For over 40 years, the Rarified Light exhibit has aimed to bring new perspectives to familiar environments. And a walk through Kenai Peninsula College’s Gary L. Freeburg gallery may just change the way you perceive the Last Frontier.
Nearly 50 photographs from Alaska-based artists are on display. The collection uncovers often overlooked facets of the state, from a closeup of glacial silt to a snapshot of a man in a wooden cabin.
“I hope the viewers, when they come to the college, will see the images and see not just bits and pieces of different parts of Alaska, but they can resonate with the experiences that are represented,” said Brandi Kerley, interim gallery curator at Kenai Peninsula College. “That they can feel a connection to the imagery, to the experience and to the people.”
The show comes to the college every year, but this is Kerley’s first time hanging the exhibit. She says it's been challenging displaying the photographs in a way that evokes an emotional connection. But that’s made her look at the annual show in a new light.
One of her favorite pieces, and this year’s best in show, shows a young woman on a fishing boat in Bristol Bay. The tangerine hue of the early morning sun contrasts with her damp, blue rain jacket. Kerley says the photo’s subject stares into the soul of the viewer.
“It is a very striking image," she said. "It really draws the viewer in, because the subject is staring directly at you, and with the vibrancy of the color, it is a very moving piece.”
Anchorage-based photographer Michael Johnson took the photo on a family fishing trip a few summers ago. The woman in the picture is his sister, who he said turned to look at him while watching the sunrise.
“I think it’s important that it's shown because it's less seen," Johnson said. "You could see a glint of her nose ring in there, and that’s something I don’t think people normally associate with commercial fishermen in Alaska.”
This was Johnson’s first time submitting work for the annual exhibit.
“The Rarefied Light exhibit is one of those amazing annual shows that gives Alaskan photographers an opportunity to really shine, both in their technical as well as their artistic skills,” Kerley said. “It shines a spotlight on the beauty that is Alaska, and not just our scenery, but also our people and the way that we each view even the mundane and elevate it to the extraordinary.”
The Rarefied Light exhibition will be on view at Kenai Peninsula College through February 18. From there, it’ll travel to Mat-Su College in Palmer and the Valdez Museum.