Terry Evans and Earl Iversen: Kansas Photographs
Exhibition Overview
Terry Evans’s recent color photographs of the central Kansas prairie range from detailed close-ups of a few square feet of prairie grass to broad general vistas of the rolling Flint Hills landscape. Her methodical approach has been to return to the same sites repeatedly to document the landscape in varying lights and changing seasons. By examining specific details and features of this subtle landscape, Terry Evans’s work is both a celebration of the natural beauty of Kansas and also a carefully considered document of the complex prairie ecology.
Earl Iversen has photographed the people of Kansas – what they do and the environment they have created. In particular he has documented public events and popular pastimes such as rodeos, sporting events, county fairs, and parades. His black and white photographs of commonplace scenes recorded with an unconventional clarity capture the high energy of a rodeo competition and the charm of a small town festival. Most of the buildings he has photographed would not be on a Chamber of Commerce tour. Instead, he is interested in the way we build and use our towns as is evident in the relationship of adjacent new and old buildings or in the signs which promote Main Street businesses.
Evans and Iversen have very different photographic styles and have selected dramatically contrasting subjects in portraying Kansas. Their photography is united, however, by their common interest in using the camera to explore specific qualities of the state which contribute to a “sense of place” unique to Kansas.
Exhibition of 67 color and black-and-white photographs. Project supported by a grant from the Kansas Arts Comission.
Works of art
