In honor of the city’s 150th year, this month’s Gallery O features artistic visions of Jonesboro, seen through the lenses of three local photographers. Pick up your Comemmorative Sesquicentennial Issue of Occasions today to see all three "My Jonesboro" photo essays.

Curtis Steele, professor of art at Arkansas State University and chair of the Department of Art, provides a glimpse of the past with striking black and white photographs from the 1970s and 1980s. Steele’s background in photography is extensive, with concentrated study in photographic printmaking techniques. He teaches courses in graphic design, illustration and photography at both undergraduate and graduate levels.

"I have always been fascinated by buildings that have character. At the time of these pictures, I was photographing buildings to incorporate their images into three-dimensional constructions. Facades, windows, doors, signs all became important elements in those works. Some buildings, while once grand, may have lost their charm but have gained character with the passage of time. Some of them are icons of their time (or provided services that no longer seem relevant). Others seem to me timeless. Most, if not all of these structures are long gone (or have been altered beyond recognition). My photographs can serve as mementos of a Jonesboro that was." -Curtis Steele

S.J. Trimarchi’s view of the city offers unique perspectives of familiar sights, each image capturing unquestionable beauty. Trimarchi is also a well-known restaurateur.

"Jonesboro is such a mixed blessing of architecture and landscape. I am fascinated with the history of the homes, the signature points of recognition on public buildings, the simple floral still life that graces a walkway, a tree in radiant fall cloak, that incredible blanket of snow that changes the whole attitude of people and place. I have been blessed to live here and watch the changes that have taken place over my lifetime. I do find that there is incredible beauty in our town if we will just take the time to appreciate the small things that make up the whole of our community." -S.J. Trimarchi

Catie (Cat) Nutt, a native of Jonesboro and student at Lyon College in Batesville, imparts a fresh, young vision of the city through her photographs. Attending Lyon College on an art scholarship, Nutt is pursuing a double major in art and psychology.

"I was never the stereotypical teenager who looked forward to nothing less than getting out of my hometown and cutting those ties to home. In fact, I am just the opposite. I have always been fascinated with where I am from and taking great pride in family, friends and my hometown. Growing up in Jonesboro, I always searched for ways to make this city my own, personal utopia. I tended to look for those spots where I could just sit and feel like I was on top of the world. Most of these photographs are the locations of my own little “secret gardens,” if you will, or places that I have come to admire. I desire and strive to collect images just the way I see them: through my own eyes, from my own perspective and how my mind perceives these images. I prefer to see the beauty and character in the things that most people would not stop to look at or admire." -Catie (Cat) Nutt