Photography as Therapy and Escape

In 2022, as the world began opening up from Covid, Rachel Demy felt like her world was closing in. Having recently completed her thesis at PCNW, she felt lost, isolated, and weighted by the anxiety of where to go next. She also became unknowingly addicted to ADHD Medic*tion, which unraveled friendships and her marriage. Rachel began photographing the world around her, often at night, through meandering walks, and soon checked into rehab where she realized that her photographs were a document of her addiction. Shortly after, she made an accompanying series, mostly during the day, to process the heartbreak of everything that had happened. In tandem with her upcoming exhibition at Spectrum Fine Art from February 27- April 12, 2025, Rachel and one of her early PCNW teachers Jon Feinstein will discuss her journey and how photography can help heal and process trauma.
About Rachel Demy:

Rachel Demy is a fine art photographer based in Seattle, Washington. Her work covers themes of trauma, addiction, and all manner of human experiences. She seeks to center and elevate the peripheral while transmuting pain into beauty.
Demy received her Bachelor of Arts in political science from the University of Portland in 2004. For the following 15 years, she worked for a concert promoter, a booking agent, and finally settled as a tour manager for rock bands, honing her skills as a portrait and documentary music photographer. Demy completed her Certificate in Fine Art Photography from Photographic Center Northwest in 2022, where she now teaches. Her first photography book, Between, Everywhere—documenting life on tour with Death Cab for Cutie—was released in December 2022 through Minor Matters, with a concurrent exhibition at Leica Bellevue. In her spare time, Demy enjoys long-distance running, travel, spelunking on Wikipedia, night walks, baths, and taking down oysters by the dozen (preferably all at the same time.)
About Jon Feinstein:

Jon Feinstein is a photographer, curator, writer, and the co-founder of Humble Arts Foundation. Jon has curated countless exhibitions over 15+ years at Photoville, Blue Sky Gallery, The Ogden Museum in New Orleans, Photographic Center Northwest, Colorado Photographic Arts Center, and Barclays Arena in Brooklyn, NY. Jon’s projects have been featured in Aperture, NY Times, BBC, VICE, The New Yorker, Hyperallergic, Variable West, and Feature Shoot, and he’s contributed to VICE, Hyperallergic, Aperture, Photograph, TIME, Slate, Daylight, Adobe, Squarespace, and PDN.
Jon is a recipient of the 2019 BlueSky Curatorial Prize, the 2021 Peter S. Reed Foundation artist grant, and was a winner of the Lensculture 2022 Summer Open. He also mentors photographers to help them edit their work and find their voice.

Image credit: Rachel Demy

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