Foxfire Panel 1: Storytelling Behind the Lens
In this panel discussion, acclaimed cinematographer Curren Sheldon and award–winning photographer Rebecca Kiger come together to explore the art and ethics of visual storytelling in documentary film and photography. With deep roots in Appalachia and a shared commitment to capturing underrepresented voices, both artists bring a wealth of experience to the conversation—from the haunting beauty of King Coal to the urgent frontline work documenting the East Palestine train derailment.
Together, they’ll discuss how composition, light, and framing shape narrative; how trust and collaboration with subjects are built; and how image-making can both reflect and challenge the communities we live in. Whether working with a still camera or a film crew, this workshop invites filmmakers, photographers, students, and storytellers of all levels to consider what it means to document truth—and whose stories we tell when we press record.
This workshop will be at The Gallery at 2265, 2265 Market Street, 2nd Floor
Note: This workshop has limited seating available, so be sure to book your tickets in advance!
Filmmakers' Bios
Curren Sheldon, Cinematographer
Curren Sheldon is an Academy Award nominated and Emmy-winning filmmaker. He is the director of photography and producer of Netflix Original Documentaries HEROIN(E) and RECOVERY BOYS, as well as the co-director of photography for PHOENIX RISING (HBO) and KEEP THIS BETWEEN US (Freeform). His work has been commissioned by The New York Times, Patagonia, Oh Boy Records, and The Bitter Southerner. Sheldon recently moved back to his home state of West Virginia.
Rebecca Kiger, Photographer
Rebecca Kiger is a documentary photographer, a Center for Contemporary Documentation fellow, and an artist-in-residence at high schools in the Rust Belt of Appalachia. She is a frequent contributor to Time, the New Yorker, the New York Times, and The Washington Post. Her work has won many awards, including from the Society of Environmental Journalists, Pictures of the Year, and World Press Photo for her year-long-project covering the train derailment and toxic chemical spill in East Palestine, OH. She will be the 2025-2026 Visual Communications Knight Fellow at Ohio University.