Shelby Lee Adams (born October 24, 1950)Mark, Rebecca & Vaughan, Robert (2004) The South, Greenwood Press, , p. 60-61 is an American environmental portrait photographer and artist best known for his images of Appalachian family life.
Life and career Adams has photographed Appalachian families since the mid-1970s.Foerstner, Abigail (1994) "Appalachia observed: Shelby Lee Adams exhibit features portraits out of a living past", Chicago Tribune, September 25, 1994, p. 18 He had first encountered the poor families of the Appalachian Mountains as a child, travelling around the area with his uncle, who was a doctor."Vanishing Tribe", Mother Jones, September–October 1991, p. 52-55, retrieved 2010-10-18 His work has been published in three monographs: Appalachian Portraits (1993), Appalachian Legacy (1998), and Appalachian Lives (2003).
The True Meaning of Pictures Adams was the subject of a documentary film by Jennifer Baichwal in 2002 - The True Meaning of Pictures: Shelby Lee Adams's Appalachia. This was shown at the Toronto International Film Festival, and at the Sundance Festival in 2003.Goddard, Peter (2002) "Photographer spies on the human drama: Shelby Lee Adams's Appalachian photographs capture undercurrent of pain", Toronto Star, August 31, 2002, p. H12.Harvey, Dennis (2003) "The True Meaning of Pictures: Shelby Lee Adams' Appalachia", Variety, February 2, 3003, retrieved 2010-10-18 The film critiques and defends Adams' method in photographing Appalachian people for his previously published books.
Awards 2010 Guggenheim Fellowship
Books by Adams Appalachian Portraits. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1993. ; . Appalachian Legacy: Photographs. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 1998. ; . Appalachian Lives. Jackson: University Press of Mississippi, 2003. . Salt and Truth. Richmond, Va.: Candela, 2011. .
Permanent collections Art Institute of Chicago, Chicago"The Home Funeral, 1990", catalogue entry, Art Institute of Chicago. Accessed 3 August 2011. Museum of Contemporary Photography, Chicago"Shelby Lee Adams", Museum of Contemporary Photography. Accessed 3 August 2011. International Center of Photography, New York CityShelby Lee Adams , International Center of Photography. Accessed 3 August 2011. Musée de l'Élysée, Lausanne"The collection", Musée de l'Élysée. Accessed 3 August 2011. Museum of Modern Art, New York Fogg Museum, Cambridge, MassachusettsCatalogue search for "Shelby Lee Adams" , Harvard Art Museums. Accessed 3 August 2011. National Gallery of Canada, Ottawa San Francisco Museum of Modern Art"Works by Shelby Lee Adams", San Francisco Museum of Modern Art. Accessed 3 August 2011. Smithsonian American Art Museum, Washington, DCResults of a search of the collection, 3 August 2011. Stedelijk Museum, Amsterdam Time Life Collection, Rockefeller Center, New York Victoria and Albert Museum, London"Berthie Napier with Pipe and John", catalogue entry, Victoria and Albert Museum. Accessed 3 August 2011. Whitney Museum of American Art, New York Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro
References
External links Adams's website 2002.