Alec Soth, Cherish, 2015

In 2015 Alec Soth visited KSMoCA as part of a group of Magnum Agency photographers traveling to cities across the US to work on a project called Postcards from America. Alec worked with Cherish and her family here in Portland to create the collection of images here. Together, the photographs create a portrait of Cherish’s life and the people and experiences she values. This work was generously donated to KSMoCA’s permanent collection by Alec Soth. 

Alec Soth (b. 1969) is a photographer born and based in Minneapolis, Minnesota. He has published over twenty-five books including Sleeping by the Mississippi (2004), NIAGARA (2006), Broken Manual (2010), Songbook (2015), I Know How Furiously Your Heart is Beating (2019), and A Pound of Pictures (2022). Soth has had over fifty solo exhibitions including survey shows organized by Jeu de Paume in Paris (2008), the Walker Art Center in Minnesota (2010) and Media Space in London (2015). Soth has been the recipient of numerous fellowships and awards, including the Guggenheim Fellowship (2013). In 2008, Soth created Little Brown Mushroom, a multi-media enterprise focused on visual storytelling. Soth is represented by Sean Kelly in New York, Weinstein Hammons Gallery in Minneapolis, Fraenkel Gallery in San Francisco, Loock Galerie in Berlin, and is a member of Magnum Photos.

Conversation between Aljanae and Lisa Jarrett about Cherish:

Aljanae: So, in this picture I think this dog was hungry and it just jumped for the meat just right away. I would do that, too.

I like this picture. This makes me think of summer or spring where all the flowers are blooming and everything, spiders. I don't know. I don't really like spiders. 

My dad has a tattoo of my name on his arm. So this one makes me think of my name on my dad's arm. 

This one is just playing around and jumping on the bed and this is a piggy bank to keep all your money in. And a tiny little chick-chick bird! That’s all I think about when I see them. 

Lisa: What does it feel like to see a little girl that used to go to school here that doesn't go here anymore?

Aljanae: I don't know. 

Lisa: Does she look like someone you'd like to play with maybe? 

Aljanae: Maybe. [giggles]