McHenry County College (MCC) will be hosting an exhibit titled Excavation by artist Mary O’Rourke Mariutto February 27 – March 24, in the Epping Gallery, located in the lower level of Building B across from the MCC Store.

The photos in the exhibit were taken in the winter of 1994 when Mariutto took her first trip to Ireland, traveling on her own for a month to make portraits and landscapes using a 1968 Rolleiflex medium format camera. This was not a travelogue or root-seeking exploration, but an anthropologic excavation to understand the distinctive qualities of work-a-day life and social interaction in the rural west of Ireland.

Arriving in winter when the pubs were full of local farmers, this social center of agricultural life showed a glimpse into daily life and culture. They had time to share stories, play music, and decide what was to be sold at the local cattle mart. The portraits in this exhibit are of family and friends, school kids, and pub goers, offering an account of rural life. The landscapes are also a rugged reflection of the people who work the land and fish the sea for their livelihoods.

“The stereotype of the Irish as a happy-go-lucky, gaily singing band of rowdies is a thin veneer. There’s a heartfelt melancholy there too,” Mariutto says in her artist statement. “I hope I have captured this anthropologic excavation with a sympathetic eye.”