Teen Angel by Kevin Rose Schultz

Part of the 2023 Louisville Photo Biennial

Opening Reception with the artist: Friday, September 8, 5-7 pm.

Artist, Kevin Rose Schultz, honors the historic process of Cyanotype photography to create contemporary art.  She continues to explore the alternative process photography by printing her vintage textiles.  “Illuminating the Past” uses ultraviolet light from the sun to explore the intricate details of keepsake dresses and lacy collars from our collective history. Painted with light, these vintage textiles create a visual language informing us of their life stories from the early 1900s to the mid-century.  Each dress print is made alive with light, and serves as a reminder to us that our ancestors’ spirits live here with us.

Inspiration from Schultz’s family heritage has transitioned into her photographic practice.  Photos inherited and gathered from family have become inspiration for celebrating art that documents and explores the artist’s own history.  The past is brought to light, out of the old dusty albums, into a new life that brings a fresh narrative to the photo and the vintage textile.  Printing the old photographs on vintage textiles, like the handkerchiefs, is the perfect marriage.  The fabrics are delicate and sheer with little details of hand crochet lace and embroidery, which honor the images and make them even more endearing.

The artist has been a collector of vintage textiles since she was a teen.  Her maternal grandmother, Mary, was a quilter and crafter.  Schultz gained an early appreciation for handiwork and the time and talent that went into the creations from her grandmother.  Schultz is featuring some of her vintage dresses in this show to share her love of collecting and to show the transformation that occurs from the garment to the final Cyanotype print.