THE MIDDLE-WEST
photographs of Iowa by Jeff Caplan
In September of 2019 I moved from Lowell, Massachusetts to Oskaloosa, Iowa after accepting a position at William Penn University. Having lived on both the east and west coasts at different points in my life, I was open to experiencing what life would be like, living and working in the Midwest.
“THE MIDDLE-WEST” - is a culmination of images that were created while I was living and exploring many of the counties that make up Southeast Iowa. Native American names like Mahaska, Wapello, and Keokuk make up these rural areas in a state that’s primary industries are the agriculture of industrial corn and soybean, as well as pork and egg production.
The traditionally presented black and white images taken between 2019 and 2022, depict the starkness of the Midwestern landscape and subject matter that pertains to agriculture, farming and Midwest culture. The shining steel silos of the livestock feed processing plant, as seen in “Ozinga Feed Service Inc.”, is modern architecture for that area, but also conveys a feeling of a by gone era. The proud exhibition of prized farm animals “End of the Fair”, and vintage tractors “Tractor Faces 1-10” at the small county fair shows a culture that perhaps embraces the simpler things in life, and are happy to live in a place with less distractions than many of us who live in more populated areas.
My previous work highlighted the urban and industrial decay of architecture and infrastructure. Making photographs using the often desolate backdrop of the sprawling farmlands was a departure from my usual process and opened up new perceptions of how and what I was seeing.
While the photographs are similar in their presentation to my prior bodies of work, these images evoke very different feelings for me. Living in this unfamiliar place I was able to see the country from two very different perspectives as it lumbered through a turbulent time period, which included a volatile political climate, a division of solidarity within the United States, and a global pandemic that was traumatizing for so many of us.
Being miles and miles away from friends and family during this time period was not easy, but it created and fostered a time of professional growth, reflection, and healing in my life. These photographs are a part of that process.
