Reception in Belmond at Jenison Meacham Art Center, Sunday 8/27, 1-4 PM

The pictures I’m showing are from Uprooted, my documentary photography project about Belmond, where my grandparents farmed east of the golf course. Arising from a desire to reconnect with extended family and to reacquaint myself with the town, it ultimately progressed into a seven-year inquiry that brings into focus the parallels and contradictions between past and present.

This edition of Uprooted features 12 new portraits of women, as well as scenes and landscapes that show Belmond at this singular moment in the early 21st century. I aim to counter the gap in our collective awareness of the lived experience of rural Midwesterners, conveying a range of gender roles in the town in a straightforward and unromanticized manner. The gallery is open Sundays 1-4 pm through September 24 with an opening reception on August 27.

Reception at St Ambrose University, Friday 2/3, 3-5 pm

Margaret (waitress), from Uprooted 2017

Work Ethic: Women in Rural Iowa is an exhibition of portraits from Uprooted, on display at Catich Gallery on the St Ambrose University campus in Davenport, Iowa until March 3. With this edit of the project, I aim to counter the gap in our collective awareness of the lived experience of rural Midwestern women, conveying in a straightforward and unromanticized manner a range of roles in the town. While portraiture is my genre of choice, scenes and landscapes serve to portray Belmond at this singular moment in the early 21st century. An opening reception on Friday 2/3 is free and open to the public and includes an artist’s talk.

Uprooted Opening at Hopkins Center for the Arts

Wright County Fair

Join me Thursday August 15 from 6-8 pm for the opening reception of Uprooted at Hopkins Center for the Arts in beautiful downtown Hopkins, MN. If you can’t make the opening, the show runs through September 14, and I’ll be giving a talk on September 12. I hope to see you there!

Resilience of Spirit

Zoann (survivor), 2019

After meeting Zoann through my cousin Erin (who I wrote about in a previous post), I asked her to sit for a portrait. My present direction in Uprooted is leading me to explore the experiences of women, and I was honored that she invited me to her home.

I sometimes know ahead of time the visual outcome of a portrait session, but I find the best results happen when I am able to put aside preconceptions of how something should look. Trusting my instincts, without fail, leads to the best picture.

I knew when I saw Zoann’s room that I wanted to create her portrait there. The lightness, sparkle and serenity spoke clearly of her current place in life, and resilience of the human spirit.