Out of the Drawers: What Matters

Perhaps now more than ever, what matters to us seems to shout from the rooftops -- echoing in conversations, or resonating with an article just read, or heightening awareness as we bear witness to debate, or by calling us to action. And, always propping us up in defense of who we are…

As the fraught world tests our patience every day, we find that what matters grounds us, steadies us, reminds us why we do what we do, and why we believe what we believe. What matters is also a journey in life as we resolve to understand ourselves and our world on higher and deeper levels. Sometimes what matters is about making hard decisions or leaping to big changes. Or it’s about finding a sense of purpose or reinforcing our convictions.

A photographer’s vision is one way of showing the world what matters. The vision can be a way of discovering what matters to self or insisting on what should matter to the world at large. As this mini exhibition of PNW Photographers demonstrates, this vision takes many forms: gleaned from nature, observed in the body, taken from our everyday lives, referenced in history (in the making), mined from our relationships, asserted through our identity. What these photographers do best is use their vision to examine, subvert, or embrace what matters.

This exhibition is curated by Blue Sky Executive Director, Molly Newgard.