Alaskan-born artist Jessica Rehfield presents her first solo photography exhibit “Jamaica People” in May and June at the West Asheville Library (942 Haywood Rd, Asheville, NC 28806). Library hours are 10 a.m.-6 p.m. daily and an opening reception will be held on May 9, 2014 from 5-8 p.m. The exhibit features a body of original photo portraits and triptychs exploring the hardship that a population of native Kingston, Jamaica residents face on a daily basis. The profit from any photo sold in this collaborative project will be split between the artist and the subject of the photograph sold, an attempt to benefit the participant.
The exhibition portrays people in the most urban areas of Jamaica’s capital through images rarely seen outside Jamaica, and focuses on the real resource of the island—the people—in a way that is of benefit to them and not a piracy nor unpermitted use of an intrinsic, proprietary resource (their image). Other goals are to engender trust and opportunity for collaboration between people across international, ethnic and wealth backgrounds; to raise awareness about a specific economic sector in urban Kingston, Jamaica; and to develop and comment on themes of image ownership, charity, art’s role in today’s world, the power of collaboration, and ownership in a creative process.
Jessica Rehfield was born and raised in Juneau, Alaska. She attended the University of Alaska, Southeast and graduated in 2006 with a triple major in Art, Bear Communication Studies and Free-Snow-Shoeing. Her primary work in oils, chalk pastel, ink and acrylics includes fine art studies of the human figure, praised for ”strong line” and “luscious color;” and humorous small works on paper, infused with social commentary and wit. She can be found working in a studio inside an old meat cooler in the River Arts District of Asheville, and reached by phone at 907-978-9763, or emailed at pleinjar@hotmail.com.
About the photo: Beardy: His street name says it all. Living between the street in Kingston and the country for 58 years, he is a street checkers champion; I watched him play for four hours. He lost only once. Greets with, “Love and respect.”