Artists David Edgar and Sam Godwin left town with Tabor diplomas 40 years ago. Now, they are back for a reunion and to show off their “Plastiquarium” and “iPhoneography” at the Marion Art Center.

Both Edgar, a sculptor, and Godwin, a photographer, studied art in college and then headed south.

Edgar did a stint at Disney followed by several university positions, while Godwin took a job at East Texas State University.

“Thirty years later I still had the same phone number, I just never looked back,” Godwin said.

As photo coordinator, he helped build the university’s program to the top three in the nation, but he said, “For the most part, it was hard to give myself enough time to work on my personal work.”

But for Edgar, it was while avoiding his academic fieldwork that he developed his latest series, the Plastiquarium (a combination of the words plastic and  aquarium).

After being invited to a Carolina Panthers Super Bowl party with no team paraphernalia, Edgar sculpted his own from recycled materials.

“I had a detergent bottle the same color blue as the uniforms, part of a rotisserie tray and other miscellaneous hardware, so I made a Carolina Panthers mask,” he said.

The mask was a hit, and Edgar began collecting colorful plastics from recycling bins.
Turning them into fish was the natural next step for the Florida native.

At first, Edgar admits, his plastic fish sculptures were just for fun.

But after a museum showed interest in them, Edgar gained a new respect for his work.

“That was the first big signal. I haven’t looked back,” he said.

Since then, Edgar has developed a “modern myth” about his fish.

“The Plastiquarium is a phenomena, the evolution of a new marine species that is happening as a result of the increases worldwide of phosphate levels caused by chemicals put into the sea,” he said.

Although he wants people to think about their environmental footprint, Edgar was quick to say, “I really do intend for it to be fanciful, lighthearted and fun. I take great pleasure in making people smile.”

For Godwin, retiring and returning to Massachusetts finally gave him the opportunity to get back to the profession he discovered while at Tabor.

“Now I had nothing but time to shoot for myself, and I took after it with a vengeance,” Godwin said.

Much as Edgar’s recycled fish are a departure from more traditional sculptures, Godwin is stepping away from conventional photography.

Living on Cape Cod, Godwin is quick to point out, “I’m not a sunset and boat picture maker.”

“My images are a mix of my contemporary thinking of Cape Cod. My art now is really taking normal stuff and converting it into something a little more,” he said.

One aspect of that includes smartphone photography.

Godwin said his iPhone “is the camera that I carry no matter where I am so I can always be taking pictures.”

Now, the unconventional Cape Cod photographer and the plastic fish sculptor will reunite, not only for their fortieth high school reunion, but also for a dual exhibit at the Marion Art Center.

Godwin said the exhibit came out of the blue.

“So I get a phone call from David saying, ‘I just set you up for a show in June.’ I decided it would be ideal,” said Godwin.

For their joint exhibit, Edgar will display recent pieces from his Plastiquarium.

Godwin said over half of his photos will be iPhoneography.

Edgar said he is excited to share the exhibit with his fellow artist.

“We threw the occasional snowball at each other in the good ole days. I’m looking forward to the camaraderie,” Edgar said.

The exhibit runs from June 8 to July 18 at the Marion Art Center. There will be an opening reception on Friday, June 8 from 6 p.m. to 8 p.m.