The feel of New York City will come to rural Charleston in a new exhibit featuring photography from all aspects of the city that never sleeps.

Alycia Rockey, a senior journalism major with a concentration in photojournalism, is showcasing her photography at The Paper Cafe Saturday through an exhibit called “New York Photo Explosion.”

The event is free and will be open to the public Saturday from 7 to 11. p.m. The Paper Café is located at 1148 Sixth St. in Charleston.

Rockey, a Peoria native, lived in New York City for three months in summer 2009 while interning with Newsweek Budget Travel. In her free time she captured the essence and flavor of the city through the lens of her Canon Rebel.

The aspiring photographer said she went to New York on several previous trips, but while living there, she took full advantage of it.

“I just wanted to explore everything, see everything and take in as much as I could,” Rockey said.

She said she approaches her photos with an artistic approach, unlike a photojournalist who is trained to tell a story.

Rockey said the photo collection will give an overall urban city feel for what New York has to offer. A city that “is so many things,” a city that offers anything you could ever want or desire to experience is always there, according to Rockey.

Despite her short move, she said New York already feels like home and holds a sense of magic.

Jennifer Black, The Paper Café’s owner, founder and director, called Rockey’s photography work “striking” and said it has a unique “flare.”

“She has a unique eye, something people don’t always see, particularly in New York,” Black said. “That’s why I called it ‘New York Photo Explosion.’ It is kind of hard to set up New York in a cornfield, but we will try real hard.”

The Paper Café is also Black’s living space. Five rooms are open to the public to view art work, and will allow visitors to experience New York through the photos and decorative atmosphere made to reflect the glamour of old New York.

A few members of the band Andy Van Slyke will play an acoustic set featuring songs that have a familiar New York feel by artists such as Frank Sinatra.

The owner said she makes a strong effort to let each artist’s unique personality shine through at each show.

According to Black, she tries to create an atmosphere of artists. And she does this through The Paper Café, which is run like a non-profit and continually features the work of a variety of different local artists.

Colleen Kitka can be reached at 581-7942 or crkitka@eiu.edu

An image of the Statue of Liberty from A New York Photo Explosion will be on display at The Paper Cafe Saturday at 7 p.m. All the photos featured in the gallery were taken by senior journalism major Alycia Rockey.(Courtesy of Alycia Rockey)

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