The Bundy Museum Presents:
La Petite Mort:
Photography by Sarah Vahaplar
First Friday Opening Reception May 1st, 2026
6:00 pm – 9:00 pm
Exhibition on display from 5.1.26 - 6.2.26
Located in the Bundy Museum 3rd floor art gallery
Admission to the art gallery is always free
Tuesday - Saturday 11:00 am - 5:00 pm
No RSVP is required for the First Friday event
For regular visiting hours, walk-ins are welcome, however, booking a reservation online is recommended. Upon arriving, please check in at our visitor’s center at 133 Main St., Binghamton NY.
Coming Soon
Watch a virtual tour of the gallery below or in the videos section at Facebook.com/bundymuseum and The Bundy Museum YouTube channel.
About the Artist:
Sarah Vahaplar is an artist and educator currently based in Binghamton, NY. She earned her Bachelors in Visual Arts Education at the State University of New York at New Paltz and later her Masters in Photography from the Savannah College of Art and Design. Since then, she has taught both photography and art at SCAD, Savannah Country Day School, Binghamton City Schools, and most recently, Southern New Hampshire University.
Throughout her life, Sarah has always had a passion for the arts and education. Her own work centers around alternative approaches to photography including scanography and large-format pinhole photography. Through her work, she explores ideas such as the significance of touch, and documenting physical mortality. She has had the privilege of having her work showcased in numerous solo and group exhibitions both nationally and internationally and was honored to receive the Julia Margaret Cameron Award in 2019. She is thrilled to be included in the Broome County Artist in Residence program this upcoming year as she continues to pursue her own artistic endeavors and gain experience to be shared with her students and other members of the greater arts community.
Artist Statement:
Throughout the course of our lives, we experience changes, which affect us so deeply, that in many ways, it feels as though a death of sorts has occurred. Whether it be the ending of a relationship, moving from an area which you have grown to call home or even the actual death of a loved one, each represents an irrevocable shift which in turn, inevitably changes us. In this series entitled, ‘La Petite Mort,’ deceased creatures are represented, honored and immortalized through the use of a flatbed scanner. As with these lives which have been lost, the small deaths we experience should also be remembered and enshrined as part of our life’s journey. In French, ‘la petite mort,’ literally translates the, “the little death,” but is also a term referring to an orgasm; representing the beginning of life. Although loss of life and life changes are certain, it is pertinent that life will evolve, regardless of our wants. Inevitably, new life will always follow a prior death.
Art Exhibit Virtual Tour: Coming Soon
La Petite Mort: Photography by Sarah Vahaplar
Feel free to direct any feedback by contacting us.
The First Friday Art Walk Virtual Gallery Shows at The Bundy Museum are made possible by a grant from The Harriet Ford Dickenson Fund of the Community Foundation for South Central New York.
Support Provided by the General Operations Support Grant from the United Cultural Fund, a program of the Broome County Arts Council.
The Bundy Museum of History & Art
129 Main St. Binghamton, NY 13905