FotoFocus Announces 2024 Biennial Program and Opening Events

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Celebrations Begin September 26, 2024, with Guided Tours, Talks, and Conversations with Artists including Barbara Probst, Ming Smith, and Filmmaker Michael Almereyda, Opening Receptions, and a Symposium with Keynote Speaker Kathy Ryan

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The FotoFocus Biennial returns for its seventh edition with 107 projects across 86 venues, the largest edition to date. Taking place throughout October, the Biennial will kick off with an Opening Weekend Program from September 26–28, featuring celebrations and special programming events across the Greater Cincinnati Region. FotoFocus is pleased to welcome Kathy Ryan, the longtime director of photography at The New York Times Magazine, as the Keynote Speaker for the Biennial Symposium during the opening weekend. A pioneer of combining fine art photography and photojournalism, Ryan has invaluable insights into the industry and her expertise aligns with this year’s Biennial theme of backstories. Referencing past experiences and histories untold, the projects and exhibitions as part of backstories fill in blanks and reclaim narratives, whether personal, historical, or political, providing essential context for art and images.

“The Opening Weekend Program, and all the conversations and experiences that are part of it, is at the heart of what we do at FotoFocus,” says FotoFocus Artistic Director and Curator Kevin Moore. “We are honored to have Kathy Ryan join us as the keynote speaker, along with so many participating artists, to bring these stories to life.”

Engaging photography and lens-based art projects will be presented at museums, galleries, schools and universities, theaters, nonprofit cultural centers, parks, hotels, and libraries, among other venues throughout Greater Cincinnati, Dayton, Columbus, and Northern Kentucky. For the complete list of projects, visit fotofocus.org/biennial.

BIENNIAL OPENING WEEKEND PROGRAM

The Biennial Opening Weekend Program establishes the theme and dialogues that unite the broader programming. For the latest program schedule, visit fotofocus.org/biennial.

• Opening Reception and Curator Talk with Nathaniel Stein, Curator of Photography at the Cincinnati Art Museum, and Rebecca Senf, Chief Curator at Center for Creative Photography, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, for Discovering Ansel Adams at Cincinnati Art Museum on Thursday, September 26. 
  
  
• Opening Reception and Artist and Curator Talk for Barbara Probst: Subjective Evidence at Contemporary Arts Center on Friday, September 27.
  
  
• Artist, Curator, and Gallery Tours of Chip Thomas and the Painted Desert Project at Contemporary Art Center and Digressions, Humphrey Gets His Flowers, and Another First Impression at Art Academy of Cincinnati: SITE1212 on Friday, September 27.
  
  
• Gallery Tour of Southern Democratic with Curator Phillip March Jones, Founder at Institute 193 in Lexington, KY and Owner of MARCH, New York, NY, at The Carnegie on Saturday, September 28.
  
  
• Biennial Symposium on Saturday, September 28 at Memorial Hall from 12–5 p.m.
  
  
  • Memory Fields Conversation with Sso-Rha Kang, Curator of Memory Fields, Curator at The Carnegie, Cincinnati, OH and Artist Jesse Ly, Dayton, OH.
    
    
  • Chip Thomas and the Painted Desert Project Panel with Artist Chip Thomas, Flagstaff, AZ; Sunny Dooley, Diné Hozhojii Teller, Creator, and Poet, Diné Nation, NM; and Ken Ogawa, Maker/Artist, Columbia, MO. Moderated by FotoFocus Artistic Director and Curator Kevin Moore, New York, NY.
    
    
  • Southern Democratic Spotlight with Filmmaker Michael Almereyda, New York, NY. 
    
    
  • Ming Smith Conversation with Artist Ming Smith, New York, NY, and Daisy Desrosiers, David and Francie Horvitz Family Foundation Director and Chief Curator at The Gund, Kenyon College, Mount Vernon, OH.
    
    
  • backstories Keynote Lecture by Kathy Ryan, former Director of Photography at The New York Times Magazine, New York, NY. 

ADDITIONAL BIENNIAL PROGRAM

• Opening Reception and Curator Talk with Brooke A. Minto, Executive Director and CEO at Columbus Museum of Art, for Ming Smith: Transcendence and August Moon at Columbus Museum of Art on Wednesday, September 18. 
  
  
• Opening Reception and Talk with Artist Ming Smith, New York, NY, and Curator Mark Sealy, Director of Autograph, London, UK, moderated by Yasmina Price, New York-based Curatorial Assistant at Wexner Center for the Arts, for Ming Smith: Wind Chime and Rotimi Fani-Kayode: Tranquility of Communion at Wexner Center for the Arts on Friday, September 20.
  
  
• Opening Reception for Memory Fields and Rachael Banks: The Trail of the Dead at Alice F. and Harris K. Weston Art Gallery on Friday, September 20.
  
  
• Bus Tours and Receptions for Artist Run: The Continuing Legacy of Cincinnati’s Artist-run Spaces on October 4, 5, 11, and 12 at Wave Pool. 
  
• Performance for Southern Democratic with Poet Harris Wheeler, Lexington, KY, and Musician James Meade, Cincinnati, OH, responding to exhibition themes at The Carnegie on October 5.
  
  
• Performance and Reception for More Than Meets the Eye: An Immersive Display of Narrative Power through Photos at Purple People Bridge & The Sawyer Point Building on Thursday, October 10, featuring Summermusik String Quartet, walking tour, and art highlighting the stories of immigrants in Greater Cincinnati.
  
  
• Lambert Photography Two-Day Symposium at The Wexner Center for the Arts, highlighting the exhibitions of work from Ming Smith and Rotimi Fani-Kayode on October 24 and 25. Features panel conversations, in-gallery engagements, meals and social opportunities, and keynote lecture with Dawoud Bey. 

NEIGHBORHOOD SPOTLIGHT WEEKENDS

Neighborhood Spotlight Weekends highlight FotoFocus Participating Venues within specific geographic locations where artists and curators will be on site for talks, tours, special events, and featured programming. Exclusive Passport Bus Tours travel to Neighborhood Spotlights on Saturdays for a programmed itinerary of events.

Columbus Spotlight Weekend & Bus Tour
Friday, October 4–Sunday, October 6
October 5     Columbus Bus Tour 

Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Spotlight Weekend & Bus Tour
Friday, October 11–Sunday, October 13
October 12     Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky Bus Tour

Dayton Spotlight Weekend & Bus Tour 
Friday, October 25–Sunday, October 27
October 26     Dayton Bus Tour 

FOTOFOCUS BIENNIAL PASSPORT

Access is central to FotoFocus and the FREE Passport Program will be offered again for this Biennial, providing free admission to over 100 FotoFocus Biennial projects and programs during the month of October, invitations to members-only events, and entry into the FotoFocus Biennial Opening Weekend Program. The Passport Program is made possible by the generous support of Cummins Law LLC, Bruce M. Halpryn and Chas Riebe, Amanda Louis and Dr. Louis B. Louis IV, and Betsy and Peter Niehoff.

“We are delighted to be offering our passport program for the seventh edition of FotoFocus Biennial and thank our sponsors for making the program free again this year,” says FotoFocus Executive Director Katherine Ryckman Siegwarth. “By providing free access to countless events, celebrations, and critical conversations, the Biennial Passport allows for an inside look at the artists, curators, and scholars who came together to make these exhibitions and special projects possible. We look forward to welcoming those from our local communities in Cincinnati and from afar this fall.”