Five Farms: Stories from American Farm Families

The Atlantic Forest: Paraguay's Disappearing Ecological Treasure

On View Soon at CDS





Five Farms: Stories from American Farm Families

April 27–August 21, 2009
Kreps and Lyndhurst Gallery

PUBLIC RECEPTION & TALK: Thursday, April 30, 6–9 p.m.
Producers John Biewen and Wesley Horner will share the evolution and work of the larger Five Farms project. Talk at 7 p.m.

Photographs by: Alix Lowrey Blair, Andrew Lewis, Tom Rankin, Elena Rue, Steve Schapiro

Audio: Ben Adler, John Biewen, Rob Dillard, Camille Lacapa, Susannah Lee





Once, most Americans were farmers. Now, only about one in a hundred works the land. While providing our food, farmers and ranchers are the stewards of almost half of the nation’s land – a billion acres. Five Farms, presented as a multimedia exhibition, puts a personal face on the lives and livelihoods of farmers across the country. Through their voices we learn what it takes to farm and produce the food that we count on when we go to the market.

The farming families who are profiled in this project—they live in Massachusetts, North Carolina, Iowa, Arizona, and California—share their experiences in the audio stories and pictures in this exhibition; in a series of five one-hour radio documentaries on public radio stations nationwide (starting in May 2009, check local listings); in a series of radio features on National Public Radio’s™ All Things Considered™, and on a multimedia website (www.fivefarms.org).

Five Farms is funded by a major grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, with support from WFCR Amherst, Massachusetts; Iowa Public Radio; Native Public Media/National Federation of Community Broadcasters; The Hopi Foundation; Capital Public Radio, Sacramento; and the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University.

The radio series is distributed by PRI, Public Radio International, for broadcast nationwide by public radio stations. Additional support comes from the PRI Program Fund, whose contributors include the Ford Foundation and The John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation.

This project also received support from the Council for the Arts, Office of the Provost, Duke University.








The Atlantic Forest: Paraguay's Disappearing Ecological Treasure
Photographs by Feini (Sylvia) Qu

April 10–August 9, 2009
Porch and University Gallery

Reception: April 10, 5 to 7 p.m.

“Feini (Sylvia) Qu’s photographs from Paraguay are infused with her scholarship and engagement in zoology and habitat protection, and they reveal a complex layering of her interests in biodiversity, conservation, and documentary image making. During her three-month residency at the Estación Ecológica de San Rafael (ESCOSARA) in the summer of 2008, she collaborated with local rangers and scientists to photograph the range of native species and the related land-use issues of the area. Her photographs reveal the power inherent in the vision of a scientist/documentary artist - someone who not only perceives the particulars of the flora and fauna around her but who also sees the universal beauty of moment and place. With Sylvia’s images we also have the privilege of witnessing that rare addition of a lyrical aesthetic, the result of her careful observation and her deep experience as a picture maker. While her images describe the natural world of this part of Paraguay, they also pay tribute to a place and its diversity through the singular reverence of documentary creation.”—Tom Rankin, director of the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University

Feini (Sylvia) Qu was born and lived in Beijing, China, until she was six and a half, when her family moved to Long Island, New York. In May, she will complete a double major in biology and biomedical engineering at Duke University. This fall, she begins her pursuit of a VMD/Ph.D. dual degree (doctorate in bioengineering, focusing on orthopedic tissue engineering) at the University of Pennsylvania.



A long-furred woolly mouse opossum (Micoureus paraguayanus) ambles down Noe de la Sancha’s arm. Photograph by Feini (Sylvia) Qu.





A portrait of Gregorio. Photograph by Feini (Sylvia) Qu.





A cronion skipper butterfly (Sostrata cronion) rests in the shade by a forest stream. Photograph by Feini (Sylvia) Qu.



This project was made possible by the DukeEngage program, a Duke Undergraduate Research Support grant, and a John Hope Franklin Student Documentary Award from the Center for Documentary Studies at Duke University.










The Collector: Joseph Mitchell's Quotidian Quest
Photographs by Steve Featherstone
September 3–October 25, 2009
Kreps Gallery







Undrabörn/Extraordinary Child
Photographs by Mary Ellen Mark
November 5–December 23, 2009






CDS Summer Gallery Hours and Holidays
Monday through Thursday: 9 a.m.–7 p.m.
Friday: 9 a.m.–5 p.m.

Saturday
May 16, May 30, June 6: 11 a.m.–4 p.m.
Closed beginning June 13

Sunday
Closed beginning May 17

CDS will also be closed on Saturday, May 23, through Monday, May 25, and on Friday, July 3, through Sunday, July 5, for holiday observances.

Please note that the Kreps, Lyndhurst, Porch, and University Galleries are typically open during regular CDS business hours. On occasion, the galleries are closed for installation, maintenance, and university scheduling considerations. Visitors might wish to call (919) 660-3663 before they make a special trip to see an exhibition, to ensure that the galleries are open.






Additional support for CDS Exhibitions is provided by the Office of the Provost at Duke University.






banner image:

Partial view of the Lyndhurst Gallery, one of four exhibition spaces at CDS. Photograph by Christoper Sims.


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