Sara J. Winston
Blue Sky is pleased to announce May 2025 exhibition: Our body is a clock by Sara. J Winston
First Thursday Opening: May 1, 5 – 9 PM
In-Person Artist Talk: Sat, May 3, 3:30 PM
Sara J. Winston explores chronic illness, care, and agency in her project Our body is a clock. Created within the Infusion Center, these images transform a clinical space into one of reflection, resistance, and quiet resilience. Through subtle gestures and shifting appearance, the series challenges cultural taboos around illness and dependency while inviting conversations around care, survival, and identity.
Sara J. Winston (American, b. 1989, she/her) is an artist and writer based in New York, USA. She works with photographs, text, and the book form to describe and respond to chronic illness and its ongoing impact on her body, mind, family, and memory. Sara is the author of several photobooks, among them Foibles & Avoidance (National Monument Press, 2024), Shades (Push Pull Editions, 2023), A Lick and a Promise (Candor Arts, 2017) and Homesick (Zatara Press, 2015). In June of 2025 she will publish Sugar Honey Iced Tea with Los Angeles-based publisher For the Birds Trapped in Airports.
Sara is Associate Director of the Photography Program at Bard College; 2025 Acting Chair of the Penumbra Foundation/Image Threads Long Term Photobook Program; and a member of Storm King Art Center‘s Accessibility Advisory Group.
Organizer
Founded as the Oregon Center for the Photographic Arts by a group of five young photographers in 1975, Blue Sky quickly established itself as an important venue for local photography. In a short period of time, the organization expanded its offerings to include national and international artists, many of whom exhibited at Blue Sky early in their careers. Blue Sky’s special endeavor continues to be the exhibition of emerging and established artists that exemplify the finest in photographic vision and innovation. As such, Blue Sky has earned the accolade as having “the best record of discovering new photographers of any artists’ space in the country.” Today, from our 3,700-square-foot facility in Portland’s historic DeSoto Building, Blue Sky presents 20 – 25 exhibitions annually, maintains a public research library, showcases regional photographers in an annual juried exhibition of original works in its Pacific Northwest Drawers, and offers artist talks and programs — all free to the public.