Focus on the Sheldon: A Five-Point Perspective

Suki Fredericks, Paul Gamba, Kate Gridley, Kirsten Hoving, and Eric Nelson

Beginning in the fall of 2016, five local Middlebury-area photographers began exploring the collections of the Henry Sheldon Museum and found a wealth of inspiring material to interpret. Their photographs and the objects they discovered are on view in three galleries – a unique, captivating, reflection of their talents as artists and of the breadth and depth of the Sheldon Museum’s collections.

Suki Fredericks, Paul Gamba, Kate Gridley, Kirsten Hoving, and Eric Nelson selected to illuminate items ranging from dolls to fabrics and eyeglasses to a sculpted dog and a life-size horse. In the process they interpreted their subjects from a variety of perspectives.

Building on her interest in animals, Fredericks focused on the diversity she found at the Sheldon, with surprising results. Gamba zeroed in on fabric and lace patterns, drawing attention to the details of thread and stitching. Although she works primarily as a painter, Gridley applied her interest in portraiture to a series of moody photographs of dolls, whose personalities emerge through her lens.

Hoving investigated the Sheldon’s historic storage barn to produce eerie images of boxes of old tools and other strange pieces. Nelson, who has been making small-scale sculpture for many years, created intricate compositions of small prizes ranging from toy soldiers to opera glasses.

In all of the photographs, recognizable artifacts are altered through light, composition, color, viewpoint, or post-processing. Paired with the actual relics, the photographs demonstrate the lure of the Sheldon’s remarkable collections and the transformative power of photography.

The artifacts exhibited represent only a small portion of the extensive collections of historic, distinctive treasures amassed since the Museum’s founding in 1882. The exhibit is curated by Kirsten Hoving, the Charles A. Dana Professor of Art History at Middlebury College, where she teaches courses on modern art and the history of photography. A longtime fan of the Sheldon Museum, Hoving has enjoyed getting to know the collection in greater detail through this project.

On behalf of the trustees, staff, and loyal supporters of the Henry Sheldon Museum of Vermont History, I thank Suki Fredericks, Paul Gamba, Kate Gridley, Kirsten Hoving and Eric Nelson for their creativity and commitment to advancing the arts in our community.

William F. Brooks, Jr.

Executive Director