A reception for photographer William Jantausch of Delaware will be from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Thursday at Gallery 2001 of Ohio Wesleyan University’s Beeghly Library.
Jantausch’s exhibit of photographs, called “Forgotten Places,” has been on exhibit at Beeghly, 43 Rowland Ave., since Aug. 15. The exhibit runs through Oct. 6.
Jantausch’s photographs capture haunting images of local scenery, including an abandoned sawmill.
Jantausch is an OWU graduate in the class of 1969 and has lived in Delaware the past 40 years. “I have seen drastic changes in the landscape and decided to document them,” Jantausch said. “The majority of the series … contains my Sawmill Series, which documents a sawmill off of Route 229. … The remainder of the series involves photographs of pieces, parts and sections of old barns, focusing on the texture, form and shape.”
For the past four years, Jantausch has been auditing courses in the fine arts department at OWU. “In that time, I have developed interest in observing and emulating other artists in attempts to develop my own style. … It was not until I started taking photography courses with Jeff Nilan that it all started to click.” Photography was already a longtime hobby.
“I was exposed to the Ross Art Museum during classes and realized shortly after that I was ready to start displaying my work. Tammy Wallace at the museum reviewed my portfolio and was instrumental in making ‘Forgotten Places’ a display at the Beeghly Library.”
Jantausch’s degree was in botany-bacteriology, but he said he spent “the first 20 years of my career in traffic and distribution in the private sector.” In the 1990s, he purchased a few properties and has remained in the real estate and management field since.
But the photography hobby has become more important to him. “I now see my love of creating with the camera as the driving factor in my life,” he said.
He said he recently started “my most ambitious project” — documenting the old Route 40, which is also known as Cumberland Highway. “President Thomas Jefferson directed Congress to allocate funding to start the creation of the old dirt Route 40,” he explained. “There are many old motels, historical landmarks and forgotten places along the road. I have started traveling along Route 40 to photograph these forgotten places from Columbus, Ohio, spanning to Cumberland, Maryland.”
The reception Thursday is free to the public.
Gallery hours coincide with library hours, posted online at http://library.owu.edu. Call 740-368-3606 or visit http://ross.owu.edu for more information. Gallery 2001 is a satellite gallery of the Richard M. Ross Art Museum.