The Lens

This solo exhibition of Columbus-raised, New York-based artist Ming Smith, features her first photographic series alongside a new body of work. The exhibition illuminates Smith’s introspective perspective that focuses on spirituality, movement, and feminism. The centerpiece is a multimedia commission that animates a series of photographs, integrating film and dance, while marking an entirely new direction in her practice. Also on view are recent collages and color photographs—all set within an ambient soundscape by her son, Mingus Murray—that continue her interest in Black transcendence. In an adjacent gallery is an installation of Smith’s Africa series, which premieres nearly 30 black-and-white photographs taken... Continue reading Ming Smith

Rachael Banks: The Trail of the Dead is a visual anthology of life and death within the central region of Kentucky. Photographic imagery, surveillance footage, and archived media present the intertwined storylines of a family and white-tailed deer with shared experiences of trauma, and the landscape understood as home. This project is rooted in the 1999 death of Banks' second cousin in an alcohol-related automobile collision. The events preceding and following this incident have shaped the artist's perception of inherited family trauma. Banks' work references personal memory within her home region of Kentucky, which has one of the highest... Continue reading Rachael Banks: The Trail of the Dead

Cincinnati has long been an incubator for experimental, outsider, and DIY arts activities. Some would argue that it’s because Ohio is a flyover state—or perhaps it’s due to a lack of robust institutional support for local artists, or simply because of a lack of a strong collector and commercial gallery system—that artists here are more willing to step outside of the conventional white-walled box to create unique art experiences. Whatever the reason, Cincinnati has a history of artist-run spaces in spades. There is a joy, freedom, and willingness to “make it work” that is found largely in artist-run spaces. Artists identify... Continue reading Artist Run: The Continuing Legacy of Cincinnati’s Artist-Run Spaces

Another First Impression explores the nuance within communities of color across the Midwest. This group exhibition brings together six artists from across the region to present a collection of original photographs, essays, and interviews that invite the viewer to embrace the complexity of the Midwest's diverse tapestry. Featuring artists from Cincinnati, Chicago, Cleveland, Milwaukee, Minneapolis, and Pittsburgh, Another First Impression shines a spotlight on BIPOC communities that have long been marginalized or overlooked, capturing the essence of its people, landscapes, and cultures with honesty and reverence. Serving as a welcome mat, the exhibition extends... Continue reading Another First Impression

Members of the performance collective Mute-N-Heard, organized by artist Michael Coppage in 2005, traveled the world and while painted green, walked silently through the streets as characters personifying their struggles: be it insecurities, racism, sexism, beauty standards, and/or mental health uses. The performance series sought to unburden members of the external pressures they had internalized. Humphrey Gets His Flowers is a combination of archival video, large-scale projection, mixed media collages, and photography. Returning to the tribe of mutes—Xelfer, Savage Gurl and Humphrey Humpkick—Michael Coppage analyzes how this practice led to a meaningful method to create impactful images and objects. Coppage... Continue reading Humphrey Gets His Flowers