10/21/2025
Coming up on October 31st, from 5-7pm, The Blue Sage Center for the Arts is proud to present The Final Friday Opening of Jessica Lehrman: A Long Road Home, on view through December 31, 2025.
This large exhibition features 500 photographs spanning two decades of work by the internationally published documentary photographer.
Lehrman grew up in Paonia and graduated from Paonia Vision School in 2006 before leaving to pursue a career in photojournalism. Her work over the past 18 years has appeared in Rolling Stone, The New York Times, GQ, The New Yorker, and many other publications. Known for her immersive style and emotionally charged storytelling, Lehrman’s photographs capture moments of music, protest, family, and everyday life with striking intimacy and energy.
“Family and connection have always been central to my work,” Lehrman says. “Even when I have only a few minutes with someone, my goal is to create a real moment of honesty between us.” In a 2024 interview, she described her process as “speed friend-dating — five minutes to get to know someone and find that one photograph where you can really see who they are.”
Her work reflects both rural and urban worlds — from celebrity portraits to deeply personal family scenes. Lehrman’s instinctive approach places her in the heart of the action. “When I’m shooting, I’m thinking less about the image and more about the moment,” she explains.
For Lehrman, exhibiting at the Blue Sage is a meaningful homecoming. The community arts center was an important part of her upbringing and family life in Paonia.
Jessica Lehrman: A Long Road Home will be on view at the Blue Sage Center for the Arts in Paonia, Colorado, through December 31, 2025. The exhibition is free and open to the public during regular gallery hours.
