The leu

ELISE ROWLAND

Sr. Thesis

Bloodlines & Blindspots

This work explores the complexities within family legacies - the truths we inherit, the stories left untold, and the resilience that carries us forward. This series reflects on the generational weight of trauma and deception while honoring the love and connection that persist through a blend of portraits, old family photographs, letters, and objects.

As we sift through what our ancestors left behind, we become interpreters of their lives, piecing together meaning from fragments. Yet, just as we examine their traces, we also leave behind our own photographs, words, and artifacts that future generations will use to understand us. This work invites viewers to confront their lineage and consider what stories they, too, will pass down, both the spoken and the silent.

This series is my personal journey of exploring how old family photos, portraits I've taken, memories and stories passed down and items left behind have uncovered truths, brought about more questions, and broken the silence of trauma. After months of research, finding a distant cousin with a lot of photos of our ancestors, and piecing together memories of the past, this is a glimpse into my family's story told from my perspective with the things I have to put the pieces of their puzzling life together.

Biography

Elise Rowland is a Nashville-based photographer specializing in lifestyle, fashion, and portrait photography. Rowland has been working in both worlds, commercial and fine art, as the Bruin Shop's lead photographer and having two shows at the WAG (Watkins Art Gallery), Humans (2024) & Bloodlines & Blindspots (2025). Rowland hopes to continue successfully working in both worlds and her work can be found at eliserowlandphotography.com