The Lens

Short Stories showcases an ongoing series by Tony Mendoza, a Cuban-born artist living and working in Columbus, Ohio, who, since the mid-80s, has created a body of experimental double-portrait photographs. Mendoza’s signature practice involves coupling photographs with short autobiographical stories to encapsulate his varied experiences. His work invites viewers into his intimate world, sharing a portrait of those subjects captured in black-and-white photographs, alongside a composite “portrait” of Mendoza through the recollected snippets and words shared with the viewer. The works cross a range of emotions, through which Mendoza's inherent humorous personality sings.

Curator: Jordanne Renner, Arts Committee Chair

We are greater than me. In this era of divisive attitudes and actions, this exhibition focuses on the power of telling the ongoing story of the 10th largest city in Ohio, Hamilton, by uniting multiple perspectives and interpretations. In a partnership between the Fitton Center for Creative Arts and the citizen-led initiative, 17STRONG, a regional artist is matched with each of Hamilton’s 17 diverse neighborhoods to find visual narratives that define community. Selected photographers roam their assigned areas to find the aspects, aesthetics, and personalities they wish to capture in images. By spending time within the neighborhoods’ borders and interacting with residents,... Continue reading We > Me: 17 Artists Explore Hamilton Neighborhoods

Posing Beauty in African American Culture traces the relationship between African American beauty and visual culture from the 1890s to the present through documentary, commercial, and fine art photography. Documentary photographs and portraits of famous and middle-class people alike present the public face of African American beauty, while commercial photographs demonstrate how fashion and advertising construct beauty standards. Contemporary photographers—some of whom use themselves as subjects—encourage consideration of how images of beauty impact mass culture and individuals.

Organized by Curatorial Assistance Traveling Exhibitions and curated by Deborah Willis, Ph.D., one of the nation’s leading historians of African American photography... Continue reading Posing Beauty in African American Culture

Decoding Polaris is a series of mixed-media cyanotypes and installations by Atlanta-based artist Michael Reese. Exploring the celestial mapping of routes to freedom used by enslaved people in the American South, Reese creates new interpretations through cyanotypes, a 19th-century process of camera-less photography. Polaris, more widely known as the North Star, is the focal point of his compositions. Overlaid with astronomical patterns, lines, and the phantom shapes of the southern states, each artwork is a meditation on the boundaries, scale, and elemental tools used to find a path to freedom.

Of Decoding Polaris, Reese... Continue reading Michael Reese: Decoding Polaris

The open call for Undercurrents asks Ohio artists to bring their perspectives to the forefront as they delve into their unique experiences as lens-based creatives. Responding to three questions—Why do you use lens-based media? What is hidden within your work? What are the undercurrents that unite Ohio lens-based artists?—the artists are asked to unearth the histories that helped shape them. Through this group exhibition, ROY G BIV continues to champion emerging artists by providing a platform to increase the public's awareness of their work and creating a space to celebrate and highlight lens-based artwork.

Artists: Josephine Birdsell, Juan Camargo,... Continue reading ImageOhio: Undercurrents