Architecture is taking on a new meaning beyond its traditional structural elegance. Titled Architecture: From the Ground Up, this exhibition features fifty-two photographic works, supporting the idea that architecture is unique, filled with color and black-and-white imagery. Exploring ideas of leading lines, cultural ideas, and highlighting Cleveland landmarks. The exhibit artists are members of the Rust Belt Photo Collective, a Northeast-based photography community.

​This event runs from Jan. 2 through Feb.27, 2026, at the Beck Center for the Arts in Lakewood, Ohio. The artwork is displayed at the Hoffman-Stach Gallery, located in the main building.

Curated by Denyce Renee, June Hund, and Jamie Richey, this exhibition was designed to highlight how architecture reflects both the artist and the region.

“Architecture is more than just buildings—it’s an art form,” Denyce Renee said, the Primary Curator of this event. “When architecture and photography are combined, different perspectives allow people to see buildings in new ways and notice details they may have overlooked before,” Renee said.

​Renee’s perspective emphasizes the connection between photography and architecture, encouraging viewers to see buildings as more than just functional structures.

​“We wanted to bring forth an exhibition opportunity to bring people together, giving people opportunities in our group to show their work. And that’s something that we want—we want to have an organization where we can promote the work for each other as members in Northeast Ohio.” June Hund, Founding Member of Rust Belt Photo Collective and curator of this event.

​“The Rust Belt Photo Collective was founded in late 2024 to bring creatives from Northeast Ohio together for networking, education, and exhibition opportunities. As a collective, RPPC welcomes its members to have a role in planning and organizing,” Hund said.

​This exhibition helped reflect on the mission and values of the Rust Belt Photo Collective. As Hund explained, this show provides members with an opportunity to showcase their work while supporting one another in all aspects across Northeast Ohio. Architecture: From the Ground Up embodies this as an exhibition that serves not only as an artistic vision but also as artistic promotion.

​“I started when I was nine years old. Actually, my dad was a photographer…I took art classes throughout high school,” Renee said, explaining her art background. Photo albums dating back to when she was nine years old that she took. Renee’s lifelong engagement with the craft — including photo albums she has kept since childhood — shaped how the work is presented.

​“I’m a visual artist. I do installations and paintings and sculptures,” Hund said. “ I never looked at myself as a photographer, not until recently…photography is actually kind of an interesting extension of what I’ve learned all my life. And I’m actually for where I am in my life. I’m kind of proud of myself that I’ve been able to evolve into something different with photography from where I was before,” Hund said. Describing photography as not a departure from her identity as a visual artist, but as the natural evolution of it.

​Both curators also participated as exhibiting artists. This dual role helps highlight the collaborative nature of the Rust Belt Photo Collective.

​“It was tricky being a curator and having my own pictures in there, because I had to make decisions like that, trying to be fair about things,” Renee said. She wanted to ensure fairness for every artist by avoiding “stacked” arrangements and lining up pictures. When an extra wall was needed, a Spotlight wall was created.

​“I believe that when a curator puts work in, that they should have a curator’s statement also, so there will be a curators statement, So me, Jamie, and Denyce all can put work in because we didnt charge fees to have work included in this exhibit therefore we all can put in work and all should be putting in a curators statement” Hund said referring to the photographers she and the other curators have in the exhibit on display.

​Feeling as equal as others, and as inclusive. That’s what this exhibit and the Rust Belt Photo Collective are all about.

​“The Beck Center it’s beautiful there, so many people walk through there, it’s a unique experience for all of the photographers and everybody else walking in, and maybe they’ll take three seconds and look at a piece of art, and maybe they’ll look longer. The Beck Center helps offer that. It’s really important to say hey, there’s a lot of artists out here and we’re pretty good and were not in the theater arts but were pretty good,” Hund said

​The Beck Center is a good place for artists to get their work out and elaborate on it.

​“I think it goes back to the angles and the lines of that picture and the color, and it was also about the moment and the experience that I had while I was there and taking the picture, like I felt really connected to the space, and I just loved that the roundness and the swirl of the stairs was just beautiful.” photographer Maria Perme said. Illustrating the visual elements and personal experiences captured within the picture she provided for this exhibit, entitled “The Spiraling Staircase.”

​“I want people to see the picture as spiraling in and going deeper into the picture, not just as a staircase,” Perme said about her photograph.

​Perme’s explanation encourages viewers to engage with the photograph on a deeper level, seeing movement and depth rather than just a normal staircase.

​“You have to, in my opinion, take pictures of not just one thing, but many different things, many different angles. It’s being open to your own self-criticism or critique, I should say, and then being open to other people’s critique as well, and learning from other people.” Perme said.

​Offering advice to not only future photographers but also artists seeking to develop their work or get back into photography.

​The openness to critiquing helps reflect the Rust Belt Photo Collective’s mission statement and that of its members.

​Architecture: From the Ground Up will be on display from January 2nd to February 27th, 2026, at the Beck Center for the Arts. A free artists’ reception will be held in the main building on Friday, Feb. 13, 2026, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. for individuals to be able to speak with the artists about their work.