Walking with Sister Julie

Dolphin Gallery is honored to present Walking with Sister Julie, a deeply personal photography exhibit by Sister Julie DeRossi, opening Saturday, June 6. Visitors are invited to meet the artist and explore her visual reflections during an opening reception from 1 to 3 pm. The exhibit will remain on view through June 28.

Walking with Sister Julie showcases a local woman’s unique perspective on the Mendonoma land she has stewarded for fifty years. Sister Julie DeRossi, who co-founded Starcross Monastic Community (a spiritual nonprofit nestled in the redwoods of Annapolis, CA) has watched the land she resides on evolve through countless changes over the past half-century. When the pandemic prevented visitors to Starcross in 2020, Julie’s hobbyist photography found a home in her beloved “Weekly Walks” — glimpses into the daily life and nature found at Starcross that were emailed out to thousands of subscribers each week.From the unfurling of a bud into a flower, or from one season to another, no transformation was too big or too small for Julie’s keen eye to document. This venture ignited Julie’s passion for photography, and her popular Weekly Walks continue as a regular transmission to this day. Walking with Sister Julie displays a curated selection of Julie’s weekly photos over the past six years, the coloring of which has been carefully converted into black-and-white. With the spare color palette enabling the heart of the photos to shine through, Julie’s passion for the simple life and everyday subjects is on full display. A quintessential folk photographer, Sister Julie embodies the deep art of paying attention, reminding the viewer that there is much beauty to be found in the ordinary objects around us—if we only we take the time to slow down and appreciate them.

For the past fifty years, Sister Julie DeRossi has been a careful observer of the land she stewards in the Mendonoma region. A founding member of Starcross Monastic Community, located eight miles inland from the Mendocino coast, Sister Julie has spent more than half her life as part of this small nonprofit community. A former teacher and social worker, Julie joined Starcross during its inception in San Francisco and soon threw herself into Starcross’ efforts to care for children with high medical needs, later becoming a crucial part of their pioneering efforts to care for children with HIV/AIDS in the home. When mother-to-baby HIV transmission was largely reduced by the invention of antivirals, Julie turned her focus to caring for and preserving the land her community stewards. Her efforts have included the successful implementation of a land conservation easement and the rewilding of a redwood forest located on Starcross’ property. A passionate activist, spiritual contemplative, and folk artist, Julie exhibits an artistic viewpoint rooted in the land itself. Her photography is guided by the changing seasons, creatures of all shapes and sizes, and the plants that have grown up alongside her.

Dolphin Gallery is located at 39140 Highway 1 in the Seacliff Center in Gualala. For more information, visit gualalaarts.org.