Member Showcase: Rita Elswick

Rita Elswick Photography Exhibition

Art Reception: November 14, 2025

Rita is a photographer living in Lakewood.  Her specialty is nature and wildlife photography.    She has experience in both landscapes, cityscapes and portrait photography.  She has over two decades of experience in capturing moments through her camera lens. Her experience is in exhibiting her photographs in art exhibitions within her community and throughout the state of Ohio.  Photography is a means of expression for Rita and through capturing moments it helps her help others see how beautiful the world can be even through the struggle of pain or disability. The human spirit is amazing, having the ability to heal itself through art. Rita’s journey has been a long one. She suffered a spinal cord injury 20 years ago, that left her in so much despair, but through photography it has been a healing source of HOPE.    A wonderful motivational quote by Martin Luther King “Out of a mountain of despair a stone of hope”.  This is the inspirational quote she wants to share with anyone who is facing obstacles in their life.

Photography allows her to see not only with her eyes, but with her heart. Photography has the ability to capture a moment in time and preserve it forever. Through photography she wants others to be inspired and empowered as she has been. It is not in her vocabulary to use the words I can’t or it’s impossible. Anything is possible with hope and a dream.