WHERE: Missoula Art Museum.
WHEN: Opens Monday, January 27 through May 11, 2014
Jill Brody: Hidden in Plain Sight
This exhibit is a collection of photographs by Jill Brody, who has worked as a professional photographer in the state for over twenty years, creating images that are born out of Montana’s rural environment. Her work always carries an integrity that speaks to her attention to composition and consistent professional technique.
As Brody’s most masterful project to date, it is an enormous undertaking, but her keen sense of observation reveals a realistic appreciation of many Montanans’ experiences, such as those magnified in the Hutterite photographs.
Over the course of four years, Brody was hosted by Hutterite colonies in Liberty County, where the Hutterites are part of the rich fabric of the state’s cultural diversity and live largely in the shadows of Montana’s more dominant and worldly cultures.
Her photographs are un-staged and unaltered vignettes of everyday life; thusly, they respectfully draw the viewer into the often hidden ordinariness of Hutterite existence, reflecting the challenges of rural life and the intense faith that ties this community together.
There is also an integrity in these large images; a truth in these eminently natural compositions, and there is power in allowing the photographs to speak in ways words cannot express themselves. Like her hard-working subjects, Brody is sure-footed, disciplined, experimental, and flexible in her approach to her craft. This is apparent in how she creates their sense of place.
MORE DETAILS: www.missoulaartmuseum.org or www.jillbrody.com.
About
Founded in 1975 and accredited by the American Association of Museums since 1987, Missoula Art Museum/MAM has always been a flagship institution in culturally savvy Missoula, Montana. After a $5.3 million capital campaign and grand opening in September 2006, MAM offers a spectacular attraction in the heart of the historic downtown: a fully accessible, free, public museum that boasts six exhibition spaces, a library, education center, and an inviting information lounge.
The successful building design has seamlessly fused the 100-year-old Carnegie Library building with a contemporary addition, creating the ideal environment for exhibiting, celebrating, and preserving MAM’s growing contemporary art collection.