What's new at the Mu? New show to chronicle 'ordinary' Americans
The Massillon Museum’s Studio M contemporary art gallery will host Monica Jane Frisell and Adam Scher: Portrait of US through May 19. The audiovisual archive of intimate stories told by ordinary people features black and white portraits of local individuals as well as people from around the nation. The blend of fine art photography and documentary audio resonates sociologically, historically, and anthropologically.
Highlights
Portrait of US is a continually evolving audiovisual chronicle of the USA, an archive of stories garnered by photographer Frisell and audio recorder/editor Scher from conversations with people across the United States. The snapshots, when threaded together, produce a mosaic of community life that binds Americans together. Frisell believes that analog photography brings intentionality to each photograph in a fast-paced and over-stimulated world.
Work/life partners Frisell and Scher live nomadically from a vehicle that pulls a cargo trailer (“The Ark”), together custom-converted to create a living space, office space, and a black-and-white darkroom. They describe themselves as “collectors of faces and stories.” Their portrait portfolio has been gathered by zigzagging across the country since 2021.
The team visited Massillon from Sept. 25 through Oct. 6, 2023. In each locale, they park in full view and get to know locals, encouraging them to share a story. Frisell photographs the subject on a large 1940s Kodak Master film camera and processes the images in the mobile darkroom. Scher edits the audio. Learn more about the artists at nomadicphotoark.com.
Why attend?
Portrait of US is part of MassMu’s 17th annual NEA Big Read, an initiative of the National Endowment for the Arts in partnership with Arts Midwest. The NEA Big Read broadens our understanding of our world, our communities, and ourselves through the joy of sharing a good book—this year, “Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi.
Details
WHAT – MassMu Exhibition: Monica Jane Frisell and Adam Scher: “Portrait of US”
WHEN – Through May 19.
HOURS – 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Saturday; and 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday.
WHERE – Massillon Museum, 121 Lincoln Way E, downtown Massillon.
MORE –MassillonMuseum.org or 330-833-4061
This article originally appeared on The Alliance Review: Massillon Museum show to chronicle 'ordinary' Americans
