THE EXHIBIT
Across the Midwest, empty farmhouses sit in silence. Wallpaper peels. Floorboards sag. Light filters through broken windows. These places are quiet now—but they are still full of stories.
This exhibit is about honoring what remains. It’s about showing that these places are beautiful. That they matter. That the lives lived within their walls are worthy of remembering.
At the heart of the project is community—connecting with landowners, families, and former residents to gather memories of the house, the land, and the people who made it home. For each exhibit, I plan to document 3-6 farmsteads in depth, photographing the current state of each property and pairing those images with personal stories, historical photos, family artifacts, and fragments of memory.
The final collection will feature photographs of abandoned farmhouses across Minnesota, accompanied by excerpts from the people who once lived there. These images and narratives will be displayed in regional fine art centers throughout Greater Minnesota—not just to preserve rural history, but to reflect it back to the communities it came from.
I want people to walk into these gallery spaces and feel something. I want them to smell dust and old wallpaper in their memory. To hear echoes of wind through broken windows. To feel the ache of time passing, but also the warmth of legacy. This exhibit is an offering—to those who remember, and to those who are just beginning to understand what’s being lost.
PREMIERE EXHIBIT - June 20
Chippewa County Historical Society
In June 2025, Documenting Disappearing Family Farmsteads held its debut exhibit at the Historic Chippewa County Historical Society grounds in Montevideo, Minnesota. Set among preserved prairie buildings, the show invited visitors into a world of weathered wallpaper, abandoned kitchens, and memories tucked into corners.
Throughout the weekend, guests lingered in front of photographs and artifacts, shared stories of their own grandparents’ farms, and asked thoughtful questions like, “Why did they leave it all behind?” and "How many places and stories have already disappeared?"
​
Many said the images reminded them of places they thought only they remembered. One woman paused beside a photo and whispered, “It feels like home.” Another wrote, “Thank you for honoring lives that mattered—quietly, but deeply.”
Through photography, artifacts, and oral history, the exhibit honored the lives once lived in these rural homes—and the urgency of remembering them before they’re gone.