20 February Guest Post: Ohio Diaspora - Featuring 17 Living Ohio African American Artists February 20, 2020 Riffe Gallery diaspora, gallery, ohio, poet, poetry, riffe, rose, smith 0 If you've not yet taken the opportunity to visit the Ohio Arts Council’s (OAC) Riffe Gallery to experience Ohio Diaspora, which opened Feb. 1, now is the time to block your calendars. Currently collected within this beautiful gallery venue, the heritage, vision, and hearts of Ohio artists of color radiate from the walls and soar among us. The OAC Riffe Gallery, in cooperation with the National Afro-American Museum and Cultural Center, has brought together 17 artists who currently reside in and have roots in Ohio to represent the wide range of skill, perspective, and creativity within this rich culture. I knew I would enjoy walking through the Riffe Gallery to view Ohio Diaspora. Even so, I was surprised in multiple ways while viewing the variations of color, medium, texture, and approach that Rosa Rojas has pulled together. I wanted to sit and study each artist's work, listen for what they would tell me, and try to understand what I am meant to feel or know in response to each piece. What a joy. You will truly want to see up close how each artist has skillfully interpreted the message, mood, or intent of each piece. Photographs will not do them justice. In fact, a great deal of the experience of the work is lost when not viewed in person, unhurriedly, and with thirst.