Judith Rae Solomon Gallery to highlight alumnus for Black History Month
January 26, 2022
The Judith Rae Solomon Gallery will highlight the work of photographer and YSU alumnus James Rogers Jr. in an exhibition beginning Monday, January 31, 2022. The exhibit, titled “This, That, and the Other (The Way I See It),” is part of YSU’s Black History Month activities.
“I've been told many times that I have a special eye for seeing things that others overlook. My eyes are like paint brushes and my canvas can be the sky, the pavement, the forest floor, or any surface I encounter,” Rogers Jr. said.
Rogers Jr.’s exhibition includes over 20 images from his expansive body of work. His artwork is included in private collections as well as the corporate collections of Fireline, Inc., St. Elizabeth Hospital, and the Kusalaba branch of the Public Library of Youngstown and Mahoning County, among others. His work has also been featured in numerous publications, such as The Freethought Society Magazine and the Transformative Power of Unitarian Universalism anthology.
A Niles, Ohio native, Rogers received his Bachelor of Arts in commercial art from YSU in 1972. He then returned in the early 1990s to study graphic design but found that photography was his inspiration and his main creative outlet. He currently serves as a freelance writer and photographer and lives in Youngstown.
“Art is meant to be shared and when someone looks at one of my photographs, I expect a reaction. That reaction is personal to them and most importantly it's a conversation starter. Storytelling can begin with images and I consider myself lucky to be an artist who gets it started,” Rogers Jr. said.
The Judith Rae Solomon Gallery is located on the second floor of YSU’s Bliss Hall. The gallery is open 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM Monday through Friday and is free and open to the public.