‘Precious Objects’
New Ross Art Museum Exhibit Includes Photographs of Delaware Community Members
DELAWARE – What is your most precious object? The item you’ve had a long time, that means the most, and that you couldn’t or wouldn’t replace if it were lost?
Cleveland visual artist Charles J. “Chuck” Mintz has created an ever-expanding photography exhibition that asks people those questions. He then photographs them with their “Precious Objects” and obtains hand-written notes explaining their item’s significance. Examples include Loli’s letters from the mother she never knew and Muriel’s red hat that always ensured her husband would find her in a crowd.
Mintz’s “Precious Objects” exhibit is on display now through Dec. 14 at Ohio Wesleyan University’s Richard M. Ross Art Museum, 60 S. Sandusky St., Delaware.
For the local exhibit, Mintz –winner of two Ohio Arts Council grants – came to Delaware and took photographs of several local residents, including Joe Diamond, Linda Shearer, and Sally Leber, Ohio Wesleyan’s director of community service learning.
In her photo, Leber poses with a life-size, wooden artist’s mannequin. In explaining her precious item, Leber says: “He stands obvious and ever-present as a reminder of some lessons learned and values held: the importance of being flexible; the value of being able to approach situations from a different angle; the wisdom of being willing to adjust one’s point of view.”
As part of its “Precious Objects” exhibit, the Ross Art Museum is inviting people to share photographs of themselves with their most treasured items via Instagram and the museum’s Facebook page, www.facebook.com/RossArtMuseum. Be sure to tag the museum’s Instagram account @The Ross Art Museum and to use the hashtags #preciousrossobject and #rossartmuseum with all posts.
During the academic year, Ohio Wesleyan’s Ross Art Museum is open Tuesday, Wednesday, and Friday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.; Thursday from 10 a.m. to 9 p.m.; and Sunday from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. The museum is handicap-accessible and admission is always free. Call (740) 368-3606 or visit www.owu.edu/ross for more information.
Founded in 1842, Ohio Wesleyan University is one of the nation’s premier liberal arts universities. Located in Delaware, Ohio, the private university offers nearly 90 undergraduate majors and competes in 23 NCAA Division III varsity sports. Through Ohio Wesleyan’s signature OWU Connection program, students integrate knowledge across disciplines, build a diverse and global perspective, and apply their knowledge in real-world settings. Ohio Wesleyan is featured in the book “Colleges That Change Lives” and included in the U.S. News & World Report and Princeton Review “best colleges” lists. Learn more at www.owu.edu.