“Kin”, an exhibition of photographs that explore the dynamics of home and family, opened at the Art and Shelter gallery in November. On view through January, the collection of photographs gives the viewer the meditative opportunity to explore the visual breadth of family life.

Mud Struggle, by Kurt Simonson, is an intimate and dirty peek into the unfettered lives of children in the North Woods of our country. A classic composition of children playing in the mud, all work and play as the children search the surface and below for lost treasures or some unknown object of interest. For a photographer, the amazing composition of figures represents the rare moment of opportunity. Beyond its beauty, the image also invites us to participate in the moment, leaving the viewer checking their shoes for traces of mud.

The photograph comes from a larger body of work entitled North Woods Journal, a collection of quirky and visually rich images that explore Kurt Simonson’s family life. Combined, the photographs tell a story of a photographer (and California transplant) looking deeply at the unique flavor of his heritage and using the photographic image to bring sharp splendor and a little nostalgia to an experience history is likely to gently let go.