Photographer, storyteller, and publisher Rich-Joseph Facun explores the evolving relationship between Ohio University and the surrounding community in his photobook 1804. Focusing on Athens, the photographs consider place, identity, memory, and belonging while looking at the ways institutions and communities shape one another.

During the evening, Appalachian photographer and writer Roger May joins Rich-Joseph Facun for a conversation about 1804 and the ideas, experiences, and relationships that shaped the work. They’ll talk about photographing a place that becomes home, and what it means to find belonging in Appalachia; the role of community and support in an artist’s life; the enduring pull of the photographic print and the book as physical objects in a digital world; and how the social and political moment we live in finds its way into the work we make.

The conversation will open into a casual community Q&A, and everyone is invited to stick around, ask questions, share stories and memories, and talk about Athens, our community, and the places we call home. The evening will wrap up with a book signing, and copies of 1804 will be available for purchase.

5:30–6:30 p.m. — Opening Reception
6:30–7:30 p.m. — Conversation + Community Q&A
7:30 p.m.–onward — Book Signing