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The Columbus Somali Community Through the Lens of Abdi Roble
by Shane Cartmill
 The Somali Diaspora will be on view at the Vern Riffe Center for Government and Arts May 19 – July 1, 2005. A unique collection of photographs by Abdi Roble, this exhibition captures an important transition in the cultural history of the Somali community of Central Ohio. A public reception will be held Thursday, May 19 from 5-7 p.m. in the lobby outside the Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery. This exhibition runs concurrently with Land of Latitudes: Contemporary Art From Chile at the Riffe Gallery.
The goal of The Somali Diaspora is to use photography to document the members of the Diaspora while they are still engaging in the cultural practices of their homeland. The Columbus Somali residents are relatively recent immigrants who relocated to escape the violence and civil strife following the ouster of the Siad Barre regime in January 1991. Witnessed in the exhibition are Somali people who have just begun to adopt the language and culture of their host country yet still struggle to retain the cultural identity of their homeland.
The Somali Diaspora will be on view during regular business hours on the first floor of the Riffe Center just outside the Riffe Gallery. The exhibition is free and open to the public. Following the Columbus exhibition, the photographs will be exhibited in Minneapolis, Minnesota. The exhibition is supported by the Ohio Arts Council and Arts Midwest.
The Somali Diaspora is a collection of photographs by Somali-born Columbus artist Abdi Roble and accompanying text by Columbus book merchant and writer Doug Rutledge. Roble immigrated to the United States in 1989 and later moved to Columbus, where he developed his passion for photography. He started two photography groups – the African American Photographers of North America and the Focus Group. His exhibitions include One Month in Europe with Leica, Leica Portrait of Cuba, Japan: A Leica Perspective and most recently a solo exhibition in conjunction with Cuba Oriente at the the Riffe Gallery.
Rutledge has a Ph. D. in English from the University of Chicago and has taught English Language and Literature on the college level for nearly 20 years. His book Ceremony and Text in the Renaissance was published by the University of Delaware press. He has had three plays produced, including, Run, Run from the Setting of the Sun, which was performed both in Columbus and New York and has published numerous poems and essays. With his wife, Rebecca, he now runs Areopagitica Books in Columbus.
Land of Latitudes: Contemporary Art From Chile will be on view in the Riffe Gallery May 12 – July 10. Land of Latitudes will feature the work of nearly 60 artists living in the South American nation. This exhibition confirms Chile’s international reputation in printmaking and ceramic work and brings attention to major Chilean painters, sculptors and fiber artists. At 3,000 kilometers long, stretching nearly to Antarctica and sandwiched tightly between the Pacific Ocean and the Andes Mountains, Chile enjoys a distinct and dramatic geography of contrasts. The power of Chile’s landscape is one of the threads uniting the exhibition’s diversity of work. Other influences include Chile’s literary figures, its indigenous Mapuche culture and its political history.
The Riffe Gallery is supported by Ohio Building Authority. Media sponsors include Alive, CityScene, Ohio Magazine and Time Warner.
The Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery showcases the work of Ohio's artists and curators, exhibitions produced by the Ohio Arts Council’s International Program and the collections of the region’s museums and galleries. The Riffe Gallery’s Education Program seeks to increase public appreciation and understanding of those exhibitions.
The gallery is in the Vern Riffe Center for Government and the Arts, State and High Streets, Columbus, OH. Gallery hours are Tuesday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m., Wednesday, Thursday and Friday 10 a.m.-8 p.m., Saturday 12-8 p.m. and Sunday 12-4 p.m. Closed Monday and state holidays. Admission is free. For information, call the Riffe Gallery at 614/644-9624 or visit us on the web at www.riffegallery.org.
The Ohio Arts Council is a state agency that funds and supports quality arts experiences to strengthen Ohio communities culturally, educationally and economically.
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