Mementos, living rooms, faces — all three lend clues to understanding a person’s mystery without using a single word. These were the different inspirations behind alumnus Lloyd Evans Moore’s topics of photography — bringing out people’s everyday lives.
The Kennedy Museum of Art, located at The Ridges, will open its new gallery today in tribute to Moore. The exhibit, Lloyd Moore: Without Pretense, showcases a small collection of more than 60 works, which Moore’s family donated upon his death.
Moore, 79, passed away last December. He began taking photos of casework while practicing as an attorney for 36 years in Lawrence County. He then moved on to snapping pictures of friends and acquaintances that express loneliness and first reactions.
Rajko Grlic served as curator of Lloyd’s last exhibit at the Kennedy Museum in 2003. He also edited Face to Face, a book of Moore’s photos, which he put together with Moore.
He described Moore’s personality as being typical of an old-fashioned lawyer, saying he was the perfect gentleman.
“Spending time with him, working with him going through 10,000 works,” Grlic said, “and listening to stories. I told him I wanted the book to tell a story.”
This new exhibit is smaller than the previous one, Grlic said. The first one featured the newly published book, film and several series of Moore’s photos combined. For this one, the works have been narrowed down to best display the donated works.
In one series of his photography, “Living Room,” Moore shot subjects sitting in their living rooms — the place outsiders see most often. He believed people decorated this space with things they loved and wanted visitors to see.
Grlic said his favorite photo of Moore’s is on the cover of his book — an old man sitting, beer can in hand, situated in the corner of a blue room. The man is alone, and wears the loneliness on his face.
“It’s the story of loneliness,” Grlic said. “Moore’s photos are about lonely people — very lonely people being lost in time and space.”
In his book, Lloyd wrote that he began photographing his law clients in 1976. He said his work in family, injury and criminal law led him to the conclusion that everyone matters.
“You remember them because you can’t forget their faces,” Lloyd wrote.
“Because, for years on end, they stop you on the way to the courthouse and ask you for money for a drink, for a cup of coffee, for bus fare to the next town or because they figure they need the money more than you do.”
Overall, the photos give tribute not only to Moore and his life’s works but also others from Southeast Ohio, Grlic said.
“It’s some kind of picture of Southeast Ohio people who otherwise would not have left any trace of them behind,” Grlic said.
The opening reception takes place tonight from 6 to 8 p.m. at the museum, and Grlic is set to talk about Moore’s photography at the Kennedy Museum May 11 from noon to 1 p.m. The exhibit will run until Aug. 14.
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