"Hallelujah Anyway" exhibit opens at Kentucky Folk Art Center

The Kentucky Folk Art Center will host a new photography exhibit, “Hallelujah Anyway: A Portrait of Kentucky,” by Louisville-based artist Michael Morris from Aug. 1 through Dec. 1, 2025.

The public is invited to attend the opening reception on Aug. 1 from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.

Since 2011, Morris has traveled the backroads and byways of the Commonwealth with a vintage Hasselblad medium-format camera and black-and-white film rolls.

Logging over 250,000 miles in the past 14 years, his work captures the essence of Kentucky's fading landscapes, forgotten towns, and resilient people in stark, elegant tones.

“In my travels about the state, I’ve experienced rare beauty and not so rare poverty, witnessed the dying off of far too many small towns and the veritable explosion of housing developments,” Morris said. “I’ve listened to numerous tall tales, shared more than a few pints, and met some rather unique individuals along with some of the finest people I know. I have photographed whatever piqued my interest along the way, and these images make up my Portrait of Kentucky.”

Working in the tradition of Depression-era photographers like Walker Evans and Dorothea Lange, Morris views his ongoing documentation as both a tribute and an act of preservation. His eyes are drawn to scenes that often vanish soon after they’re photographed—victims of sprawl, decay, or changing times.

Hallelujah Anyway is presented with the Louisville Photo Biennial and will be displayed at the Kentucky Folk Art Center, 102 West First Street in Morehead. Gallery hours are Monday through Friday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information, visit www.michaelmorrisimages.com or www.louisvillephotobiennial.com.

For more information about the KFAC, visit www.kyfolkart.org, contact Stone at 606-783-2204, or email t.stone@moreheadstate.edu.