Two young photographers (Marissa McClellan and Andrew Thomas Lopez) share the main galleries in Summit Artspace, a Knight Arts grantee, bringing to the display works that take intimate, revealing looks at the “Adorned Spaces” (as the exhibition’s title has it) of people’s everyday lives.

Most people don’t like someone snooping around in their bedroom, but that’s exactly what McClellan does as she photographs the sleeping quarters of people locally from the Akron area and some from Columbus, Ohio and as far away as Florida. In an interview, she commented that she asked friends, and friends of friends, if she could – at the very moment she was talking to them – go and photograph their bedrooms. That way they wouldn’t be fixing them up for her.

The results are quite interesting. In the 14 images she has on display (which she carefully chose from hundreds that she has taken), we viewers get to take a peek into how other people live. McClellan also equally discreetly does not name names in her work, but keeps the information vague and general, like “Female, 54 Years Old” or “Male & Female, 2 & 3 Years Old.”

The generality of the information goes to something she wants the audience to respond to. By looking at the adorned spaces, you get a good idea of the people and how they might live.

For instance, in “Male & Female, 35 & 38 Years Old,” she gets a bedroom shot looking into an adjoining bathroom (in which there is a Swiffer mop that looks like it had been hastily used and then forgotten, as if the person was in a hurry to get somewhere).

It’s the sense of busy lives that comes through. Tossed-aside running shoes, an unmade bed, a thrown-around baseball cap suggest very active people.

Marissa McClellan, “Male & Female, 25 & 38 Years Old.” Photo courtesy of Summit Artspace

Along another wall there’s an image called “Female, 64 Years Old” of a very pale blue and white bedroom, with a single bed nestled in one corner of an incredibly clean room with a few simple pieces of furniture. The rest of the room is unfurnished, indicating a kind of solitary figure who is alone enough to take care of herself and her small but tidy surroundings. It gives off loneliness in that there is no information about other people or an active life.

A personal favorite is the image identified as “Male, 24 Years Old.” His bed is not made (as most are not in the display for anyone under 50) but the room is adorned with the stuff of a castle. The bed seems to be monstrous and surrounded by sumptuousness. On opening night, most overheard questions were about that particular work.

Marissa McClellan, “Male, 24 Years Old.” Photo courtesy of the artist

Though McClellan and Lopez share the theme for this display, the work is vastly different.

Lopez’ photographs (archival inkjet prints) are images of the cooperation and collaboration he does in his art with his autistic son. Lopez documents in art the artistic interests of his son as the youngster makes the things of his world comply with his notion of them.

The son, now eight years old, has gone through phases of being interested in triangles, then circles, and still further animals.

Andrew Thomas Lopez, “Red Progression.” Photo courtesy of Summit Artspace

Lopez snaps the results of the son’s efforts, but imbues the images with contrasts of light and sharpness that serve as a dividing line between the son’s artistic hand and the father’s.

On one wall, there’s a row of three photographs showing the son’s interest in pyramids. In one the son builds a standard looking pyramid out of toy building blocks. At his father’s encouragement, he builds a more fascinating one out of rubber dinosaurs – the colors are more muted and the tones, from the way they overlay, show a sharp affinity for shape and color.

For the viewer it is captivating to see how the father and son work together to produce things of beauty.

“Adorned Spaces” will be on display 12-9 p.m. on Thursday, and 12-5 p.m. on Friday and Saturday through June 14 at Summit Artspace, 140 E. Market St., Akron; 330-276-8480; www.akronareaarts.org. Admission is free.