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.
Harris has invited the Delaware 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. The gallery is open from 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, and admission is 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 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. 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.”
Her exhibit will feature about 30 photographs exhibited on two floors of the Alumni Gallery.
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.
For more information, call 740-368-3606 or visit http://ross.owu.edu.
