If you are anywhere near Lunenburg Saturday…

You should consider taking in an opening from 3-6 p.m., at the Anderson Gallery, 160 Montague St., Lunenburg, of reclaimed images from Peter Barss's classic 1973 collection, Images of Lunenburg County. I'm prejudiced. Peter (who doesn't think much of my iPhone snapshots of sunsets) is a delightful eccentric, a former relative, and a dear friend with a knack for producing images that enliven and deepen our understanding of subjects we thought we already understood. Images combined Peter's photos of sail-era fishermen with oral history about fishing in the first half of the 20th century. Fourteen years after the book's publication,  a house fire destroyed all his prints and negatives. Fortunately, the Nova Scotia Museum had purchased a complete set of the photos, which Craig Yorke of Image House has brought back to life, using advanced photographic techniques. The Anderson Gallery will display 40 of the black-and-white prints through August 4. Everyone is welcome at Saturday's opening. Herald arts reporter Elissa Bernard has a nice tee-up for the show here. See more images here. After the jump, Peter's artist's statement for the exhibit, a lovely account of how the photos came to be, and a refreshing break from the artspeak that often characterizes this class of prose.