SAME LOCATION, MULTIPLE PERSPECTIVES
Photos by Catherine Lange and Michael L. Ruth
Poems by 13 regional poets
See waterfalls and woods differently. Michael L. Ruth’s multiple time-lapse and long-exposure images “are not your standard snapshot of a river.” Catherine Lange’s photos of still lifes in nature “create a sense of dreamlike perception.” September exhibit, Washburn Cultural Center: 40 photos taken together at the same places but from their own unique perspectives. Thirteen regional poets also contribute 24 poems, some written to photos in the exhibit.
The exhibit’s opening reception will be held at the Washburn Cultural Center on Friday, September 2, from 4 to 6 p.m. A poetry reading event will be held Friday, September 16, at 5 p.m. as part of Bayfield County’s Art Escape. The exhibit closes September 29.
A 100-page, full-color, 12” x 9” softcover book with 80 photos and the 24 poems will be available at the Washburn Cultural Center and is currently available at authenticsuperior.com.
In the preface to the book, Alan Brew, Professor of English at Northland College in Ashland, Wisc., and the Executive Director of its Sigurd Olson Environmental Institute, says:
[Catherine Lange, Michael L. Ruth,] and their poet friends use photos and words to explore what it is that rivers, and experiences with water more generally, say to each of us. In doing so, they help to build bridges that we desperately need in these tumultuous times. Bridges that connect us to the stability of rocks from the basement of time and to the lifeblood that courses through each of our veins. Bridges that close the gaps between us, helping us to understand and appreciate the diversity of our perspectives. And, perhaps most importantly, bridges that transport us into the essential beauty of moving water and flowing words.
Catherine Lange earned her B.A. in visual arts from DePaul University in Chicago and completed graduate study in photography at the Institute of Design at Illinois Institute of Technology. She has worked in communications, publishing, and graphic arts in Chicago as well as in New York, where she worked for Aperture magazine. In 2011 she moved to Washburn, Wisc., and has served on the board of the Chequamegon Bay Arts Council and edits and designs their quarterly newsletter, Artifacts. She has also served on the Wisconsin Arts Board. In addition to being an active photographer, graphic designer, and editor, she is also a Reiki Master Teacher and a Tai Chi instructor.
Michael L. Ruth earned a B.A. in Photography and Cinema from Ohio State, an M.Ed. in Graphic Communications from UW-Stout, and an ED.D. from University of Minnesota. Originally from Columbus, Ohio, leaving home at 13 years of age, he has lived in seven states. He has held jobs from stable boy, baler of hay, taxi driver, construction worker, account clerk, printer, pit crew for an NHRA team as well as a Land Speed Record motorcycle team, advertising production manager, TV set and graphic designer, and concert rigger, ending up teaching animation and special effects at Minnesota State University Moorhead. After 28 years living in Fargo-Moorhead, he retired and moved to Detroit, where he lived for five years working as an events production coordinator. Michael returned to Minnesota in the summer of 2019 where he is busy creating photographic images and Op Art.
