Amee Ellis studied fine art photography at Columbia College Chicago (BA, 1995) and occupational therapy at University of New Mexico (MOT, 2004). Her work has appeared in multiple solo and juried group exhibitions and received Best in Show at Iowa Exhibited XXXVI. She has participated in juried art festivals, including the Des Moines Arts Festival and Art in the Pearl in Portland, Oregon. Her project for Des Moines Metro Opera titled The Sea Beneath Our Feet is a photographic interpretation of their 2022 world-premiere opera, A Thousand Acres. She lives in Des Moines, Iowa.

 

Amee’s photographs explore place, memory, and identity in the Midwest landscape. Her practice is centered in wandering, discovering a deeper understanding of the land and its rhythms, and finding connection with this place she calls home.

 

All of Amee’s photographs are produced with film and manual cameras. This practice requires chemical development in a darkroom before one can see a physical image. Amee creates her gelatin silver prints through this magical process using light-sensitive materials, red safelights, and chemical potions, where images that were once invisible become visible.