The Lens

Whether it's an increase in binge-watching or awareness of daily sights and sounds, the pandemic lockdown has permanently changed the way we, individually and collectively, relate to film—in ways we are still discovering.

While theater marquee lights remain dim—displaying words of wisdom rather than movie showtimes—many of us continue to experience meaningful cinematic moments outside of the traditional theater-going experience. The current pandemic has produced sweeping changes in how we consume media, altering what we watch and how we watch it. But at its core,... Continue reading A Long Intermission: Searching for Cinematic Moments During Covid-19

Northern Kentucky University's Bound and Determined is exactly that about getting photo books in the hands of students—and, when it's safe again, the public.

"What you see on the screen is nothing compared to what you see in person ," says Rachael Banks, Assistant Professor of Photography at Northern Kentucky University—and the curator of what was going to be a public-facing FotoFocus Biennial exhibition this fall. Specifically, the transformation of a small NKU gallery into a cozy, bookshop-like reading space, which she would fill with a selection of... Continue reading As Everything Goes Virtual, One Professor/Curator Doubles Down on the Physicality of Art With Photo Books

Going virtual does not have to mean stills on a screen, as Behringer-Crawford Museum and Lloyd Library & Museum prove with their moves to new multimedia experiences.

As the pandemic proceeds apace and options for in-person exhibitions remain narrow, many local arts institutions have expanded programming into the digital space. Two local museums provide a useful model for how to navigate this brave new world.

Behringer-Crawford Museum Doubles Down on a Planned Artist Feature

Political crises are often abstract, even invisible—and thus difficult to record, particularly in a single frame. So how do we, in a state of isolation, move beyond the isolated image to see what's happening?

A friend pointed out recently that the months of isolation have made us not only worried and frustrated but also socially awkward. As we venture out of our pods, we are rusty at communicating, made worse by masks and other safety protocols. You can’t read facial expressions, you don’t know where someone has been, you... Continue reading The Allure and Pitfalls of Seeing Photographs, and the World, in Isolation

Twenty years of work from the renowned photographer, sculptor, and multimedia artist opens at Cincinnati Art Museum September 4, with a distinctly 2020 reimagining of interactive public programming.

An exhibition featuring 20 years of Hank Willis Thomas’s work was scheduled to open at Cincinnati Art Museum in July. All Things Being Equal… was morphed and postponed by Covid-19, but it was electrified by this summer’s protests against systemic racism.

Thomas’s work demands a viewer’s reinterpretation of pop culture, particularly sports and marketing, in the direction of... Continue reading The Pandemic Delayed a Hank Willis Thomas Exhibition. His Work Is Now More Timely Than Ever.