Adelaide Ryder is a local artist who has been creating art for as long as she can remember. She attended East High School where she participated in the newspaper and yearbook programs. She then studied communications and photography at Westminster. Upon finishing her undergraduate degree, she was hired at the Utah Museum of Fine Arts. From there, she applied to be in the MFA studio program at the University of Utah, and she was the only photography student accepted her year. Now, Ryder is the official collections photographer for the UMFA and an instructor at the U and Westminister College. She is an instructor for the art history department, and she runs a freelance photography business. Ryder is authentic, curious and she pushes all boundaries with her art, something that she is proud of.

“I’ve always found ways to sustain myself with my art,” she said with a fond smile.

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Ryder likes her photography to be relatively “easy” and “simple.” She doesn’t like to be bogged down by heavy equipment unless the situation requires it. Her go to equipment is a Fujifilm Mirrorless camera, a few lenses and a leather bag. When it comes to photography, it’s all about how Ryder wants to present the image to her viewers. When taking a photograph, professional or personal, her first thought is the angle and perspective of the photo. Ryder is also interested in the art of installation.

“Putting a photo in a frame on a wall isn’t enough for me anymore, I want more.” Ryder said.

More is exactly what she got with her current installation, “Conjure.” She partnered up with fellow photographer Alexanna Wonder for their exhibition at the Downtown Artist Collective in Utah. Ryder’s installation is a three-part piece. Each panel contains five to seven images, all taken on her Fujifilm camera. The images are from the same place, a different walk she took through Utah’s fine landscape. Each photograph is taken from a different perspective of her walk. For example, one from the ground versus one of the sky. Her installation is structured so that viewers can entirely immerse themselves in the setting of the walk, rather than just look at it.

“I didn’t want it to be about me taking pictures; I wanted it to be about me in that space or on that walk,” she explains.

As Ryder opened up about the thought process behind her installation, she articulated exactly what inspired the idea behind this project.

“To bring people into the space where the photography is by making them really examine multiple images from the same time,” Ryder said.

She has always strived to get her audience to think outside the box like she does. In her past works, such as her “1687” series, she focused heavily on perspective.

“It’s all about trying to encapture what it feels like to be in a space, not just capture the space,” Ryder said.

Her innovative drive is present in all her work, but especially “Conjure.” Don’t miss a chance to experience it. You can go see Ryder’s installation at the Downtown Artist Collective throughout the rest of August.

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