{"id":375031,"date":"2026-04-11T21:09:25","date_gmt":"2026-04-11T21:09:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/375031\/"},"modified":"2026-04-11T21:09:25","modified_gmt":"2026-04-11T21:09:25","slug":"blazing-light-photographs-by-mimi-plumb-at-the-high-museum","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/nz\/375031\/","title":{"rendered":"Blazing Light: Photographs by Mimi Plumb at the High Museum"},"content":{"rendered":"

\t\t\"XLMP032<\/a><\/p>\n

Mimi Plumb (American, born 1953), Truckee Canal, 1985, gelatin silver print, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, gift of Lucas Foglia, 2025.94. \u00a9 Mimi Plumb.<\/p>\n

Plumb\u2019s photographs give shape to the things that keep us up at night, to the ambiguous and often overwhelming experience of living through times of trepidation and turmoil.\u2014 Gregory Harris,\u00a0Donald and Marilyn Keough Family Curator of Photography at the High Museum<\/p>\n

The High Museum of Art\u00a0has recently launched the national tour for photographer\u00a0Mimi Plumb<\/a>\u2019s first solo museum exhibition:\u00a0Blazing Light: Photographs by\u00a0Mimi Plumb<\/a>\u00a0that will run through May 10, 2026.<\/p>\n

Over the last 50 years,\u00a0Plumb\u00a0has expertly and poignantly captured the evolution of the Western U.S. landscape and the lives of those within it. The exhibition\u00a0features\u00a0three of her major bodies of work,\u00a0with more than 100 photographs\u00a0that\u00a0contemplate how changes in geopolitics, the economy and the environment have shaped the anxieties of American life from the 1970s to today.<\/p>\n

After it debuts at the High, the exhibition will travel to three more venues:\u00a0Herbert F. Johnson Museum of Art at Cornell University\u00a0(Ithaca, New York), the Norton Museum of Art (West Palm Beach, Florida) and the\u00a0Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago.<\/p>\n

An interview with the artist follows.<\/p>\n

\"XLMP005<\/a><\/p>\n

Mimi Plumb (American, born 1953), Boys and Tires, Sears Point, 1976, pigmented inkjet print, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, gift of Lucas Foglia, 2025.87. \u00a9 Mimi Plumb.<\/p>\n

Working in and around San Francisco, Plumb photographs the grand yet fragile beauty of the American West and the peculiarities of urban life with a distinctively raw visual approach. She skillfully renders California\u2019s notoriously intense sunlight in gritty black-and-white images to amplify the psychological tension and imaginative possibilities that define turbulent times.\u00a0The White Sky\u00a0(1972\u20131978) captures the final glimmers of innocence and optimism during the years following World War II, as cracks in the fa\u00e7ade of the American Dream began to widen.\u00a0Landfall\u00a0and\u00a0The Golden City\u00a0(1984\u20132020) present a society descending into chaos as an ambiguous disaster looms.\u00a0The Reservoir\u00a0(2021\u20132025) conveys a stark and desolate world seemingly in the aftermath of a powerful, undefined apocalypse. Across these bodies of work, Plumb mournfully charts how persistent unease continues to manifest from the dark realms of imagination into pressing realities.<\/p>\n

\"XLMP009<\/a><\/p>\n

Mimi Plumb (American, born 1953), Highway 4, 1975, pigmented inkjet print, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, gift of Lucas Foglia, 2025.89. \u00a9 Mimi Plumb.<\/p>\n

A preeminent artist of her generation, Mimi Plumb has photographed the human-altered landscape for five decades to conjure the enduring issues of our day.\u00a0Blazing Light, the artist\u2019s first museum exhibition, brings together her three most important bodies of work that collectively contemplate the anxieties of contemporary American culture: the combined effects of climate change, unbridled capitalism, and ceaseless military conflict. As a teenager in the 1970s, Plumb began photographing during a time of rapid land development coupled with global political and economic instability. Her early artistic life was defined by a burgeoning awareness of global warming and the looming threats posed by the Cold War. This atmosphere attuned her to the evidence of such forces in the land, the built environment, and the ways people carry themselves and relate to one another\u2014concerns that continue to abide in her work.<\/p>\n

\"XLMP010<\/a><\/p>\n

Mimi Plumb (American, born 1953), Coyote at the Park, 1976, pigmented inkjet print, courtesy of the artist. \u00a9 Mimi Plumb.<\/p>\n

Tell us about your growing up and what brought you to photography?<\/p>\n

I see all of my work as a personal history, my view of the world I live in. It\u2019s not a factual account but it\u2019s also not fiction. I was born in Berkeley California but raised in a suburb 10 miles east of the city. I left suburbia as quickly as I could at 17 years old. I returned periodically in my late teens and early 20s to take pictures of where I grew up. The serious photography I had seen about the suburbs didn\u2019t reflect my experience. The physical reality of being a redhead in a hot dry climate. The constant tearing up of the land to create more subdivisions, the physical harshness of the place. What did the people look like to me? What did the houses look like? What did the kids look like? What did we do? I didn\u2019t consciously set out with this agenda but it does reflect what I wanted to describe in the work. I wanted to make a visual record of my experience. I think that\u2019s what photography means to me. And gets at why I photograph.<\/p>\n

\"XLMP015<\/a><\/p>\n

Mimi Plumb (American, born 1953), Girl in the Mirror, 1972, pigmented inkjet print, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, gift of the artist, 2025.91. \u00a9 Mimi Plumb.<\/p>\n

Congratulations on the massive exhibition at the High, and thrilled that it will travel. How did the show come about?<\/p>\n

In 2022 while reviewing work at Chico Review, I met this lovely couple, Greg Harris and Erin Hoyt, both of whom are deeply thoughtful curators. There was an immediate connection between the three of us. A year later Greg asked to visit me at my apartment\/studio in Berkeley. While looking at my vintage prints and a new series I had been working on, The Reservoir, he asked if I would like to do a show at the High Museum of Art in Atlanta. It was completely unexpected. I knew Greg liked my work but I didn\u2019t realize how seriously he believed in it. We spent three years working on the show together.<\/p>\n

\"XLMP018<\/a><\/p>\n

Mimi Plumb (American, born 1953), Crowd and Fire, 1976, pigmented inkjet print, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, purchase with funds from Alan and Jewett Rothschild, 2025.92. \u00a9 Mimi Plumb.<\/p>\n

What was the experience of seeing 100 of your images framed and on the walls?<\/p>\n

I am grateful and truly touched that my work has meaning for people outside of my own experience. That\u2019s what it feels like to see 105 of my photographs up on the walls of the museum.<\/p>\n

\"XLMP019<\/a><\/p>\n

Mimi Plumb (American, born 1953), Pool, Fire Above San Rafael, 1976, pigmented inkjet print, courtesy of the artist. \u00a9 Mimi Plumb.<\/p>\n

There is such a consistency to your photographs. Have you used the same camera for whole career?<\/p>\n

My early work from the 1970s was shot with a Leica, a 35 mm lens on a 35 mm camera. I wanted a camera with more descriptive power so in the 1980s I switched to a medium format camera. Most of my 1980s work was shot with a Plaubel Makina. I still use a medium format camera now.<\/p>\n

\"XLMP029<\/a><\/p>\n

Mimi Plumb (American, born 1953), Pyramid Lake, 1985, gelatin silver print, courtesy of the artist. \u00a9 Mimi Plumb.<\/p>\n

Your exhibition spans multiple decades\u2014how did you decide which images belong together now, in this moment?<\/p>\n

Greg Harris had very specific ideas about which series he was interested in presenting at the High. There are certain themes that run through all three bodies of work, in particular global warming which is how I thought about it in the early days. There is also a strong undertone of tension and anxiety about a world seemingly out of balance that runs through the photographs. I believe the work was relevant when it was made and, because of the content, it\u2019s still relevant today.<\/p>\n

\"XLMP034<\/a><\/p>\n

Mimi Plumb (American, born 1953), Boy with Sparkler, 1988, gelatin silver print, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, purchase with funds from the Patrick Family Foundation, 2025.96. \u00a9 Mimi Plumb.<\/p>\n

What continues to compel you to photograph the American West?<\/p>\n

I continue to photograph the American West because I live here. And I want to describe in my photographs the experience of what it feels like to live here. I trust my intuition more fully now, and was more hesitant about it when I was younger. I feel freer to do exactly what I want to do which is a good place to be.<\/p>\n

\"XLMP038<\/a><\/p>\n

Mimi Plumb (American, born 1953), Lamp, Brewster Street Fire, 1985, gelatin silver print, courtesy of the artist. \u00a9 Mimi Plumb.<\/p>\n

\"XLMP045<\/a><\/p>\n

Mimi Plumb (American, born 1953), Kim, 1987, gelatin silver print, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, gift of the artist, 2025.101. \u00a9 Mimi Plumb.<\/p>\n

\"XLMP047<\/a><\/p>\n

Mimi Plumb (American, born 1953), Tang, 1987, gelatin silver print, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, purchase with funds from the Donald and Marilyn Keough Family Foundation, 2025.102. \u00a9 Mimi Plumb.<\/p>\n

\"XLMP049<\/a><\/p>\n

Mimi Plumb (American, born 1953), Richard, 1986, gelatin silver print, courtesy of the artist. \u00a9 Mimi Plumb.<\/p>\n

\"XLMP053<\/a><\/p>\n

Mimi Plumb (American, born 1953), Building and Mercedes, 1987, gelatin silver print, courtesy of the artist. \u00a9 Mimi Plumb.<\/p>\n

\"XLMP054<\/a><\/p>\n

Mimi Plumb (American, born 1953), Treasure Island, 2020, gelatin silver print, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, gift of Lucas Foglia, 2025.103. \u00a9 Mimi Plumb.<\/p>\n

\"XLMP064<\/a><\/p>\n

Mimi Plumb (American, born 1953), Girl in the Polka Dot Dress, 1990, gelatin silver print, High Museum of Art, Atlanta, gift of the artist, 2025.106. \u00a9 Mimi Plumb.<\/p>\n

\"XLMP068<\/a><\/p>\n

Mimi Plumb (American, born 1953), White Fence, 1988, gelatin silver print, courtesy of the artist. \u00a9 Mimi Plumb.<\/p>\n

\"XLMP071<\/a><\/p>\n

Mimi Plumb (American, born 1953), Richard at the Palace, 1987, gelatin silver print, courtesy of the artist. \u00a9 Mimi Plumb.<\/p>\n

About\u00a0Mimi\u00a0Plumb<\/p>\n

Based in Berkeley, California,\u00a0Mimi\u00a0Plumb\u00a0<\/a>(American, born 1953) has photographed the human-altered landscape of California and the\u00a0Western United States with an eye toward the effects of climate change, unbridled\u00a0capitalism\u00a0and looming military conflict since the 1970s. She\u00a0holds\u00a0undergraduate and graduate degrees in photography from the San Francisco Art Institute and taught at the Art Institute of Chicago, Stanford University and San Jos\u00e9\u00a0State University.\u00a0Plumb\u00a0has published four widely acclaimed monographs:\u00a0\u201cLandfall\u201d\u00a0(TBW, 2018),\u00a0\u201cThe White Sky\u201d\u00a0(Stanley\/Barker, 2020),\u00a0\u201cThe Golden City\u201d\u00a0(Stanley\/Barker, 2021), and\u00a0\u201cMegalith\/Still\u201d\u00a0(Stanley\/Barker, 2023).\u00a0Her latest book, \u201cThe Reservoir\u201d (Nazraeli\u00a0Press), was published\u00a0in\u00a02025.\u00a0She is a 2022 Guggenheim Fellow, a 2017 recipient of the John Gutmann\u00a0Photography Fellowship\u00a0and a 1989-1990 California Arts Council Artist Fellow.\u00a0Plumb\u2019s photographs have been\u00a0exhibited\u00a0at the Museum of Fine Arts,\u00a0Boston;\u00a0Light Work in Syracuse,\u00a0New York;\u00a0the Institute of Contemporary Art\u00a0San Jos\u00e9;\u00a0and Pier 24 Photography in San Francisco. Her work is held in\u00a0numerous\u00a0public collections including\u00a0the\u00a0High Museum of Art,\u00a0Atlanta;\u00a0San Francisco Museum of Modern Art;\u00a0Los Angeles County Museum of Art;\u00a0Art Collection Deutsche B\u00f6rse; Museum of Fine Arts, Boston;\u00a0Yale University Art Gallery;\u00a0and Pier 24\u00a0Photography.<\/p>\n

Instagram: @mimi_plumb<\/a><\/p>\n

\"XLMP074<\/a><\/p>\n

Mimi Plumb (American, born 1953), Tree I, 2021\u20132025, pigmented inkjet print, courtesy of the artist. \u00a9 Mimi Plumb.<\/p>\n

Exhibition Catalogue<\/p>\n

In collaboration with the High, Radius Books<\/a>\u00a0is publishing\u00a0a companion\u00a0catalogue\u00a0that features\u00a0more than 100 of\u00a0Plumb\u2018s photographs along with scholarly essays by Harris;\u00a0Lauren Richman,\u00a0William and Sarah Ross Soter senior curator of photography, Norton Museum of Art;\u00a0Karen Irvine,\u00a0chief curator and deputy director,\u00a0Museum of Contemporary Photography at Columbia College Chicago;\u00a0and\u00a0independent curator\u00a0Amanda Maddox and\u00a0writer and editor\u00a0Jordan Bass.
\n\"XLMP079<\/a><\/p>\n

Mimi Plumb (American, born 1953), Families Picnicking by the Lake, 2021\u20132025, pigmented inkjet print, courtesy of the artist. \u00a9 Mimi Plumb<\/p>\n

About the High\u2019s Photography Department<\/p>\n

The High Museum of Art is home to one of the nation\u2019s leading photography programs. The\u00a0museum began\u00a0acquiring\u00a0photographs in the early 1970s, making it among the earliest American art museums to commit to collecting the medium. With more than\u00a08,500 prints that span the history of the medium from the 1840s to the present, the collection has\u00a0particular strengths\u00a0in American and European modernist traditions and documentary and contemporary photography. Holdings include the most significant museum collection of vintage civil-rights-era prints in the nation as well as important holdings by Harry Callahan, Clarence John Laughlin, Evelyn Hofer, William Christenberry, Ilse Bing, Walker Evans, Peter\u00a0Sekaer\u00a0and Dawoud Bey. The collection also gives special attention to pictures made in and of the South\u00a0and serves\u00a0as\u00a0the largest and most significant repository\u00a0representing\u00a0the region\u2019s important contributions to photography.<\/p>\n

Exhibition Organization and Support<\/p>\n

\u201cBlazing Light: Photographs by\u00a0Mimi\u00a0Plumb\u201d is organized by the High Museum of Art, Atlanta.\u00a0This exhibition is made possible by Premier Exhibition Series Sponsor Delta Air Lines, Inc.;\u00a0Major Exhibition Series Supporters Sarah and Jim Kennedy;\u202fPremier Exhibition Series Supporter Harry Norman Realtors; Benefactor Exhibition Series Supporters Robin and Hilton Howell; Ambassador Exhibition Series Supporter Mrs. Harriet H. Warren; and Contributing Exhibition Series Supporters Farideh and Al Azadi, Mary and Neil Johnson, Mr. and Mrs. Baxter Jones, Megan and Garrett Langley, Margot and Danny McCaul, and Wade A. Rakes II and Nicholas Miller. Generous support is also provided by Alfred and Adele Davis Exhibition Endowment Fund, Anne Cox Chambers Exhibition Fund, Barbara Stewart Exhibition Fund, Dorothy Smith Hopkins Exhibition Endowment Fund, Eleanor McDonald\u00a0Storza\u00a0Exhibition Endowment Fund, The Fay and Barrett Howell Exhibition Fund, Forward Arts Foundation Exhibition Endowment Fund, Helen S. Lanier Endowment Fund, John H. and Wilhelmina D. Harland Exhibition Endowment Fund, Katherine Murphy Riley Special Exhibition Endowment Fund, Margaretta Taylor Exhibition Fund, RJR Nabisco Exhibition Endowment Fund and USI Insurance Services.<\/p>\n

About the High Museum of Art
\nLocated in the heart of Atlanta, the High Museum of Art connects with audiences from across the Southeast and around the world through its distinguished collection, dynamic schedule of special exhibitions and engaging community-focused programs. Housed within facilities designed by Pritzker Prize-winning architects Richard Meier and Renzo Piano, the High features a collection of more than\u00a020,000 works of art, including an extensive anthology of 19th- and 20th-century American fine and decorative arts; major holdings of photography and folk and self-taught work, especially that of artists from the American South; burgeoning collections of modern and contemporary art, including paintings, sculpture, new media and design; a growing collection of African art, with work dating from prehistory through the present; and significant holdings of European paintings and works on paper. The High is dedicated to reflecting the diversity of its communities and offering a variety of exhibitions and educational programs that engage visitors with the world of art, the lives of\u00a0artists\u00a0and the creative process. For more information about the High, visit\u00a0www.high.org<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Instagram: @highmuseumofart<\/p>\n

Posts on Lenscratch may not be reproduced without the permission of the Lenscratch staff and the photographer.<\/p>\n