Ruth Adams

Director of the School of Art and Visual Studies

Ruth Adams is a nationally recognized artist, a Professor of Photography, and was appointed the Director of the School of Art and Visual Studies (SA/VS) at the University of Kentucky in Fall 2023. Adams has worked at the University of Kentucky for 24 years and served in a variety of administrative roles before being named Director. These include Director of Undergraduate Studies, Art Studio Area Head and for 11 years, Associate Director of SA/VS.

Adams’ research deals with issues of mindfulness, intimacy, ancestry, mortality, and renewal. She is best known for her series unremarkable: a journey through cancer, chemotherapy, radiation and recovery, Organic Studies: Scanner as Camera and Conversations with the Ancestors. She loves combining new imaging technologies with the traditional sensibilities of a photographer and is one of the pioneers in the field of Scanner Art. Her main field of study is 19th century alternative photographic processes focussing on platinum/palladium printing. She has exhibited nationally and internationally, has won numerous awards and grants, and presented at national and regional conferences. Her photographs hang in numerous private and public collections. Adams holds an MFA in Photography and Digital Art from the University of Miami, a BFA in Photography from Rochester Institute of Technology, and a BS in Computer Science from Syracuse University. An experienced photographer, digital/analog hybrid artist, and educator, Adams has developed a reputation as a dynamic instructor and an innovative artist and enjoys introducing students and patrons of the arts to the ever-changing world of analog and digital photography.