father, Smith took to it immediately, documenting her friends and home life. Her photography career be- gan as she was traveling by cab to a modeling assignment during her first trip to Africa in 1972, when she snapped an image of a woman in a billowing dress on a sidewalk in Da- kar, Senegal. About 30 images from the series launched by that photo, Africa, are included in Wind Chime. But the ex- hibition also features some of Smith’s most recent work, including collages
and a projection created with Ohio State’s Advanced Center for Computing and Design, which brings movement and dimension to her images. That piece is accompanied by a soothing soundscape commissioned from Smith’s son, jazz musician Mingus Murray.
At the Columbus Museum of Art, the first full presentation of the series Transcendence reflects Smith’s deep ties to the city, from the view outside her childhood bedroom window to scenes of the midway at the Ohio State Fair. The museum also currently hosts Ming Smith: August Moon, which captures the people and places of Pittsburgh’s Hill District, the inspiration for playwright August Wilson’s “Century Cycle.” The Gund at Kenyon College in Gambier joined in the partnership with the presenta- tion of Ming Smith: Jazz Requiem – Nota- tions in Blue, an ongoing series that centers the photographer’s travels in Europe and the influence of dance and music on her work. While The Gund exhibition closed Decem- ber 15, Ming Smith: Wind Chime is on view through January 5, 2025, and the shows at Columbus Museum of Art continue through January 26.
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