The Lens

Sit Down! presents new works by Glenna Jennings with, around, and about food. The tables of Jennings’ youth were compact, plastic, and single-serve, meant to be folded and put away, then reassembled in time for dinner and prime time television. The family table came with a leaf to fit guests during holiday feasts, but Jennings and her single, working mom more often operated within an archive of frozen dinners. 

The ongoing photographic series, At Table, arose from a desire to add people to these tables and cultivate relationships across cultures and borders. Sit Down! uses images and artifacts made... Continue reading Glenna Jennings: Sit Down!

Inhabited: Stories of the Past is a photo-based mural weaving together the narratives of people and place, using a building as its canvas and inspiration. This mural seamlessly integrates archival and contemporary images, capturing the essence of individuals connected to the building's rich history. The fusion of artist-captured perspectives, archival photographs, and community submissions within the mural creates a compelling visual narrative that transcends time, unveiling often-overlooked facets of history. Collected stories from submitted photographs enrich the project, adding layers of depth and context.

Lead artist, Erika NJ Allen, believes the mural is more... Continue reading Inhabited: Stories of the Past

Silas Long's interior ruin delves into the interplay between technology, anxiety, and modern existence that captures the feeling of navigating life in the digital age. The exhibition invites contemplation of our perception of reality amidst commercial saturation and global instability. Through digital printing techniques, Long’s flattened surfaces create a collage-like effect that muddles the image’s material presence. Their collection of digital clips and textures are indicative of a visual world that the artist explores to interpret the profound impact technology has on the emotional psyche.

Silas Long's meticulously layered compositions of flattened textures... Continue reading Silas Long: interior ruin

Student Reflections highlights artwork by current Art Academy of Cincinnati (AAC) students working with lens-based materials and equipment. The exhibition is a juried open call, available exclusively to AAC's current student body. Student Reflections allows the public to gain insight into the perspective of college art students in the contemporary age.

Student Reflections presents selected artwork by AAC students and welcomes guest judge Vikesh Kapoor, whose work is also featured in the Art Academy’s Pearlman Gallery show, Deeply Rooted.

Willy Castellanos’ post-documentary practice emerged from the photographic record he made in Havana, Cuba, during the 1994 Rafter Crisis. Despite the scarcity of 35mm film in the years following the fall of the Berlin Wall, Castellanos photographed complete sequences of events that included the construction of the rafts, farewell rituals, and scenes of crowds launching into the sea. Between August and September 1994, over 35,000 Cubans embarked toward the United States on hand-built rafts in what became one of the most dramatic exoduses in contemporary history.

A decade ago, the exhibition Exodus: Alternate... Continue reading Willy Castellanos: Exodus. Alternate Documents (1994–2024)