Backstage Hollywood: The Photographs of Bob Willoughby and Technical Ecstasy in The Showcase Gallery

Name: Backstage Hollywood: The Photographs of Bob Willoughby and Technical Ecstasy in The Showcase Gallery
Start: 2026-01-22T17:00:00-05:00
Location: The Schumacher Gallery

Schedule

Thu, 22 Jan, 2026 at 05:00 pm

UTC-05:00

Location

The Schumacher Gallery | Columbus, OH

Exhibits run 1/19 - 4/1. Reception in 1/22 from 5-7:00!
Gallery will be closed 2/28-3/8 for midterm break.
Backstage Hollywood: The Photographs of Bob Willoughby
Venture backstage into the golden age of Hollywood in this exhibition that explores the photography of Bob Willoughby. Widely recognized as a pioneer of photography in the 20th century, Willoughby was the first outside photographer invited by studios to take photos on film sets. Willoughby’s career took off in 1954 when Warner Bros. asked him to photograph Judy Garland during the filming of A Star is Born. Life magazine published a feature with over a dozen of Willoughby’s candid photographs of Garland working on set, and a close-up portrait of her appeared on the cover. Willoughby’s career took off, and his photographs became instantly recognizable, featuring naturalistic images of actors and directors in intimate moments of vulnerability.
Technical Ecstasy in The Showcase Gallery
Charles Crabtree, a Columbus native and Capital University employee, is a self-taught artist who owes much of his inspiration to the study of mythology and world history. His style is described as unique and intricate, blending themes of mysticism, science fiction, and spirituality. Much of Crabtree‘s work is done with great detail and intricate line work with a sense of depth & purpose. He highlights the beauty and horror within technology.
The works represented in this exhibition are meditations on this subject. Mixing technology with the organic, Crabtree created works using an airbrush as his main medium. Will biomechanics create Gods or Monsters? This exhibit explores this concept.