It is with some sadness that I announce the closing of the Photography Center at Rankin Square, after two years. My goal when I opened in Fall of 2006 was to give Columbus something I thought it needed: a gallery devoted exclusively to Fine Art Photography, and a gathering place for serious photographers. Alas, the public showed very little interest in our exhibits, and I discoverd that our local newspaper would rather run full-page articles on American Idol than cover the local visual arts scene, even wonderful exhibits with regional significance, like
" Final Harvest: Truck Farmers in the Deep South", an exhibit we mounted in the Spring of this year. The photographs, by Ga. Artist of the Year Perry Dilbeck, have received great acclaim and were published in a book of the same name, and it is a shame that there was so little interest in our community. There were other exhibits, including "In the Footsteps of Saint Francis" by John Lawrence, photographs taken over a ten year period in Italy, that I am proud to have given a temporary home. To my family, friends and students, CSU art students and faculty who attended the openings or stopped in at other times: You made my experiment a success in many ways; I enjoyed our discussions of the photographs on the walls and your own explorations in our medium.
I am not going anywhere. The Photography Center becomes the Art of Photography by Kenny Gray. I have chosen this name because I want to keep reminding people that photography is an art form, and although my commercial photography will be on the walls, I plan on occasional exhibits of fine art photography as well, mine and others that I admire.
Keep Shootin', and stay tuned,
Kenny
