About the Project

Farming Steuben is a portrait photography project documenting Steuben County farming families. I will create portraits that showcase the county’s generational family farming culture, telling stories of innovation, stewardship, heritage, placemaking, resilience, renewal, and more.

A personal project, funded through a state grant, it continues my work documenting and honoring the people of New York’s Southern Tier who work for the betterment of their communities and bring others together in community making and stewardship.

People & Process

Farming Steuben will feature a mixture of individual and small group posed portraits. I’ll take each portrait with a medium format film camera.

With a goal of creating approximately 20 portraits throughout 2026, I’m working in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension-Steuben and other local organizations to identify participants and ensure the project is an all-encompassing portrayal of farming families and commodities throughout the county.

Authenticity and collaboration are important parts of my process and I’ll work with each one to make sure they are portrayed as they wish to be seen, taking photos in a self-selected environment of their own choosing that showcases who they are and their specific connection to the land.

Exhibition

I have commitments to exhibit the portraits at the end of 2026 at the Dormann Library in Bath so that the portraits will be easily accessible to all county residents. I will also work to find other opportunities to exhibit and archive the work once the project is completed.

Credit

Farming Steuben is made possible by the New York State Council on the Arts with support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, administered by fiscal sponsor The Rockwell Museum.