“We live in a culture of display and distraction, and for any individual image to ascend into the American vernacular is something of a miracle. Over the past forty years, no artist has achieved this feat more consistently than Annie Leibovitz.”
-Bill Horrigan, Wexner Center curator-at-large
One of the many great things about the Wexner Center for the Arts is its ability to create innovative activities around the already amazing exhibits. The new Annie Leibovitz show is no exception.
The impressive show has taken over the entire Wexner Center. The exhibition is comprised of three major groupings. For the first time ever, Leibovitz’s entire Master Set of 156 images is together in a museum setting. The stunning collection contains many of the images that have been seared into our memory and also rarities that highlight the depth of the artists work over the last 40 years.
The exciting recent body of work, “Pilgrimage,” is hung salon-style and features the landscapes, interiors, and objects of many of the artist’s key influences.
“As though from a kind of impatience at the limits of portraiture, she evokes the individual by capturing the domestic residue of what they’ve left behind: Emily Dickinson’s dress, Thoreau’s bed, Eleanor Roosevelt’s sleeping porch, Thomas Jefferson’s garden, Annie Oakley’s riding boots,” writes Wexner Center curator-at-large Bill Horrigan about “Pilgrimage.”
Last but not least, is the informal collage-like collection of images (pictured above) that feature artists who have been involved with the Wexner Center and shot by Leibovitz. You will likely be amazed at just how many artists this is.
Built on top of and around these powerful photographs are an impressive and welcoming series of events. “See It My Way” presents unique opportunities to see the Leibovitz exhibition through someone else’s eyes. For this occasional series, the Wexner has invited gifted members of the Columbus community from different backgrounds to share their perspectives on the people and places featured in the exhibition that matter most to them. The series will begin with two Columbus photographers sharing insights on a fellow photographer’s work: Brooke LaValley from The Columbus Dispatch on Sunday, October 14 at 1 p.m., followed by longtime chronicler of Columbus, Kojo Kamau on Sunday, October 28, at 3 p.m. Columbus ice cream maven Jeni Britton Bauer will lead a tour on Sunday, December 9, at 1 p.m. More speakers are being added so be sure to check wexarts.org for updates.
On Dec. 11, at 6 p.m., there will be a GenWex Trivia Night with questions built around the figures in the exhibition. For teens, the Wexner Center has put together an exciting Wex Lab on photographic portraits on October 27-28. Students will explore digital photography and portraiture by spending time in front of and behind the camera, telling stories, developing characters, and incorporating unexpected props and gestures in simple settings. Discussions of media literacy, a complete technical rundown, lunch, and a final projected exhibition are all part of the program, along with a tour of the Leibovitz exhibition.
Leibovitz, who was very generous and friendly with visitors during the recent opening, signing hundreds of autographs and taking group pictures, will be back for numerous events and a public conversation November 9-10 as she accepts the 14th Wexner Prize. A honor that comes with $50,000 and adds her name to a list that includes John Cage, Spike Lee, Robert Rauschenberg, Martin Scorsese, amongst other legends of our time.
“This is a very accessible show that can act as an entry way to contemporary art and the Wexner Center. It may reintroduce people to the Wex. They can come for Leibovitz, come back for Leibovitz again, as many people are doing, and then delve deeper to see all that we have to offer. It folds right into the idea of a smart and open city,” said Karen Simonian, director of Media and Public Relations at the Wexner.
“The exhibit is also a celebratory moment for the entire city. With our Bicentennial year, it’s a galvanizing event to spark dialogue, foster education, and help make this richer, even more culturally engaged city,” added Simonian, a Columbus native.
Learn more and donate to Wexner Center for the Arts of The Ohio State University via their PowerPhilanthropy® portrait.
Information about local nonprofits is available 24/7 through the Foundation’s online resource, PowerPhilanthropy, which is available to everyone who wants to be more informed about nonprofits before they give. PowerPhilanthropy makes it easy to donate to the causes you care about at columbusfoundation.org/p2/.
Follow us on Twitter at @colsfoundation and like The Columbus Foundation on Facebook.
