Missie Bowman-Boisvert clutches her heart as she glides along the Aiken Center for the Arts main gallery, countless numbers of photographs from the Savannah River Site photo exhibition glaring back at her.

Bowman-Boisvert’s father was one of the first employees of the Savannah River Site during the 1950s and has been deceased for over 20 years. Though none of the artwork in the gallery belongs to her or her father, seeing the familiar images of the site and the work it is accomplishing was enough to make the Aiken business owner become teary-eyed.

“Just seeing this warms my heart,” she said.

The new exhibit, Beyond the Barricade, offers Aiken residents a glimpse of not only the past and present goings-on of SRS during its 70th anniversary, but also the artistic ability site employees share no matter their position or age.

“The impact of SRS on our community over the last 70 years can’t be overstated,” according to the exhibit description on the arts center’s website. “Prior to President Truman’s announcement of the site’s selection as part of a national defense complex, Aiken was best known as an agricultural community and a favorite retreat of wealthy 19th century equestrians. While they had stately homes known as the Winter Colony, their cultural impact was somewhat limited to their inner circle. With the advent of SRS, Aiken soon saw significant changes brought by these atomic age homesteaders from all over the United States. With families in tow, these engineers, scientists, construction workers and administrative staff brought diversity to our area and showed a keen interest in being engaged in our community.”

The Savannah River Site borders South Carolina and Georgia and includes parts of Aiken, Barnwell and Allendale counties, encompassing over 11,000 employees. What was once a Cold War production site – SRS is a child of the Atomic Age – is now a bustling hub of nuclear waste cleanup and national defense missions, the latter poised for growth.

On top of having top-notch engineers, the site additionally offers educational information for the surrounding diverse natural habitats, a lot of which is captured in the photographers’ photos. 

SRS employee Amanda Haynes captured a photo of a wooden three-seated outhouse on the site’s grounds that nature has long taken back, while P.J. Perea captured an up close and personal photo of one of the site’s famous educational owl, who passed away earlier this year.

Even photos taken by employees off the site were captured. 

Hannah Gotsch, an environmental engineer who has worked at the site for just over three years, captured a breathtaking snapshot of the 2017 solar eclipse on a boat dock in Lexington as part of the 2019 “Snap SRS” photography contest.

Gotsch said she feels lucky to work in an environment of both men and women and hopes that more women can be encouraged to pursue scientific careers like those available at SRS.

“The more [women] out there representing, the more you’re going to end up influencing the next generation to expand diversity,” Gotsch said. “The more diversity you have in a community, whether it be science or engineering … the better off you’re going to be …” 

The SRS exhibit will remain in the gallery until Oct. 23. Another exhibit showcasing work from the Chicks That Click female photography club is located in the upstairs gallery.

The Aiken Center for the Arts is located at 122 Laurens St. S.W. Admission is free, and masks are required.