String of Hearts: Photographs by Bea Nettles

"Many of the effects that come so easily now were hard-won inventions, discoveries and refinements by the pioneers of photography. Among them is one whose work is on view at the Akron Art Museum through July 22 in the show String of Hearts: Bea Nettles." Dorothy Shinn, Akron Beacon Journal The photographs of Bea Nettles often depict the artist's intimate family life, yet they also speak to the broad ideas of what it means to be a mother, teacher and artist, which she describes as her greatest roles. The focus of this exhibition, a survey of the museum's collection of Nettles' photographs, is the artist's use of autobiographical imagery, animated by her experimental processes. Many of her images contain metaphoric views of domesticity and motherhood. This poetic approach is apparent throughout her career with the inclusion of text in images, inventive bookmaking and self-publishing. The museum's collection also contains works made from Polaroids, etchings and digital and dye transfer prints, all of which are gifts of the artist. This exhibition is organized by the Akron Art Museum and made possible by a generous bequest from George and Peg Seeley.