Rachel Boillot, Moon Shine: Photographs of the Cumberland Plateau

December 5–29, 2019

First Thursday opening reception: December 5, 6:00–9:00 PM
Artist talk: Saturday, December 7, 3:00 PM

Blue Sky Gallery
122 NW 8th Avenue
Portland, Oregon 97209 USA
503-225-0210
Tuesday – Sunday, 12 – 5 pm
First Thursday 6 – 9 pm
bluesky@blueskygallery.org
http://www.blueskygallery.org/
All Blue Sky events and programs are free and open to the public.

Moon Shine: Photographs of the Cumberland Plateau is a body of work inspired by the unique musical traditions of the Cumberland Plateau. This region is home to a rich storytelling heritage, showcased in historic fiddle tunes, balladry, religious gospel pieces and other songs passed down as part of a formidable—but quickly disappearing—oral tradition. Rachel Boillot has channeled these traditions into a lyrical portrait of place, and the photographs in this exhibition act as a visual score to mirror musical melody. Her work explores the relationship between what is heard and what is seen, with a tension between mystery and revelation pervading the work.

Rachel Boillot is a photographer, filmmaker, and educator based in Nashville, TN. She holds a BA in Sociology from Tufts University, a BFA in Photography from the School of the Museum of Fine Arts, and an MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts from Duke University. Her work has been funded by the Annenberg Foundation (Los Angeles, CA), the Riverview Foundation (Chattanooga, TN), the Tennessee Arts Commission (Nashville, TN), and the National Endowment for the Arts (Washington, D.C.). Her first artist monograph, Moon Shine: Photographs of the Cumberland Plateau, was published by Daylight Books in April 2019. Boillot currently teaches photography at Belmont University and Middle Tennessee State University. She is a member of the team at the Kentucky Documentary Photographic Project, and her new work is based in Kentucky.