Encounters: Photography from the Sheldon Museum of Art

Ruud has compiled a stunning, temporally- and spatially-diverse set in this first major monograph of photography from the University of Nebraska's Sheldon Museum, where he is curator of transnational American art. The 112 photographs, from artists of varying prominence, are divided into six categories: Between and Across Cultures; Nature and the Built Environment; Rites of Passage; Religion and Spirituality; Tradition and Modernity; and Gender, Identity, and Sexuality. Cityscapes, abstract studies in symmetry, portraits, nudes, and nature scenes inhabit this large, coffee-table volume and the effect they create, singly and totally, is haunting. Each selection is accompanied by a brief but detailed account of its photographer and they context in which it was produced. The collection's inclusiveness is both its greatest strength and most overt weakness: it's broad enough that it can't be faulted for any glaring omissions, but it's also difficult to process the content as a whole, despite the categorical divisions. Nevertheless, Ruud has demonstrated his curatorial prowess while offering a solid reason to visit Lincoln, Nebr. (Feb.)