"Appalachia. A mysterious, mountainous pocket of the United States widely known for its Trail, its legendary feuds and its coal, thanks to countless historical fiction novels and, of course, Hollywood. But fewer of us actually know what it is to reside in this sliver of land, sidled up to either side of the mountain chain that stretches from southern New York state to northern Alabama and Mississippi. Aaron Blum, however, knows it well."

Tamara Hilmes

Aaron Blum is an eighth generation West Virginian, and creates art deeply linked to his home. Most of his work centers around a single question, what does it mean to be Appalachian? Through this question he address many different artistic concepts from idealized memory vs. stereotypes to ideas of folk taxonomy and identity. His creation process is a diversified approach of image-based media to create a glimpse into his own concepts of self, and the social fabric of a very large and misrepresented people and place within Appalachia. He pays close attention to the quality of light and the landscape as well as cultural markers to produce a unique version of life in the hills. After graduating with degrees in photography from West Virginia University and Syracuse University Aaron relocated to Pittsburgh where he is now a Professor in the CFA Photography Department at Carnegie Mellon University.