October 3rd, 4th, and 5th from 7:30 to 10pm.

Performing Arts Quad, Miami University

For three nights, the Performing Arts Quad at Miami University will transform into a space where stories of Butler County will intersect, overlap, and dialogue.

Convening Stories at the Crossroads is a site-specific, projection-based public artwork that explores many intersecting histories and experiences of place. Working in video and sound, the work of artist Diane Fellows weaves together multiple strands and sources to construct enterable spaces and compelling filmic and sonic narratives. For this work, participation, collaboration, and input from community members creates a collage of stories that move through the landscape, unearthing moments of friction as well as weaving together past and present, town and gown, and urban and rural experiences of place in Butler County.

Images and sound overtake the Performing Arts Quad, home to a marquee public sculpture and manicured green. The flow of memories and spaces from around Butler County challenges the presumed stasis of monumental spaces and mimics the flow of water at the fountain that formerly stood at this site. Though the projection primarily occurs at night, the space will be activated during the day with more subtle interventions, inviting both visitors and everyday users to experience their sense of place in new ways.

This work is realized as part of the FotoFocus Biennial, a month-long celebration of photography, film, and lens-based art held throughout the Greater Cincinnati, Northern Kentucky, and Dayton and Columbus, Ohio region every two years. This work is curated by Annie Dell’Aria and realized with the support of numerous collaborators, volunteers, and sources of knowledge in Butler County and beyond.