Souvenirs, Visits to America’s Agricultural Fairs
Lumiere Photo
100 College Ave.
Apr 4, 6:00 pm - 9:00 pm

Please join us for the opening of Souvenirs, Visits to America’s Agricultural Fairs. In this ongoing series, Steve Piper explores the nuances of Upstate New York’s rural fairs, and the ways that they can become the epicenter of their communities. Presented in black and white, Steve’s kind but contemplative eye knows just what to capture to aid in his anthropological mission.

Steve writes:
These images are from an ongoing project that I have worked on for the past several years: photographing at agricultural fairs in western New York. My growing up in southern Kansas fostered my interest in the lifestyles and beliefs of rural Americans and the ways they relate to each other, the animals, and their environment.

After moving to Rochester, I found the surrounding towns are much like the areas of Kansas, Oklahoma, and Missouri where I grew up. I suspect that once you leave urban areas, there are lots of similarities between regions of the U.S. This project allows me to view my past as well as the current state of our culture—some of it comforting and some disturbing.