“Workers: Worker are everywhere” has been a project about noticing the workers among our everyday lives. Their work is within the public sphere, on the daily basis, serving us in big a small ways. No way around it, most of us have to work for a living. Before we know it, our lives become defined by our work. I have been making photographs of the people who do their work in the public arena: roofers, painters, food service providers, construction workers, grounds keepers. The workers who make the lives better for all of us are everywhere.
Many of us are told to “follow our bliss.” If we are lucky, we will love what we do for a living. If we are like most, we will have some good days and some bad days, some sick days and some holidays. My “Workers Project” puts attention on the work of our lives that so often goes under-appreciated, under-valued and un-noticed.
I had the good fortune of taking Concordia University, St. Paul, college students to Italy on 6 different occasions for short-term study abroad experiences. I led them through photography and art history.
A few short miles from the murder of George Floyd, my own Uptown neighborhood of Minneapolis, MN, sustained enormous damage during the Uprise and violent aftermath of his murder. Hennepin Ave, a Mpls main street was already part of a long term photographic project of mine. “Families Live Here” is a chapter from that larger project, amplifying the impact on the lives of everyday people.
For the past 30 years, my main photographic project has been noticing the residential landscape and photographing its many facets. A recurring theme is “Bicycles” and how they fit into our daily life. A healthy, urban environment has a robust bicycle culture.
This portfolio of photographs was made at a variety of Italian sites: Boboli Gardens in Florence, Ostia Antica outside of Rome and within the ancient walls of Rome itself. Before my first visit to Italy in 2007, I had never seen anything like those tree surfaces. Paper thin and patchy, deeply grooved and scab-like, the bark of the trees seem to belie its purpose. Rather than protect the tree, this surface seems to leave the tree vulnerable to the natural elements. This sense of vulnerability is what I responded to as I made my photographs. The surfaces of the trees communicate the very human experience of being willing to open up oneself to the possibility of life’s harsh treatments. Yet, they continue to stand, flourish and thrive.
My introduction to cell phone photography (phonography) was through using various versions of the BlackBerry. Mega-pixel and camera performance gradually increased over my seven years of usage. I loved the spontaneity that this type of photography afforded me and I loved being able to share my work instantly onto Facebook. The lens on the BlackBerry gave my digital images a quircky quality that I was unable to get from DSLR imagery. These photographs are quirky, spontaneous and alive.
St. Paul ceramic artist and Macalaster College instructor unexpectedly died of a heart attack during the summer of 2016. His studio was his life. This portfolio of images reveals a glimpse into this life of clay.
Between 1984 - 2004, I photographed exclusively with a 2 1/4 format camera, exclusively in black and white. My lifelong interest in noticing everyday life expressed through the residential landscape emerged from this practice. Photographs here were made in Boston, NYC, San Francisco and Western Wisconsin, Minneapolis, MN/Twin Cities area.
