Ohio State names Mansfield campus faculty member Artist Laureate

Ohio State names Mansfield campus faculty member Artist Laureate

Kate Shannon will fill post for 2025-2026 academic year

When Kate Shannon started her photography coursework as a college student, film was still the primary medium.

"I didn't pick up my first digital camera until I was done with my undergraduate degree," said Shannon, associate professor of art at The Ohio State University. "Once digital photography exploded, I found myself existing between two worlds, grounded in the physical and evolving with the digital. I've been fascinated by that change. I think about what we gain and what we lose as we shift from a physical photographic process to a digital one."

Last month, Shannon was named Ohio State's third Artist Laureate. The program allows each year's recipient to travel the state - including the university's regional campuses - and share their art with a variety of audiences.

"This is a wonderful opportunity," she said. "I'm excited about it. I'm hoping it will also open up new avenues for my own artwork, whether that's creating artwork in collaboration with the communities I visit or finding inspiration in what we do together."

"Insofar as the Artist Laureate program was created to engage with communities across the state - especially those with less access to the arts - Kate's application really resonated with the selection committee," said Lisa Florman, vice provost for the arts. "The events she's proposing involve both hands-on making and historical inquiry into photography, which struck a chord. Photography is an eminently accessible art form - almost everyone has photographs, even old analog ones, in those historical archives we call the family photo album. I'm excited to see what arises from Kate's collaborations across the state."

Shannon teaches at Ohio State Mansfield. It is a joyful experience, she said, working with students.

"I have the opportunity to engage with students from Mansfield and the surrounding areas that may not have as much exposure to the arts," she said. "We'll have students who have never been into an art gallery and by the time they finish the year, they've not only gone to an art gallery and interacted with professional artists, they've also had the opportunity to display their own artwork. Creating those types of experiences for students is really meaningful."

Shannon is thrilled that a regional campus faculty member was selected this year.

"Ohio State is one university," she said. "The Artist Laureate program was created with the regional campuses in mind. While art students in Columbus have access to a wide range of cultural opportunities, students at the regional campuses sometimes don't have the same access. This program acknowledges that gap and helps create meaningful arts experiences for those students. As a faculty member at a regional campus, I appreciate that."

While Shannon started her career with film, her students today have grown up in a digital world. They're curious about other ways to capture images, she said.

"They were born into the smartphone age," she said. "An age where everyone has a camera in their pocket. That's why showing them how a camera obscura works, letting them hold antique photographs, feels increasingly meaningful as they grow further removed from the physical world of photography. Learning about the history of the medium helps them better understand and be more mindful of a tool they now use almost instinctively every day."

Shannon is planning to bring these physical interactions with photography to the state in her new role. In the past, she has taught students how to make cyanotypes, a type of photographic printing process that involves exposing light-sensitive paper to ultraviolet light, resulting in a vivid blue image. Shannon and other photographers often make them outdoors, using natural light.

"I'd like to adopt that model around the state," she said. "It's a great way to engage with the community, make art, explore your surroundings and learn about the history of photography."

At previous events, participants brought photographs to share with Shannon. She hopes this trend will continue.

"I didn't ask them to do that; they just did," she said. "They wanted to show me and have conversations about their own photographs."

The conversations are part of the photography experience for Shannon. People don't need to be artists to appreciate the medium, she said.

"Photography can engage different communities and interests. I can engage with people regardless of their artistic background," she said. "We can find ways to connect to whatever their passion is."

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