No Place Like Here 

Farm Security Administration (FSA) Photographs of Vermont (1936–1943)

The FSA was an ambitious effort to document the human condition in the United States from the dust bowl era to the creation of victory gardens during the second world war.  Roy Stryker sent photographers to various regions to both present pictures from the lives of Americans and to advocate for government programs.  His publication In This Proud Land (1973) is a summary of the program.  Since that time additional works have added to our understanding.  Marion Post Wolcott FSA Photographs (1983) with an introduction by Sally Stein and Viewing Documentary:  The Photographic Life of Louise Rosskam by Laura Katzman and Beverly Brannan (2011) enrich our sense of two women who were among the six photographers in Vermont from 1936-1943.  Arthur Rothstein, Carl Mydens, Jack Delano and Russell Lee complete the list whose works are now part of the Library of Congress archives. The show of LOC digital prints from the photographers’ negatives permits a 21st century audience to ponder the Vermont known by their descendants.

Also on view: FSA Photographs from the Moriarty Teaching Portfolio

Library of Congress gelatin-silver prints, c. 1985 from Walker Evans, Ben Shahn and Dorothea Lange negatives provide iconic examples from this era. The selection creates a context for the FSA Vermont portfolio.

 Peter Moriarty: Vermont Photographs (1978–1998)

During his twenty-year residency in Vermont from 1978-1998 Moriarty created several photographic series.  His Rural Systems From Lamoille County Vermont was shown at the Eastman Museum and included in in the Addison Gallery of American Art group show, New England Perambulations. The Hurt Dance: Photographs of Endurance Athletes was shown at the Fogg Museum, MIT Museum and Dartmouth College among other venues.  His Cut Plastic series was shown at Middlebury College.  This exhibit is the first comprehensive look at the Vermont photographs.