Friday, October 14, 2011
PRINCESS ANNE, MD-(October 13, 2011) Ramona Bultman-Lewis, a visual artist, who “explores the connection between technology and art,” will display photography from two distinctly different series of works at the University of Maryland Eastern Shore’s Mosely Gallery.
Bultman-Lewis opens the show “Thick as Thieves” and “Words of Wisdom” at a reception Oct. 20, from 4-6 p.m. at the gallery.
“My message is always evolving, and my goal is always to challenge the viewer’s personal convictions of cultural stereotypes,” Bultman-Lewis said.
“Thick as Thieves” integrates traditional photography with digitally enhanced techniques. Highly personal, the works are based on photographs of Bultman-Lewis’ father’s family taken in pre-WWII Sumter, S.C. They document “a family caught between the lines of race, bound by society’s expectations and laws.”
“I realized after starting this body of work, that I have unearthed something quite powerful and grand,” she said. “Hauntingly familiar, yet so foreign,” they are an introduction to the family and its journey.
“Words of Wisdom” represents the talented artist’s work created from images taken in 2003 in Ghana, West Africa. The images pay homage to the Akan culture in Ghana and illustrate how those cultural values are reflected in daily life.
“By integrating Ghanaian proverbs and Adinkra symbols with documentary photography, I endeavor to give credence to their usage as ‘words’ of wisdom,” Bultman-Lewis said. She explains, in Ghana, proverbs are commonly used to express a practical truth about humanity. “It is my intent to honor this humanity and wisdom and bring voice to people seldom heard.”
Bultman-Lewis has had a career rich in experiences. She began taking photographs when she was a child, experimenting with her father’s collection of antique cameras. After completing a double-major in fine arts and computer science at the University of North Carolina, she started to incorporate the computer as a “tool for creating art.”
Bultman-Lewis received a master’s in architectural design from North Carolina State University and has studied at Harvard and in Germany. She taught multimedia, graphic communications, photography and life drawing at the School of Communication Arts of Raleigh, N.C., and at N.C. State.
In the corporate world, Bultman-Lewis has been a creative director of interactive marketing, an architect, visual designer, illustrator, and web designer. Currently, she is a program manager in user experience design with a focus on social media.
She has traveled to Africa, China, Japan, Europe and South America.
“The camera has been my constant companion throughout all life events, documenting and challenging me in my pursuit of visual expression,” Bultman-Lewis said.
The Mosely Gallery is free and open to the public, Monday through Friday, from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Bultman’s exhibit will be on display through Nov. 18. Call 410-651-7770 or visit www.umes.edu/arts for more information.
Photo: Sankofa by Ramona Bultman-L
