Dakota Moniker

By Jessica Verdi
Contributing Writer

In the mid-nineteenth Century, during the infancy of the development of photography, Oliver Wendell Holmes described photographs as “the mirror with a memory.” Since then, photography has seen many changes and manipulations. The landscape and people of North Dakota have also undergone many transformations. Populations have shifted, pastimes have changed and values have influenced many of these alterations.

The images in Dakota Moniker, by photographer J. Earl Miller, document a landscape that has been touched by people only to be abandoned and forgotten, found not along the interstate, but down dusty gravel roads, among groves of trees and in townships that soon may be omitted from future maps of the state. This show is part of a larger project Miller is undertaking, documenting deserted, forgotten and sometimes whimsical sights seen all across the state of North Dakota.

We all know the customary barns, farmsteads and tractors that dot the flat landscape in varying conditions throughout the state, but you will not find any images of these in this show.

In the 20 images that make up the exhibit, Miller takes us from grimy interiors of old, abandoned houses, to the framework of a former drive-in movie screen, to billboards and coffee shops in small townships and presents us with documentary photos under the unique eye of an artist more accustomed to shooting rock n’ roll shows and creating manipulated images.

Straight landscape photography can easily become mundane and take on a snapshot quality. One image that highlights Miller’s photographic skills is titled “Stacked”. The towering pile of round bales and swirls of hay evoke the Edward Weston style of creating abstract images from nature. Perhaps one of the most common roadside scenes becomes a beautiful image of texture and pattern.

One cannot document North Dakota without referencing the struggle many towns have had dealing with population and keeping younger people from migrating to larger cities such as Fargo/Moorhead or Minneapolis. Some of the towns Miller visited have populations of less than 50 people, most of whom have lived in the town their entire lives and witnessed the decline of its population and with it, the maintenance of its structures.

In the image “Me, Myself and Laundromat”, a wooden sign hangs on the exterior of a café and laundromat that has been in need of paint for nearly twenty years. Anyone passing through would more than likely assume it had closed its doors to patrons long ago.

Another image of an upside-down Schmidt Beer sign, Dead Schmidt, tells the story of a local watering hole no longer serving its few citizens a frosty can of ale.
One of the few images to hint at an active population is “We’re not in Poland Anymore #1”, an interior shot of the altar of one of North Dakota’s many country churches. The pointed arches and gilded decoration enhance the pink marble columns. It is apparent that a lot of care and interest were taken in renovating and maintaining one of the most important structures in any small town. With aging populations, and a lack of financial influx, the values of these small towns take precedence.

On the more whimsical side of the show, “Searching for Gozer” is one of Miller’s favorites. Taken from his car window, a black van speeds down the highway with the Ghostbusters image and tag line “who you gonna call?” hand painted along its side. A small strip of flat terrain and a wide band of blue sky starkly contrast the gritty black-painted van.

Of course, what would a trip through North Dakota be without a giant roadside sculpture of a sand hill crane? “Whoop There It Is” shows a roadside attraction of many small towns in North Dakota. This one, made of wood, stands less regally than many of the more popular giant animals one sees while driving through the Midwest. The crane lacks bright fiberglass or paint, making the weathered wood and metal blend in with the browns and grays of the landscape around it.

Both images depict moments many travelers stumble upon and smile at while on long drives marked by little more than highway signs.

In Dakota Moniker, J. Earl Miller gives us a visual “moniker” of what North Dakota is: a state with a long past and a recent past slowly being forgotten, a place where people have come and gone, for better or worse, and left behind small pieces of their story.

Through his unique eye and passion for photography, we are shown what many of us would describe as dull or boring, a landscape with hidden stories and towns with places to explore and re-discover. With only a third of the state under his belt, we can be sure that more hidden gems, rapidly disappearing traces of this state’s past, will be captured and documented in Miller’s uniquely artistic, yet whimsical way.

You can see Dakota Moniker now through February 15 at the Spirit Room, 111 Broadway, Downtown Fargo.

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If You Go

What: Dakota Moniker: Artist Reception
Where: The Spirit Room
When: Sat, Jan 15, 7-11pm
Info: 701.237.0230