In Person: Ourselves, Friends & Others was a look at some of the conventional and unconventional ways that artists in Ohio use the camera to express their relationships with people around them. In Personwas two separate but related exhibitions consisting of a total of 62 works, many with multiple pieces, by 17 Ohio artists. It was a collaborative project between the Ohio Arts Council and The Hammond Galleries of Lancaster. More than 100 of the works by 11 Ohio artists were on display at the Ohio Arts Council’s Riffe Gallery from June 29 through August 26, 1995.

In Person: Friends & Others, presented at the Riffe Gallery, explored how artists use the camera to gather memories and tell stories about family members and people close to--and not so close to--themselves. In Person: Ourselves, presented at Hammond’s Festival Gallery from July 19 to August 13 as part of the 11th annual Lancaster Festival, examined how artists use the camera as a mirror to create self-portraits.

There is a world of contradiction in every photograph. Viewers expect photographs to record truth and present facts, yet everyone knows photographs are capable of deception. Because of the technical processes used to create them, photographs seem to be an impersonal medium, yet the messages conveyed by them can be powerful and emotional.

From its beginnings 150 years ago as a shortcut for drawing and a tool for documentation, photography has evolved and taken a central role in making art. What the brush and paint were to the modern artist of the early 20th century, camera and film have become to many artists today--not just a way to make a picture, but part of a vast tool box of media for creative expression.

Throughout its 150-year history, photography has recorded human events. It has become widely-used for artistic expression only in the past few decades. In Person explored this unique potential of the camera through these works by artists who live in Ohio, where photographic activity is especially diverse. In Person: Ourselves, Friends & Otherswas curated by Robert Stearns, independent curator with Stearns + Associates, a contemporary exhibitions and planning service.

The Ohio Arts Council, a state agency established in 1965, is committed to the economic, educational and cultural development of the state. The Council believes the arts should be shared by the people of Ohio. The arts arise from public, individual and organizational efforts. The OAC supports and encourages those efforts.
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