Tracker Pixel for Entry

​Jon Solinger: “Working Land: New Rural Photographs”

Arts | June 15th, 2016

On Tuesday the 21st, the Historical and Cultural Society of Clay County (HCSCC) will be hosting a panel discussion and book signing at the Hjemkomst Museum, complete with refreshments. Photographer Jon Solinger will sign and sell copies of his book, “Working Land: New Rural Photographs,” a visual chronicle of the evolution of rural life in Otter Tail County, Minn.

On his website, Solinger describes “Working Land” as having both a documentary component and an artistic vision. In addition to second- and third-generation farmers, rural Minnesota is seeing an influx of new farmers discovering the land’s potential, as well as descendants reclaiming family farms and exploring new uses for them.

According to his artist’s statement, the project “is about people’s attachment to a place through their work; how human labor transforms a particular piece of land, and in turn, the land shapes the life of the worker.” He goes on to describe his personal connection to the land, which began with his ancestors immigrating to the States and making a living from agriculture.

The collection includes photos of corn fields, farmhouses, tool sheds, tractors, livestock, and the farmers themselves; some of whom posed for the photos and others who were photographed candidly while tilling their soil, harvesting crops, or feeding the cows.

Solinger’s work has been displayed in galleries and museums all throughout North Dakota and Minnesota, including the North Dakota Art Museum in Grand Forks. Back in 2000, the Museum commissioned him to photograph shelterbelt trees and shrubs in the Red River Valley’s agricultural fields for a touring exhibition. Those photos are now part of their permanent collection.

Last summer, his photos were displayed as part of HCSCC’s History + Art series, a project made possible by a grant from The Arts Partnership. This series employs local artists to explore Cass and Clay County’s rural culture and heritage.

The HCSCC’s Executive Director Maureen Kelly Jonason has said, “We are very excited to welcome Jon back to HCS… We’re grateful that Jon’s book, with its beautiful photographs and insightful writings, captures a time, place and lifestyle for future generations.”

Other participants in the panel discussion will be curator and writer Tania Blanich, who worked with Solinger on this project; NDSU history professor and department head John K. Cox; and MSUM English professor Kate Meiners.

IF YOU GO

Jon Solinger: book signing and panel discussion

Tuesday, June 21, 6pm

Admission to the panel and book signing will be $10 for adults, $9 for seniors and college students, and $8 for children over five. Younger children and HCSCC members get in free.

For more information, contact Jonason at 218-299-5511.

Recently in:

By Winona LaDukewinona@winonaladuke.comIt’s been eight years since the Water Protectors were cleared off the banks of the Cannonball and Missouri Rivers. It was a bitter ending to a battle to protect the water; and for most of us…

By HPR Staff We’re all a part of building strong, healthy and inclusive communities. But the region’s non-profit organizations do a lot of the heavy lifting. Now it’s time for these organizations to step into the spotlight.…

February 6, 6-7 p.m.Plains Art Museum, 704 1st Ave N, FargoLove local art? You won’t want to miss out on this Artside Chat with two-spirit Chippewa artist Anna Johnson. While you’re there, check out her exhibition…

By Faye Seidlerfayeseidler@gmail.com As I write this article, it’s January, and the temperatures in North Dakota are negative. I’m living in a house and our furnace just died a forever death after years of quick fixes. Yet,…

By Ed Raymondfargogadfly@gmail.comHow billionaires with brain rot are creating bedlam in the USAOn January 21, 2010, the Republican-dominated United States Supreme Court approved a death sentence for American democracy of 250 to…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com Holiday wine shopping shouldn’t have to be complicated. But unfortunately it can cause unneeded anxiety due to an overabundance of choices. Don’t fret my friends, we once again have you covered…

By Rick Gionrickgion@gmail.com So far in 2025, announcements for new restaurant openings in the metro far outnumber closings. This is good news going into the new year for us hungry folk. In my opinion, the positive trend will…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.com Local band Zero Place has been making quite a name for itself locally and regionally in the last few years. Despite getting its start during a time it seemed the whole world was coming to…

By Greg Carlsongregcarlson1@gmail.com In a little more than a quarter of the 20th century spanning the 1930s, 1940s and part of the 1950s, Humphrey Bogart built one of the quintessential American filmographies. Stubborn, tenacious,…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comIn 1974, the Jamestown Arts Center started as a small space above a downtown drugstore. It has grown to host multiple classrooms, a gallery, performance studio, ceramic studio and outdoor art park.…

By John Showalterjohn.d.showalter@gmail.comHigh Plains Reader had the opportunity to interview two mysterious new game show hosts named Milt and Bradley Barker about an upcoming event they will be putting on at Brewhalla. What…

By Annie Prafckeannieprafcke@gmail.com AUSTIN, Texas – As a Chinese-American, connecting to my culture through food is essential, and no dish brings me back to my mother’s kitchen quite like hotdish. Yes, you heard me right –…

By Sabrina Hornungsabrina@hpr1.comNew Jamestown Brewery Serves up Local FlavorThere’s something delicious brewing out here on the prairie and it just so happens to be the newest brewery west of the Red River and east of the…

By Josette Ciceronunapologeticallyanxiousme@gmail.com What does it mean to truly live in a community —or should I say, among community? It’s a question I have been wrestling with since I moved to Fargo-Moorhead in February 2022.…

By Faye Seidlerfayeseidler@gmail.com On Dec 5, the Turning Point USA chapter at North Dakota State University hosted an event called BisonFest. This event featured Chloe Cole, a former trans kid, known for detransitioning and…

By Jim Fugliejimfuglie920@gmail.com A friend of mine, a well-known Bismarck liberal (I have a few of those), came up to me after church the other day and asked, “So, are you moving out of the country?” I knew he was referring…