Karalyn Hope is the November featured artist at TAC

By JoAnn R. Walter —

Karalyn Hope, a photographer, videographer, and graphic designer, is the featured artist for the month of November at the Tioga Arts Council (TAC), located at 179 Front St. in Owego, N.Y.

Opening night for Karalyn Hope’s “Everyone Else Around Me: An Exhibition” is Friday, Nov. 1, from 5 to 8 p.m.

On display will be concert photos from 2018 to today, representing genres like hardcore, pop, pop-punk, and indie, to name a few.

Photos to be featured were taken at major venues such as the MVP Arena in Albany, N.Y., and lesser-known ones, such as the former maker space, Avenue DIY, in Johnson City, N.Y.

Opening night will feature time to meet the artist and join in the artist talk. Refreshments will be provided. Photo prints and zines, along with the framed gallery prints, will be available for purchase.

Karalyn is especially pleased that her finished framed gallery pieces are all made from thrifted frames and hand-painted. With some tender loving care and artistic flair, the end result is eye-catching and like-new.

The Exhibition will continue through Nov. 30 during TAC’s regular hours, Wednesday through Saturday, from noon to 4 p.m.

Karalyn Hope grew up in nearby Warren Center, Pa., and is currently based out of Syracuse, N.Y. The Village of Owego and the surrounding community have always been a favorite go-to for photo shoots and have positively influenced Karalyn’s early photography.   

Today, Karalyn’s work is primarily focused on the music industry. She also enjoys photographing families, couples, and high school and college seniors, and works with various businesses and creators.

A graduate of the State University of New York at Fredonia, Karalyn earned a Bachelor of Science in Music Industry. She also earned a minor in Visual Arts and New Media with an emphasis in photography and graphic design.

For the past eight years, Karalyn has focused energies on documenting concerts and is often on the road touring with regional bands, while also crisscrossing the northeast from show to show, such as Syracuse to Rochester, Buffalo to Albany, as well as New England music hubs, and beyond.

Always with a camera in hand since about age twelve, Karalyn’s interest in concert photography took center stage in 2014, where she said, “I took a point-and-shoot to a Fall Out Boy and Paramore concert,” and added, “That show was a true introduction to concert photography.”

Fast forward ten years, and with an approved pass in hand, Karalyn took to the photo pit at a Fall Out Boy concert in March at the MVP Arena in Albany. Surrounded by over 10,000 fans, Karalyn remarked that the experience was thrilling and a full-circle moment.

And it is that band, Fall Out Boy, who inspired Karalyn Hope’s exhibition name with their song, otherwise known as the Summer Song, which includes the lyric, “Everyone else around me.”

Karalyn shared, “It’s an impactful title because I take photos of everyone else but not of myself.”

One of Karalyn’s pieces, featuring Fall Out Boy, will be displayed at the exhibition.

In addition to music photography, Karalyn is also the creator of “For the Punks,” a resource for fans and creators to connect, learn, and grow with each other. The online magazine, created in 2019, celebrated five years in August.

Karalyn’s photographs can also be found in various music publications such as “New Noise Magazine,” among others.

An interesting side story Karalyn shared features the band Pool Kids, whom she first met while a student at SUNY-Fredonia. The band’s momentum has since garnered a larger fan base, yet back in their earlier days playing house shows in Fredonia, N.Y., Karalyn asked them if she could shoot group photos. The band liked one photo so much that it was later published in “Alternative Press,” and “Stereo Gum,” as well as used elsewhere.

To learn more about Karalyn Hope, search for her on Facebook, or find her on Instagram @Karalyn.Hope.  Or visit her website, https://karalynhope.com.

To learn more about the Tioga Arts Council, visit www.tiogaartscouncil.org.