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Ming Smith: Transcendence
For the first time, Ming Smith’s series Transcendence is featured in its entirety. Through this exhibition, the Columbus Museum of Art offers a rare opportunity to delve into Smith’s identity as an artist deeply rooted in the diverse fabric of Columbus, OH.
Smith’s lens intricately weaves together the cultural tapestry of Columbus, showcasing the influences of luminaries such as Nancy Wilson, Aminah Robinson, Toyce Anderson, Toni Morrison, and Linda Goode Bryant. Her narrative unfolds against familiar backdrops, from Carl Brown’s IGA Foodliner store on Mt. Vernon Avenue to Dr. Tyler’s drugstore on the east side, resonating with personal memories of her father’s pharmacy. The halls of The Ohio State University reflect familial achievements, while South Wheatland Avenue bears witness to pivotal moments in the Hilltop’s history.
Transcendence surpasses the confines of traditional photography; it is a deeply intimate exploration of Smith’s reconciliation with her hometown. Inspired by Alice Coltrane’s transformative music, this series confronts the injustices of the artist’s racially divided upbringing in Columbus with compassion and insight.
Smith’s narrative invites viewers to engage with the images as a public discourse, with much of Transcendence remaining unseen and unprinted, offering endless opportunities for exploration and interpretation. Through this series the viewer is taken on a journey of rediscovery, where the past merges with the present, and the potential for understanding knows no bounds.
This exhibition is part of a simultaneous presentation of work by Ming Smith, also at the Wexner Center for the Arts and The Gund at Kenyon College.
Curator: Brooke A. Minto, Executive Director and CEO
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Ming Smith, Black Girl Dreaming, 1990. Archival pigment print. Courtesy of the artist
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Ming Smith, Desire, 1988. Archival pigment print. Courtesy of the artist
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Ming Smith, Pink Horse, n.d. Archival pigment print. Courtesy of the artist
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Ming Smith, Untitled, 1990. Archival pigment print. Courtesy of the artist
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Ming Smith, Waiting, 1990. Archival pigment print. Courtesy of the artist
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Venue Details
Columbus Museum of Art
480 East Broad Street
Columbus, OH 43215
(614) 221-6801
Tue–Sun 10am–5pm, Thur 10am–9pm
Free to FotoFocus Passport Holders in October and Venue's Members. $20 adults; $10 children 4–18, college students, seniors; Free children 0–3; $5 Thursdays 5–9pm. Free on Sundays
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