Wednesday, December 27, 2006

Laura McPhee photograph helps save a life


By SABINA DANA PLASSE
Express Staff Writer

© Laura McPhee Courtesy, Museum of Fine Arts, Boston ?One Car Passing?, Valley Road, Sawtooth Valley Idaho.

While carrying out a two-year artist residency in the Sawtooth Valley photographing and understanding the valley's land issues, Boston photographer Laura McPhee developed relationships with the people she met. Among them was Kim Gilliland.

McPhee met Gilliland while spending time shooting a taxidermy shop near Gilliland's home.

"I met Kim several times while I was in the valley because she worked for Bob Griswold," said McPhee. "There are not that many people there, and you meet most of them. I heard about the birth of Kim's child, and I was there."

At the age of 30, with a 13-month-old boy named Bridger, Gilliland was diagnosed with a rare form of edema carcinoma of the liver. There is no cure for this type of cancer, but she has been undergoing treatment. The cost for treatment of this rare cancer is overwhelming for Gilliland's family and, although there has been an outpouring of community support for Gilliland's situation, more is needed.

McPhee has donated work for fundraising projects before, for such causes as a children's hospital in Cambodia, but when she learned about the fundraising effort for Gilliland she said, "it was the natural thing to do. So many people helped me to do my work in the valley that this was one small way I could give something back."

McPhee has donated "One Car Passing" for an ongoing raffle to raise money on Gilliland's behalf. The photograph was taken on Valley Road in the Sawtooth Valley, and is a numbered and signed 30x40 inch color print valued at $5,000. In addition, "One Car Passing" was featured in McPhee's first major solo exhibition at the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston last summer.

In an effort to offer more opportunity to raise money for Gilliland, The Sun Valley Center of the Arts will feature McPhee's "One Car Passing" with raffle tickets available at The Center. The image at The Center is a representation of the auction item.

Kim Gilliland Fund and Raffle

Raffle tickets can be purchased from Sandra Willingham in Hailey. For more information call, 788-3226. To make a donation to the Kim Gilliland Fund there is an account at the Wells Fargo Bank, where a donation can be made at any branch to the account number 6859372242. Donations can be sent to Wells Fargo Bank, P.O. Box 3488 Portland, Oregon 97208-3488.

For more information about Laura McPhee visit lauramcphee.com




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