Commercial Photographer Adair Rutledge Sweeps Fine Art Photography Awards

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Brooks Running and Lands’ End often turn to Seattle-based photographer Adair Rutledge for her inspired commercial photography, but recently, it’s her creative personal projects that have attracted national attention. In May, Rutledge’s “Azalea Trail Maids”—an intimate series of portrait and still life images that explore a century-old “court” from her hometown of Mobile, Alabama—took first place, Editor’s Choice in the prestigious CENTER’s Review Santa Fe annual photography competition. Rutledge’s work shines a light on the contrast between highly accomplished, multicultural young women and the confines of an enduring Southern, plantation-era tradition.

According to Juror and Senior Editor at Chronicle Books, Bridget Watson Payne, “Azalea Trail Maids takes a dive into a little-known subculture—in this case, a “court” of high school girls who dress in pastel antebellum-style dresses in Mobile, Alabama—and views that subculture through a curious and feminist lens. While such projects often veer into adulation or harsh critique, this one is exquisitely balanced. I have rarely seen such a perfect blend of societal appraisal, empathy for the subject, a sense of humor, and an eye for the sublime.”

Apparently, Rutledge’s images have struck a nerve across the photo art world as they’ve been selected by AP 34 as a 2018 winner and by Duke University’s Center for Documentary Studies as a CDS/Honickman First Book Prize Finalist. The photo story has also been featured by Fraction and Lenscratch magazines, and we’re excited to announce, will appear on The FENCE 2018, opening in Brooklyn in June.

Adair will speak at the CENTER’s upcoming Review Santa Fe in October and her work will be on view at the Turchin Center for the Visual Arts, December 7, 2018, through April 27, 2019.

Learn more about Rutledge’s work at www.sallyreps.com/adair-rutledge.