Sep 4–Oct 18, 2025
Silver Eye Center for Photography
The Aaronel deRoy Gruber & Irving Gruber Gallery
4808 Penn Avenue
Pittsburgh, PA 15224
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1/12: Edgar Cardenas, from the multi-year series 'Meanwhile in Detroit'. Courtesy of the artist
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2/12: Edgar Cardenas, from the multi-year series 'Meanwhile in Detroit'. Courtesy of the artist
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3/12: Edgar Cardenas, from the multi-year series 'Meanwhile in Detroit'. Courtesy of the artist
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4/12: Edgar Cardenas, from the multi-year series 'Meanwhile in Detroit'. Courtesy of the artist
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5/12: Edgar Cardenas, from the multi-year series 'Meanwhile in Detroit'. Courtesy of the artist
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6/12: Edgar Cardenas, from the multi-year series 'Meanwhile in Detroit'. Courtesy of the artist
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7/12: Edgar Cardenas, from the multi-year series 'Meanwhile in Detroit'. Courtesy of the artist
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8/12: Edgar Cardenas, from the multi-year series 'Meanwhile in Detroit'. Courtesy of the artist
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9/12: Edgar Cardenas, from the multi-year series 'Meanwhile in Detroit'. Courtesy of the artist
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10/12: Edgar Cardenas, from the multi-year series 'Meanwhile in Detroit'. Courtesy of the artist
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11/12: Edgar Cardenas, from the multi-year series 'Meanwhile in Detroit'. Courtesy of the artist
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12/12: Edgar Cardenas, from the multi-year series 'Meanwhile in Detroit'. Courtesy of the artist
Nestled between highways and city neighborhoods, Eliza Howell Park in Northwest Detroit is a wild and evolving landscape where nature coexists with urban life. Making photographs as the seasons of his own family life unfolded, Edgar Cardenas’ work asks: What becomes possible when we intentionally cultivate more intimate relationships with the land and its living histories?
Cardenas challenges representations of wilderness shaped by historical U.S. Geological Survey photography and influential twentieth-century figures like Ansel Adams. These portrayals often depict nature as pristine and untouched by human presence. In contrast, Cardenas expresses grounded, everyday relationships with the landscape, recognizing it as continuously shaped by both human life and natural time.
Inspired by childhood curiosity, Indigenous knowledge, and the rhythms of seasonal change, Meanwhile in Detroit asks how we relate to the natural world, especially in places often overlooked or considered “ordinary”. Organized by season, this exhibition reflects the sensory experience of returning to a place over time. It begins and ends with winter, a season that mirrors our present moment: one of reflection, uncertainty, and the quiet possibility of renewal.
Participating Artist
Edgar Cardenas spent his childhood in Brodhead, WI playing in the woods between neighbors’ homes and catching snakes along the Sugar River. He completed his Ph.D. in sustainability at Arizona State University which included a significant MFA component. To date, he’s the only student in his doctoral program to have his work contain both a photography exhibit and a dissertation. A large portion of the latter was on naturalist Aldo Leopold whom he had never heard of until grad school – despite their homes being just 45 minutes away. Edgar authored the book Between Two Pines, on the need to intersect art and science for addressing our sustainability challenges. He works very slowly and has a tough time knowing when a project is complete, which makes all his projects long-term projects. Additionally, he suffers from a touch of imposter syndrome. Edgar lives in Detroit with his partner (Sandra), son (Abi), and their 3 dogs (Noodles, Rubble, and Tornado).