Participation Type
Paper
Session Title
Session 7.04 Architecture and Visual Arts
Presentation #1 Title
Exploiting Self-Representation: An Art Historical Approach to the Work of Shelby Lee Adams
Presentation #1 Abstract or Summary
Photographer Shelby Lee Adams (1950-) has continually been both praised and scrutinized for the method in which he captures the people of Appalachia within his body of work. Through claiming his work is self-representative on the grounds that he was born in Kentucky, Adams enters into a new arena of cultural representation. He holds the position of neither full-blooded insider, nor outsider, therefore creating ambiguity in regards to where he stands on the issue of problematic cultural representation. In taking an art historical approach, one may begin to illuminate the intent of Adams through an analysis of the effect his specific artistic decisions have on his final compositions and subsequently on his viewers. In dissecting Adam’s distinct artistic vision, readers can begin to see that Adams relies on sensationalism and an innate curiosity in the grotesque to appeal to audiences and in doing so, damages the reputation of the Appalachian people and exploits a culture that has been stereotyped in popular culture for decades.
At-A-Glance Bio- Presenter #1
Chelsea Brislin earned her MA from New York University in 2013 studying Interdisciplinary Humanities with a focus on Appalachian photography. She now works as an admissions officer and adviser for the Honors Program at the University of Kentucky.
Exploiting Self-Representation: An Art Historical Approach to the Work of Shelby Lee Adams
Harris Hall 138
Photographer Shelby Lee Adams (1950-) has continually been both praised and scrutinized for the method in which he captures the people of Appalachia within his body of work. Through claiming his work is self-representative on the grounds that he was born in Kentucky, Adams enters into a new arena of cultural representation. He holds the position of neither full-blooded insider, nor outsider, therefore creating ambiguity in regards to where he stands on the issue of problematic cultural representation. In taking an art historical approach, one may begin to illuminate the intent of Adams through an analysis of the effect his specific artistic decisions have on his final compositions and subsequently on his viewers. In dissecting Adam’s distinct artistic vision, readers can begin to see that Adams relies on sensationalism and an innate curiosity in the grotesque to appeal to audiences and in doing so, damages the reputation of the Appalachian people and exploits a culture that has been stereotyped in popular culture for decades.
