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On view in the Appleton’s Balcony Gallery for Florida Artists from July 4 through Jan. 24, “Life, Labor and Lens: Randal Levenson’s Working-Class America” surveys the photographer’s five-decade journey across the United States and the people and places he encountered along the way. His images offer a layered account of the American experience: gritty yet beautiful, sentimental yet honest.

After receiving a Brownie camera from his father as a boy, Levenson developed a lifelong passion for photography. He studied the medium at the Rhode Island School of Design before going on to work with Robert Frank and develop prints for Richard Avedon. In addition to his career as a photographer, he taught at the University of Ottawa and lectured at Harvard and Brown University.

Drawn from the 80 works by Levenson in the Appleton’s permanent collection, “Life, Labor and Lens” features 25 black-and-white and color photographs that evoke a sense of familiarity and nostalgia.

Admission is free on the first Saturday of each month. Additionally, museum admission is free throughout the month of July in celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States.

The Appleton Museum, Artspace and Store are open Tuesday-Saturday, 10 a.m.-5 p.m. and Sunday, noon-5 p.m. A campus of the College of Central Florida, the Appleton Museum of Art is located at 4333 E. Silver Springs Blvd., Ocala, east of downtown on SR 40 (exit 352 east off I-75 or exit 268 west off I-95). Parking is free. For more information, call 352-291-4455, or visit .