Richard W. Brown at the Vermont Folklife Center
Thank you very much to Ned Castle and the fine folks at the Vermont Folklife Center. I've worked with Ned to install the last four exhibits at VFC and look forward to doing many more.
Ned Castle, Gallery Director and Media Producer at the Vermont Folklife Center pauses to discuss the composition, detail and subjects of Richard W. Brown's large-format prints during the exhibit installation.
This week I helped Ned install "The Last of the Hill Farms: Echoes of Vermont's Past" with photographs by Richard W. Brown. The exhibit is a retrospective featuring large-format photographs from his recently published book, also titled The Last of the Hill Farms. The images in the show are hand-printed by Brown and much larger than those found in the book. The detail in each print is incredible, as would be expected from an 8x10 view camera. Tree leaves, eyes, woodgrain, sheep's wool, maple sap steam, cornstalks, horse's tails, moon rises; all demonstrate the richness of tone, shadow, resolution, and clarity that large-format film and a practiced photographer provide. The prints, ranging from 8 x 10 to 22 x 28 for this exhibition, are nicely sized for VFC's Vision and Voice gallery. The thirty or so images we installed were a snug fit, but there's room to appreciate each one.
Brown's photographs depict the changes that modernity has brought to Vermont. Technology, tourism, and cooperative agriculture have been changing the characteristics of Vermont's landscape and culture. Brown's work shows that the 20th Century arrived late to some Vermonters, and gives us nostalgic appreciation for the hard work that farm families did just to survive. I was struck with the realization that 21st Century life is less brutal, but not as beautiful.
Prior to this exhibit, Brown and his book have been given quite a bit of good press; enough that the first run of the books has sold out. More will be arriving soon and will be available at the Vermont Folklife Center. Articles featuring Brown and The Last of the Hill Farms can be found at the following links:
I encourage anyone interested in large-format photography; Vermont ethnography; or Richard W. Brown's work in general, to visit the Vermont Folklife Center in Middlebury. The exhibit runs from April 10th until June 23rd 2018.