Richmond, KY, 2002

About the Photographer

Rowe, Jessica

American, b. 1975

The photographs Jessica Rowe's series A Different Now depict the interiors of Midwestern homes that have been occupied by a particular family or individual for some time. The items arranged, displayed, or in some cases tucked away in these homes are objects of personal significance that stand in for their owners, becoming indirect portraits. But they also speak more generally to the common need to honor, or at least remember, particular people and events. The title of the series references the way these objects and arrangements evoke the past while existing in the present. No matter how dated the décor or aging the keepsake, these places are not static time capsules sealed away, but environments where family life plays out daily. Rowe earned her BA from Smith College, Northampton, Massachusetts (1997) and her MA from Illinois Institute of Technology, Institute of Design, Chicago (2001). She is an instructor at Columbia College Chicago, and the director of the short films Unopened and Dream Document.