The Blanden Memorial Art Museum presents “Not Home,” an exhibition by Des Moines based photographer Alyss Vernon, in the second floor gallery.

The exhibition features 18 large-scale photographs that explore the shifting terrain of memory, home and familiar connection, according to an announcement from the museum.

Drawing from her own family history and the experience of growing up and growing apart, Vernon examines the emotional complexity found within the spaces and objects that shape identity. Her images invite viewers to consider the intersections between past and present.

In her artist statement, Vernon reflects on the personal origins of the project: “My parents no longer reside in my childhood home. Their current home is filled with items that I grew up surrounded by and the memories that those objects hold, but they are now contained within foreign walls. I live 1,000 miles away from where I grew up, while my parents live five miles from my childhood home.”

She continues, “I am interested in how the process of representing those closest to me photographically can be fraught with an array of emotions while something as simple as observing a ray of light on the kitchen floor can reveal a personal truth. This project is an acknowledgement and exploration of the inherent joy and sorrow that comes with the passage of time and the redefining of my relationship with my parents, their home and how I fit into the current picture.”

Vernon is a contemporary art gallery director and fine art photographer whose work spans photography, video and book arts. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts in photography and art history from New Mexico State University, Las Cruces, New Mexico,, as well as a Master of Art and Master of Fine Arts in photography from the University of Iowa in Iowa City.

“Not Home” will be on display at the museum, 920 Third Ave. S., through Jan. 17.

An artist talk will be held at 3 p.m. Jan. 17.