2026 Biennial
Elizabeth Mead: Incident(als): objects+things, sculpture+photographs
The exhibition Elizabeth Mead: Incident(als): objects+things, sculpture+photographs features work by Virginia artist Elizabeth Mead. Sculptures and photographs occupy spaces simultaneously connected and divided in an installation charged by tensions between actual objects and their photographic representations. The installation underscores the artist’s aesthetic and conceptual interests with paralleled perceptual and tactile experiences. The subjects of Mead’s photographs, her abstract paper and ceramic sculptures, exist as models for the photographs as much as distinct, independent objects. Which one takes precedence: the reality of the physically discernible objects or their photographic reflections observed and framed through otherwise unlikely angles? This is a question that dominates her work. The photographs elevate the experience of the sculptures through unique perspectives and inverted scale. In turn, the sculptures invite a visual engagement that, as in a photograph, is singular and momentary.
This reciprocal take on images and objects draws attention to seemingly insignificant moments and details. In Mead’s words, “these moments and things are nonheroic, but when we take a moment, we find they can be as intriguing as the monumental. In the end, these incidentals are the things that populate the world around us the most.” Alongside her sculptures and photography, images of other subjects—“things,” as Mead refers to them—carry her observations outside of the studio and illustrate the importance and consequentiality of fleeting experiences.
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Spotlight Weekends highlight FotoFocus Biennial Venues within specific geographic locations where artists and curators will be on site for talks, tours, special events, and featured programming. This is an opportunity to immerse yourself in the vibrant energy of the FotoFocus Biennial, exploring art within the communities that create and present it.
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Spotlight Weekends highlight FotoFocus Biennial Venues within specific geographic locations where artists and curators will be on site for talks, tours, special events, and featured programming. This is an opportunity to immerse yourself in the vibrant energy of the FotoFocus Biennial, exploring art within the communities that create and present it.
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Dayton Bus Tour
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8:00am – 7:30pm
Spotlight Weekends highlight FotoFocus Biennial Venues within specific geographic locations where artists and curators will be on site for talks, tours, special events, and featured programming. This is an opportunity to immerse yourself in the vibrant energy of the FotoFocus Biennial, exploring art within the communities that create and present it.
The Bus Tour is now full. To join the waitlist, please email pass@fotofocus.org.
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8:30am Depart Cincinnati
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Access to the entire FotoFocus Biennial Program is only one benefit of being a FotoFocus 2022 Biennial Passport holder. GET THE PASSPORT for free entry and exclusive events!
Dayton Spotlight Weekend
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–
Spotlight Weekends highlight FotoFocus Biennial Venues within specific geographic locations where artists and curators will be on site for talks, tours, special events, and featured programming. This is an opportunity to immerse yourself in the vibrant energy of the FotoFocus Biennial, exploring art within the communities that create and present it.
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- None at this time. Check back later
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- Dayton Bus Tour, 8am–5pm. Biennial Pass Holders only. Limited capacity
- Narrative Photobook Workshop with Trent Davis Bailey, 1pm. Rosewood Arts Center
- Artist Talk: Dan Cleary, 1pm. Dayton Society of Artists
- Gallery Talk with Dr. Mariah Postlewait, 1:30pm. Dayton Art Institute
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Artist Talk and Closing Reception for Holly Roberts: Confluence and Elizabeth Mead: Incident(als): objects+things, sculpture+photographs
October 29, 2026
6:00pm – 8:00pm
Reception for two exhibitions, Holly Roberts: Confluence and Elizabeth Mead: Incident(als): objects + things, sculpture + photographs. A gallery talk with artist Elizabeth Mead will precede the reception at 6pm.
Additional Information: All events at the Wright State University: Robert and Elaine Stein Galleries are wheelchair accessible. Accessible parking is available in nearby lots, and the main entrance features automatic doors. Additional accommodations, such as ASL interpretation or alternative formats, are available upon request.
Elizabeth Mead, Blur 01 Williamsburg, 2021. Archival pigment print on Canson Baryta Photographique II, 20 × 30 inches. Courtesy of the artist
Elizabeth Mead, Balancing the plateau, 2018. Wood and plastic, 15 × 54 × 2½ inches. Courtesy of the artist
Elizabeth Mead, San Francisco Williamsburg 06, 2025. Archival pigment print on Canson Baryta Photographique II, 20 × 30 inches. Courtesy of the artist
2026 Biennial
Venue Details
Wright State University: The Robert and Elaine Stein Galleries
160 Creative Arts Center
3640 Colonel Glen Hwy
Dayton, OH 45435
(937) 775-2973
Tue–Sat 11am–4pm
Free to the Public
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