SPRINGFIELD \u2014 The Art for the Soul Gallery is hosting \u201cRoom to Grow,\u201d a photography exhibit by local artist Sophie Alissa Markham, through Jan. 25, 2026.<\/p>\n
\u201cWith \u2018Room to Grow\u2019 being my very first solo exhibition, it only felt right to pay homage to my teenage years spent primarily at home, in my room,\u201d said Markham.<\/p>\n
She went on to describe the exhibit as a kind of \u201cmuseum\u201d of everything she\u2019s ever loved. As she gathered work and memorabilia from the last decade of her life, she was filled with a mix of nostalgia and grace.<\/p>\n
Sierra Myers, executive director of the gallery, said that Markham\u2019s show is a pilot for programming that will take place in their new space, The Studio. <\/p>\n
\u201dHer [Markham] images are grounded in the environment around her, with a strong focus on Springfield, its people, and its daily life. She captures the grit, essence, and often overlooked beauty within the city,\u201d said Myers.<\/p>\n
Markham\u2019s passion for documenting began with watching her father constantly record Christmas mornings, Filipino Christmas parties, and birthdays.<\/p>\n
She began shooting photography on her mom\u2019s iPhone 3GS in 2011, but it wasn\u2019t until she joined her high school photography club at Commerce High School her first year that she was encouraged to keep going.<\/p>\n Dr. Paul Hetzel, Markham\u2019s photography mentor from Commerce, expressed that when he first met her, she was a shy and reserved teen.<\/p>\n \u201dShe clearly had an eye for composition. She gravitated to street photography and portraiture. Over the three to four years as part of the Photography Club, it was gratifying to see her grow,\u201d said Hetzel.<\/p>\n Markham\u2019s confidence has grown since she began documenting. She recalled the days when she stood far away, looking for the moment \u2014 she once described herself as a fly on the wall. Since beginning her journey as a freelance photographer, she has grown out of being socially awkward and has naturally found herself gravitating closer to the subject.<\/p>\n To achieve growth, she had to be dedicated to her art.<\/p>\n \u201dI would say the most inspiring part of watching Sophie\u2019s journey is witnessing her growth and her dedication to the art grow. She\u2019s dedicated to capturing art that moves people,\u201d said Derick Thompson, Markham\u2019s boyfriend.<\/p>\n Thompson has had a front-row seat to her dedication for the past 10 years and says this installation represents new beginnings, but also a milestone, as it recalls a thought Markham once had.<\/p>\n \u201cRoom to Grow\u201d is an immersive installation that explores Markham\u2019s artistic journey, examining how social media, technology, and modern living have transformed the way people interact with one another. Carefully chosen, her images are honest and unfiltered, yet open to interpretation and emotion. Also featuring music and crafts from local artists, she hopes those visiting can take away the beauty of the city.<\/p>\n The exhibit and the gallery, located at 1500 Main St., on the second floor, are open to the public Tuesday through Friday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from noon to 4 p.m. For those wanting to meet the artist, she will be in the gallery on Thursdays.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n If you purchase a product or register for an account through a link on our site, we may receive compensation. By using this site, you consent to our User Agreement<\/a> and agree that your clicks, interactions, and personal information may be collected, recorded, and\/or stored by us and social media and other third-party partners in accordance with our Privacy Policy.<\/a><\/span><\/p>\n \u2018 The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n \u2018 Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.masslive.com \u2019 <\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" SPRINGFIELD \u2014 The Art for the Soul Gallery is hosting \u201cRoom to Grow,\u201d a photography exhibit by local artist Sophie Alissa Markham, through Jan. 25, 2026. \u201cWith \u2018Room to Grow\u2019 being my very first solo exhibition, it only felt right to pay homage to my teenage years spent primarily at home, in my room,\u201d said […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"jnews-multi-image_gallery":[],"jnews_single_post":[],"jnews_primary_category":[],"jnews_social_meta":[],"footnotes":""},"categories":[25172],"tags":[417939,345042,417940,417941,417942],"class_list":["post-2173564","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-entertainment","tag-arts-for-the-soul-gallery","tag-exhibition","tag-sophie-alissa-markham","tag-soul-gallery","tag-the-republican"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2173564","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2173564"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2173564\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2173565,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2173564\/revisions\/2173565"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2173564"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2173564"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/celebrity.land\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2173564"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}![\"Sophie](\"https:\/\/www.masslive.com\/resizer\/v2\/4UU2AH7WYBDL5JR6CKC2CYS6VM.jpg?auth=8bd7ff88e0bac12a1c746add8b7a13e666b58b0b9cfb2be43d02fc7c3c6e3a45&width=1280&smart=true&quality=90\")