SHELBY LEE ADAMS

Born in Hazard, Kentucky and raised in a hollow similar to those in the book, Shelby Lee Adams’ connection to the people in his photographs is evident in the way that he has been openly welcomed into their homes and lives. Adams, along with his 4×5 view camera, is allowed into the personal space of his subjects, a witness in times of celebration as well as times of hardship. The photographs in this collection are of children and animals, of older folks, of working people, and the various details as seen through Adams camera, speak eloquently to the larger issues of faith and respect and compassion when many others might have seen only poverty and desperation. Adams knows what it means to be from this place, of this place.

Adams is an American Photographer renowned for his environmental portraiture, primarily from the Appalachian mountains of eastern Kentucky.  Adams’ work has been featured in three monographs: Appalachian Portraits (1993), Appalachian Legacy (1998), and Appalachian Lives (2003).

Adams was also awarded a Guggenheim Fellowship in 2010.

Adams’ work is represented in many major permanent collections; including the Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois; International Center of Photography, New York, New York; Musee De L’Elysee Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland; The Museum of Modern Art, New York, New York; The National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa, Canada; Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Time Life Collection, Rockefeller Center, New York, New York; Victoria and Albert Museum, London, England; Whitney Museum of American Art, New York, New York.