Jonathan

Virtual Exhibition:
April 4, 2025 – May 30, 2025

Online Artist Talk

Friday, April 25 at 11am Central/12pm Eastern

RSVP HERE!

By Krishna Adams, Director of Visual Arts, Craft, Media, and Design –

The Tennessee Arts Commission’s latest virtual exhibition showcases the captivating surrealistic photography of Nashville artist Jonathan – formerly Jonathan Rodgers. This exhibition immerses viewers in Jonathan’s surreal vision, showcasing stylized Nashville photography alongside striking international scenes from South America and Africa. He further expands the experience with glimpses of his travels across the U.S., creating a diverse and captivating visual journey. View the exhibition here.

Jonathan discovered his passion for photography at age 13, stumbling upon a Nikkormat FT2 camera in a closet. That chance discovery sparked a lifelong pursuit, fueled by his parents’ encouragement to take photography and darkroom classes. Poetically, the closet that held the camera that started it all became his personal darkroom.

In 1998, Jonathan relocated from Lexington, Kentucky, to Nashville, Tennessee. Although his camera remained a constant, his career path veered in unexpected directions. He began at a local camera store, but his photography quickly led him beyond retail. During his 20s, he photographed Mayan ruins in Guatemala’s Petén Jungle for National Geographic and documented life in Uganda and Haiti for various publications. In between those assignments, he taught and worked retail, always developing his photographic skills.

Jonathan’s academic path led him to Vanderbilt University, where he earned a music degree with a cello concentration in 2002. His photography gained wider recognition in 2004 with his first solo exhibition, featuring photos from Uganda. He taught digital and film photography at Vanderbilt’s Sarratt Gallery from 2010 to 2019, and earned a Master of Science in Public Policy from Cumberland University in Lebanon, Tenn., in 2015.

The COVID-19 pandemic prompted a shift in his artistic direction. He adopted the mission statement, “Beauty Everywhere; For Everyone!” and began creating immersive visual experiences through multi-exposure photography.

“I work exclusively in-camera,” he explains. “Photoshop only for basic levels and saturation across the entire image. Anything in my photos that looks processed probably is, however, it is pre-processed and not post-processing. Before each exposure is made, I adjust the aperture and shutter speed and ISO appropriate to my subject. I also manipulate film emulation and white balance as well as entertain color shifts. I flip and flop my camera upside down and over and under until it looks cool! I can do this up to nine times, locking in each exposure as I go. It takes as little as a few minutes up to an hour to make each photo. I also utilize a large format 100-megapixel digital camera.”

In 2024, Jonathan retired from a 14-year part-time career in public health to focus solely on his photography business. This marked the birth of his innovative venture—designing surreal shower curtains that showcase his artistic photography. He now runs his own shower curtain label, featuring a wide range of designs that allow his fine art to be seen in an entirely new light, at a scale of 6 x 6 feet. These functional pieces of art are not only striking but also practical—washable, foldable, and lightweight, making them easy to ship and share with art lovers everywhere.

In 2024, Jonathan received the Individual Artist Fellowship (IAF) in Photography. This award recognizes and acknowledges outstanding professional artists living and working in Tennessee who, through their work, add to the state’s cultural vitality.

Nashville residents can currently view Jonathan’s compelling photography at the Soundwaves Gallery in Geodis Park. Looking ahead, he will undertake an artist-in-residency at the historic Loudoun House, the Lexington Art League’s home, where he plans to produce, “Lexington: 2025! One City; One Year,” a limited-edition photo book documenting a year in the life of the city.

More information about Jonathans’ work is available on his website.