Ohio Wesleyan Graduate’s Artwork Captures ‘Cultures of the World’
Sally Christiansen Harris, Class of 1976, to Exhibit Photography Sept. 23-Dec. 8 in OWU’s Alumni Gallery
DELAWARE, Ohio – A love of voice and performance are ingrained in Ohio Wesleyan University graduate Sally Christiansen Harris. A double major in speech and theatre, Harris now uses her camera to capture the sights and sounds of life around the world.
Sally Christiansen Harris ’76
Harris invites the community to experience her journeys as she displays photographs taken in Cuba, Morocco, Paris, Vietnam, and the United States as part of her one-woman exhibition, “Cultures of the World.” The show will run from Sept. 23-Dec. 8 in Ohio Wesleyan’s Alumni Gallery, inside Mowry Alumni Center, 16 Rowland Ave., Delaware. The gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, and admission is always free.
Harris, OWU Class of 1976, will be on campus twice during the 11-week exhibit to discuss her photography. She will be at the gallery for an artist’s reception from 3 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Oct. 3 during Ohio Wesleyan’s 2015 Homecoming and Family Weekend. The Greenwich, Connecticut, resident will return to campus for an illustrated artist’s talk at 7 p.m. Oct. 30 in Room 312 of the R.W. Corns Building, 78 S. Sandusky St., Delaware. Her talk will be followed by a reception at 8 p.m. in the nearby Alumni Gallery.
“When I travel, I try to capture the essence of the place I am visiting through the lens of my camera,” said Harris, who, in addition to graduating from Ohio Wesleyan, served as the university’s assistant alumni director (1988-1993), alumni director (1993-1998), and regional admission/development/alumni representative (1995-2005).
“My preferred subjects are people going about their daily lives in their own environment,” said Harris, currently a member of the university’s Board of Trustees. “At first I found it very difficult to photograph people. I didn’t want to invade their space or interrupt their routine with my camera.
“But I’ve learned to approach people, strike up a conversation, develop a rapport, and eventually ask permission to photograph them,” she said. “The more I photograph people, the more comfortable I have become, and the easier it is to capture a moment that tells a story or conveys an emotion.”
Justin Kronewetter, director of the university’s Richard M. Ross Art Museum, said Harris’s colorful, energetic images would “look right at home on the pages of National Geographic.” Her exhibit will feature approximately 30 photographs exhibited on two floors of the Alumni Gallery, he said.
As an Ohio Wesleyan student, Harris was a member of Kappa Kappa Gamma sorority, Mortar Board senior honor society, and Wesleyan Players. For outstanding contributions to her alma mater – including service on the Alumni Board of Trustees and membership in the President’s Circle of advisers – Harris received an OWU Alumni Award in 2001.
See more of Harris’s artwork at sallyharrisphotography.com. For more information about Ohio Wesleyan’s Alumni Gallery and other on-campus art venues and exhibits, call (740) 368-3606 or visit https://www.owu.edu/about/offices-services/richard-m-ross-art-museum/.
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers 86 undergraduate majors and competes in 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Ohio Wesleyan combines a challenging, internationally focused curriculum with off-campus learning and leadership opportunities to connect classroom theory with real-world experience. OWU’s 1,750 students represent 46 U.S. states and territories and 43 countries. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives,” listed on the latest President’s Higher Education Community Service Honor Roll with Distinction, and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.