Western Colorado Farming and Ranching | Funded by: CO Commission on the Arts

 

In 2005, I received one of the two major Colorado Commission on the Arts Grants. Project: Western Colorado Ranching and Farming; A sense of Community. Being native to western Colorado, I was led to document ranchers and farmers I grew up around. I noticed over time that the secure sense of community I knew as a kid was diluting with growth, farmers selling ground to housing developments, and less "over the fence" negotiations regarding water rights and joint use areas. I was one of two CO artists to be awarded the major annual grants, and took a year to photograph farmers, ranchers and landscape around Fruita, CO. The project culminated in a show of black and white work at the Fruita Civic Center, where I attended elementary school.