansevoort Street in New York City, and in other places throughout the world — hold special importance to him. Appreciation of them, he says, comes from “seeing while exploring. I am always finding things.” His particular delight is finding objects that look like faces, many of which will be featured in the ArtWall show at the Hunt Library.

Keep ReadingShow less