Kent State's School of Art Galleries and Kent Historical Society Present the Work of Local Photographer Richard Sweet

Kent State University's School of Art and the Kent Historical Society are collaborating to present three exhibitions of the work and art of Richard Sweet, a photographer for The Record-Courier in Portage County, Ohio, for more than 40 years. Sweet's work spans four decades of the people, places and events that shaped Portage County.

On July 25, an Art Walk and receptions will be held from 5-7 p.m. at three separate exhibitions. The first exhibition, "A Timeless Community: Photographs by Richard Sweet," is currently displayed at the Kent State School of Art Gallery, which is located at 400 Janik Drive on the Kent Campus and will run through Aug. 9. The second exhibition, "Time & Town: A Sweet History of Kent" at the Downtown Gallery, located at 141 E. Main St. in Kent, runs July 24-Aug. 24. The Kent Historical Society will host a reception and exhibition showcasing Sweet's extensive antique camera collection the evening of July 25 as well. All three exhibitions are free and open to the public.

Sweet's love of Portage County is evident in the many wonderful photographs that he took of his beloved Portage County. Some of these iconic photographs will be on sale the evening of July 25 at the Downtown Gallery and the School of Art Gallery. Proceeds from the sale of the photographs will support the Richard R. Sweet Endowed Scholarship in Art. Sweet's legacy will live forever through the many generations of students who will benefit from the Richard R. Sweet Endowed Scholarship in Art. Please consider making a contribution.

The vision for these two Kent State exhibitions on Sweet was to inform the rotating young adults who call Kent home and to remind Portage County residents on how far the community has come in the past 40 years. The images of this exhibition exemplify how the region is a living and breathing area with a mindset all its own. In order to find these images, Kent State's School of Art Galleries combed through half a dozen boxes filled to the brim of 35mm and 120mm negatives as well as slides. After retiring in 2004 and passing away the following year, Sweet left an unprecedented record of Kent and Portage County.

Sweet's wife, Betty Hejma-Sweet, has endowed a scholarship in her husband's name at the School of Art at Kent State. Sweet was a graduate of the School of Art at Kent State. The scholarship will support a Portage County student who intends to study fine art and/or photography at Kent State. The Richard R. Sweet Endowed Scholarship in Art will ensure his legacy for perpetuity. Sweet was a proud Kent State graduate. If you would like to make a contribution to the scholarship in his name, please contact Ms. Shawn Gordon at 330-672-8484 or at sgordo10@kent.edu.

For more information, visit http://galleries.kent.edu.

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Photo by Richard Sweet: Dressage Portage County Horse Show

Media Contact:
Anderson Turner, haturner@kent.edu