60 Years in a Large Landscape - A Photographic Retrospective by Ron Planche

In 60 Years in a Large Landscape, photographer Ron Planche presents a retrospective spanning more than 60 years of photography. Exploring the relationship between people and the world we inhabit, Planche's images consider natural environments, cities, communities, and the marks we leave behind. Influenced by a diverse range of image-makers and drawn to the expressive possibilities of black and white, his work invites us to see ourselves as part of the landscape.

Overview

On view October 7 - 29 in the Hummel Family Room. Join us for the opening reception on Thursday, October 15, 2026, from 5:00 – 6:30 p.m. — meet the artist, enjoy refreshments, and connect with others.

Artist Statement

This exhibition is a retrospective of images I have made over more than 60 years as a photographer.

Doris Lessing wrote in the preface to Collected African Stories:

"Africa gives you the knowledge that man is a small creature, among other creatures, in a large landscape."

That thought has stayed with me.

But landscape, to me, is more than mountains, oceans, forests and open spaces. We are part of the landscape.

So are the things we create.

Our buildings, cities, bridges and monuments become part of it. So do our politics, our cultures, our children at play and the faces of the people who shape our lives.

Sometimes our presence is enormous. Sometimes we are almost insignificant. Sometimes what we create enhances the world around us. Sometimes it damages it.

I photograph all of it.

For better or worse, I am interested in the relationship between people and the world we inhabit—and in the marks we leave behind.

My photography has been influenced by some of the great image-makers of our time: Ansel Adams, Edward Burtynsky, Andreas Gursky, Cath Simard, David Yarrow, Marsel van Oosten and Ami Vitale. Each has demonstrated, in very different ways, photography's ability to make us stop, look and reconsider what is in front of us.

I have a particular love for black and white.

Perhaps that comes from spending part of my life in politics, where arguments are too often presented as binary: black or white, right or wrong.

Photography has taught me something different.

To communicate successfully—politically or visually—you need to understand the 32 shades of grey that lie between black and white.

After 60 years, I am still looking.