Sara Ferguson
Many different kinds of truths can be told of a place. The changes that a landscape
displays visually reflect not only what is there but what has been lost, it’s value
dependent on what it affords us. I rarely have any prior connection to the places
I photograph but there is a familiarity in them. A past intimacy with that kind of place that makes me feel like belong there. Details give form to personal histories,
structures provide references for memories, and specific landscapes allow for a universal
language about loss and hope, truth and beauty. During my time at the Taft Nicholson
Center I hoped to photograph the Centennial Valley in order to explore these themes
as they relate to the specific region. The Centennial Valley was of particular interest
to me because of the unique approach to land management that exists there. While in
residency I documented the industries that hold a shared responsibility to the landscape:
environmental conservation, tourism and ranching. Studying these connections allowed
me to consider my relationship to this kind of landscape, and to examine the personal
memories that come from being in a place that is both familiar and unfamiliar. The
work I completed during my time as artist in residence helped me further explore how
themes relating to place and memory can be conveyed in a photograph.
Click here to view Sara's Centennial Valley Gallery
Click here to read about Sara's experience at the Taft-Nicholson Center