<body><div>FotoFocus kicks off its sprawling photo biennial this weekend. But as long as it has been around – the first one was in 2012 – it’s still difficult to wrap your head around the enormity of the undertaking.Often described as “The Largest Photo Biennial in the U.S.,” FotoFocus isn’t just a single exhibition. Indeed, this year’s FotoFocus is made up of 107 separate projects taking place in 86 venues, stretching from Columbus and Dayton to dozens of locations in and around Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky. There’s even one that takes place on the Purple People Bridge.“All of this range does create some confusion,” said FotoFocus executive director Katherine Ryckman Siegwarth. “But I think it’s also part of our strength.”<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=4e094F_0vmXPzgX00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=4e094F_0vmXPzgX00" width="960" height="640" ><figcaption>“Between the Start of Things and the End of Things III,” 2019, by Meryl McMaster. From “Stories of Infinite Sky,” through Nov. 1 at Pyramid Hill Sculpture Park and Museum.</figcaption></figure>Each FotoFocus begins with an overarching theme intended to offer some unifying factor to all of the exhibits. But the themes are intentionally ambiguous so the participating artists have enormous latitude in what they create. FotoFocus 2024’s theme, for instance, is “Backstories.” But because each of the 86 venues curates its own exhibitions, there is no single voice that connects all of the work.“It’s really broad on purpose,” Siegwarth said. “So what you end up with is a multitude of perspectives.”<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0V4xse_0vmXPzgX00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0V4xse_0vmXPzgX00" width="960" height="1440" ><figcaption>“Untitled,” 2023, by Tina Gutierrez, from “Kindred Spirits,” at Off-Ludlow Gallery, Sept. 28-Oct. 19.</figcaption></figure>If anything, each of the 86 venues presents exhibits that reflect its own aesthetic values. So what you are likely to see at a modest-sized, out-of-the-way space – think WavePool in Camp Washington, for instance, or Dayton’s Blue House Gallery – is sure to have a different scope than what you’ll see at the Contemporary Arts Center or the Cincinnati Art Museum.This year, for example, the CAC is presenting “Chip Thomas and the Painted Desert Project,” in which photographer/activist Chip Thomas invited street artists from around the globe to bring their brand of work to the desert of Northern Arizona. Meanwhile, the Cincinnati Arts Museum has turned to one of the most famous of American photographers, the late Ansel Adams.Stylistically, the two exhibitions could hardly be more different. Thomas’ photographs revolve around work we would be more likely to see on the unclaimed walls of an urban setting, while Adams’ stately photographs tend to focus on nature and more sculptural settings.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2FgN5F_0vmXPzgX00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2FgN5F_0vmXPzgX00" width="960" height="640" ><figcaption>“Portrait of Humphrey Humpkick,” 2023, by Michael Coppage, part of “Humphrey Gets His Flowers,” running Sept. 27-Nov. 1 in Site 1212 at the Art Academy of Cincinnati.</figcaption></figure>But then, exploring the vast stylistic possibilities of lens-based art is at the heart of the FotoFocus mission.“Back when I went to college at Ohio University, I took a course in the history of photography,” FotoFocus founder Thomas Schiff told me before the 2022 biennial. “It really opened my eyes as to what was going on in the history of photography and how it was fast evolving as an art form. That was probably one of the underlying reasons that I was hopeful on getting FotoFocus started; I thought there wasn’t enough photography locally. And the more organizations we could get involved, the more photography we would have.”The result has exceeded Schiff’s expectations many times over.For one thing, Schiff never envisioned that FotoFocus would have its own building. And yet, the FotoFocus Center, designed by Cincinnati architect José Garcia, is scheduled to open in the spring of 2025 at the northwest corner of East Liberty and Sycamore streets.Just as unforeseen, though, is the immensity of today’s FotoFocus.<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=2OLLwY_0vmXPzgX00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=2OLLwY_0vmXPzgX00" width="960" height="616" ><figcaption>“Dakar Roadside with Figures,” 1972, by Ming Smith. Part of Ming Smith’s “Africa” series, at the Wexner Center for the Arts, Columbus, through Jan. 5.</figcaption></figure>One of several exhibits at the Art Academy of Cincinnati, for instance, is Cincinnati artist Michael Coppage’s “Humphrey Gets His Flowers,” a multi-media revival of a character Coppage created at a much earlier point in his career. In some ways, it offers us a glimpse of Coppage’s origin story.Over at the Cincinnati Art Museum, “Discovering Ansel Adams” not only features dozens of Adams’ photographs but also explores the personal journey that brought Adams to global prominence.“Most of these materials are never seen outside of the Center for Creative Photography in Tucson,” said Rebecca Senf, the CCP’s chief curator. “So when FotoFocus announced that their theme was Backstories, it all locked together. Here was an opportunity to humanize Adams and to follow his journey from a 14-year-old going to Yosemite for the first time and growing into this iconic figure in photography.”Rather than look at Adams as a god-like visionary, we get to read his youthful letters about what he was seeing and actually see the snapshots he took with a Brownie camera during those early trips to Yosemite.“Yes, he was a visionary,” Senf said. “But with an exhibition of this scale, we get to follow him as he formed that vision. Because of its broad national and international impact, FotoFocus is one of those rare forums where you can dig this deeply and take the viewer with you.”<figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=0WWlUD_0vmXPzgX00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=0WWlUD_0vmXPzgX00" width="960" height="640" ><figcaption>“Lehigh on the Tire Swing,” 2013, by Chip Thomas. Part of Chip Thomas and the Painted Desert Project, running through Jan. 5 at the Contemporary Arts Center.</figcaption></figure><h2>FotoFocus 2024: A couple of things to keep in mind</h2><ul><li>For a complete list of exhibitions, lectures and other activities, visit the FotoFocus website, www.fotofocus.org.</li><li>Most of the FotoFocus exhibits will be on display until the end of October. But some of them, especially at the larger institutions, will be available through the end of the year or even a bit longer. “Discovering Ansel Adams” runs at the Cincinnati Art Museum through Jan. 19, while a trio of Ming Smith exhibits will be up at the Wexner Center for the Arts and the Columbus Arts Museum through Jan. 5 and Jan. 26, respectively.</li><li>The centerpiece of this opening weekend is the Biennial Symposium, held Saturday, Sept. 28, at Memorial Hall from noon to 5 p.m. For a rundown of what to expect at the event, visit fotofocus.org/event/biennial-symposium.</li></ul><figure><img src="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?type=thumbnail_580x000&amp;url=3k4JMF_0vmXPzgX00" alt="https://img.particlenews.com/image.php?url=3k4JMF_0vmXPzgX00" width="960" height="770" ><figcaption>“The Tetons and the Snake River,” by Ansel Adams. Part of “Discovering Ansel Adams,” at the Cincinnati Art Museum Sept. 27-Jan. 19.</figcaption></figure>This article originally appeared on Cincinnati Enquirer: What is FotoFocus? Photo event gives backstory of Ansel Adams, others</div></body>

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What exactly is FotoFocus? Good question. Here's a wide-lens look at the sprawling event

FotoFocus kicks off its sprawling photo biennial this weekend. But as long as it has been around – the first one was in 2012 – it’s still difficult to wrap your head around the enormity of the undertaking. Often described as “The Largest Photo Biennial in the...