Airplane Motel in Wichita, Kansas, Earl Iversen

Exhibition Label: “Conversation II: Place-Kansas,” Apr-2008, Emily Stamey “In 1974, Kansas was the perfect place for Susan, my wife, and me to start a life and family. So we moved from Boston in a Volkswagen Microbus and a U-Haul and we set up shop. Over the years, I continually found Kansas to be an exotic and fascinating region to explore with a camera. “I still find, many years later, as the Kansas light and air turns crisp and clear each October, I get the itch to get on the road to head west before winter arrives. And I think up some good excuse to re-visit the gorgeous prairie, its little towns, and wonderful people. You can always tell if its been a good year…there’re lots of new pick-ups around.” Earl Iversen “By focusing his camera on a motel sign featuring a life-sized model of an airplane in flight, Earl Iversen aptly references Wichita’s long-held reputation as the “Air Capital of the U.S.” But in light of Wichita Boeing’s recent round of layoffs, we can interpret Iverson’s deceptively playful scene in a darker vein. That is, the precarious positioning of the aircraft mirrors the uncertain economic position faced by hundreds of Boeing’s former employees.” Ellen Raimond, Spencer Museum Photography Intern