Deep Ruts - Julie Rae Powers

Deep Ruts is a collection of photographs taken over ten years by Queer Appalachian photographer Julie Rae Powers. The title is a triple entendre alluding to the deep roots of religion, a deer in rut, the ruts and grooves carved into the mind through our values, thoughts, and daily actions. Portraits and landscapes set an isolating, longing stage, using rural Appalachian iconography and self-portraits to queer the mainstream media’s perception of Appalachia and the people who live there. Within this monograph, Powers traces the narratives worn deep into their identity and offers us an intimate glimpse of Appalachia, coal mining, queerness, and the process of excavating the tender truth within each story. Deep Ruts exists in three portfolios: The Father, The Son, & The Holy Spirit.