OPENING RECEPTION - NOV 9, 5-7PM

OPENING RECEPTION - NOV 9, 5-7PM

Pastor Michelle Ballard

SOLO EXHIBITION

Artist Statement

Many world religions ascribe to a holy text for guidance or guiderails for living in communion with the Divine and others. Holy Scriptures often provide a moral compass, a story of truth, or a cautionary tale to humanity about what not to do. As a pastor, I turn to the Bible for teaching, preaching, and words of hope. Over the years, I have “hidden God’s word in my heart, that I might not sin against it (Psalm 119:11),” and the objects I see all around, especially in my photos, and often remind me of verses of scripture that I have memorized or preached over the years. The purpose of this exhibition is both to encourage and inspire my audience to pause and consider the image and verse displayed. This exhibit is welcome to all, whether you ascribe to Christian thought and practice, or are simply seeking truth in unexpected avenues of life. The exhibit will include photos of nature’s beauty from my recent travels to Alaska, the Redwood National Forest, the Smokey Mountains, as well as compilations from local places surrounding Mt. Sterling and beyond. I am grateful that my photos will hang in a space that was formerly used as a house of worship and pray that they might communicate that there is no battle between the sacred and secular, for all of life in its many complexities is holy.

Biography

The Reverend Michelle Ballard has served six years as the Associate Minister of Children and Youth at First Christian Church (DOC) Mt. Sterling. When she isn’t wrangling her youth, working on classwork for her Doctor of Ministry degree, or spending time with family, she enjoys the art of photography. In 2022, First Christian Church Mt. Sterling and Pastor Michelle received a Clergy Renewal Grant, in the amount of $50,000, through the Lily Foundation Endowment. The grant, gifted Pastor Michelle with the funds to purchase a new Sony camera and the opportunity to take a three-month long sabbatical from July through September to pause, rest, reset, and travel. The grant also allowed the church to hire support staff to continue her work among students and to facilitate renewal activities for the congregation as well. This exhibition is Pastor Michelle’s first official time displaying her photos, apart from family keepsakes or posting on social media, and apart from being selected as a finalist for the Mountain Rural Telephone Company’s annual calendar in 2018-19 with her photo “Winter on the Homefront”.