Featuring new acquisitions on view for the first time in our galleries, Strange and Familiar Places presents 26 works by 10 contemporary photographers who tell compelling stories about people, communities, and the land they inhabit. Their intimate photographs focus on rural subjects in the Midwest, South, and Western United States, often challenging our preconceptions of these regions.   

Great storytelling conveys a sense of place: it is as important as establishing characters, symbolism, and plot. These artists weave together influences from music, fiction, history, folklore, and photography itself to create poetic, lyrical photographs. They use the medium in a variety of ways: some rely on a familiar, documentary style, while others stage or compose their images to invite new, and at times, strange ways of seeing. In all instances, these artists deepen and enrich our understanding of place by emphasizing the humanity of their subjects.   

Artists in Strange and Familiar Places include Antone Dolezal, Terry Evans, Laura McPhee, Rahim Fortune, Holly Lynton, Elise Kirk, Kristine Potter, RaMell Ross, Bryan Schutmaat, and Lara Shipley.   

Organized by The Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Generous support provided by the Hall Family Foundation.