Show at Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts

A show of my work can be seen at the Rhode Island Center for Photographic Arts from October 17th thru November 15th. An artist reception will take place on October 17th from 5 to 8pm. The show will run concurrently with Snapshot America: A portrait of the United States in 2024 in which I have an additional two images from my new project entitled Steel Towns, River Towns.

These images are part of an ongoing project entitled: Fading Glimpses of the Midwest, which is at the center of my photographic endeavors. These images, like the “Glimpses” project, present an exploration of older, vernacular neighborhoods as they appear today.

This work is about survivors — those buildings and neighborhoods that have somehow persisted amidst the constant pressure of economic decline, urban revitalization, demolition, and the continuing loss of the Midwest’s unique identity. It is also about the persistence of the people of the Midwest as seen in what they have been able to preserve, and, though devoid of people, these images overflow with a human presence that is palpable.

Rooted in a documentary style derived from the Farm Security Administration’s (FSA) photographic project of the 1930s and ’40s, these images are formal and impartial views of the Midwest, which quietly emote a sense of home.

I have chosen to present this work in black and white for several reasons. For one, it is a nod to the images of the FSA photographers. Also, black and white lends itself to the idea of preservation and the historical nature of these images. Black and white also allows these images to achieve an iconic quality as monuments of a disappearing past while preserving a visual narrative of a place and time.

Much like the Midwest, these simple, quiet scenes evoke a sense of modesty and subtleness, allowing the viewer to appreciate the commonplace — sprinkled with glimpses of beauty, intrigue, humor and love.