BFA

A Constant State of Ohio This body of work is a documentation of Wooster, Ohio and the surrounding area from the point of view of someone who is re-discovering their hometown as an adult. Small and overlooked details are photographed and show changes that have occured over time. Abandoned industrial locations from the 70’s and 80’s, show a town that is proud of its history. Rural small town Midwest values and way of life are conveyed through images that reference politics, the conservative lifestyles, and low cost living. The installation consists of photographic prints and a book with printed text. Glossy paper and various used frames reference family photographs that can be found in an album or hanging in someone’s home. Through a snapshot aesthetic, abandonment, isolation, overgrowth, human drama, and celebration of the everyday are depicted in the work. For example, the overgrowth on a warning sign, an abandoned historic van, and railroads leading to nowhere. William Eggleston, Alec Soth, Stephen Shore, Cathreine Opie, and William Christenberry are photographers that inspired this series through their experience of photographing the places they call home. There is mystery everywhere, but by discovering the unfamiliar in a place as familiar as home, a greater connection to that place is found. It encourages a new perspective of somewhere that was thought to be known.