Driving past a dilapidated farmhouse in eastern South Dakota, my mother commented, “Years ago, some young man brought his new bride home to that house to start their family.”

Of course, she was romanticizing the situation. For all we knew, it had been built by a grouchy old drunk.

But she had a point. I didn’t get it at the time (I was probably around ten) but she was really commenting on our own lives. Her parent’s farmhouse had burned down shortly after they moved out, same for the farm where my father grew up.

Over time, as farms consolidated, the need for a house/barn/silo on every quarter section, died out with the small towns nearby. The dreams that built those homesteads are long gone but hopefully, the memories are alive somewhere.

Forgotten Dreams isn’t just about romanticizing the good old days. We hope it will serve as a wake up call of sorts, reminding us that our dreams are just as fragile, just as temporary, just as easily forgotten. As Solomon said,

Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done

and what I had toiled to achieve,

everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind;

(Ecclesiastes 2.11)

We’re not saying you shouldn’t dream! No, dream and dream big! Just avoid the mindless ambition that values the building above the people.

The weathered wood, open structures, missing windows, even the piles of refuse, offer the artist opportunities not found anywhere else.

And they’re full of surprises. Forgotten toys, untouched for decades, echo of lost youth. Tools, long abandoned, still resisting rust, as if hoping to be picked up again.  The shadows are as unpredictable as the sunspots that sneak though the cracks in the roof.

This aspect of the project is still undefined and very fluid. Each site has it’s own possibilities, many of which are independent of the main theme. Some photos will need the human element, some will not.  While most of the themed photos will be from a distance, there is plenty of room for closeups.  

Maybe a model in modern dress contrasting with the 1920’s wallpaper? A coffee cup reflected in a broken window pane? Thistles blooming against ruined wall?  A macro closeup of peeling paint?

A nude silhouette in a doorway?  Well, maybe. 

First, historic costumes will be the core of this project! Such costumes are, and will remain, our primary focus (ignore the pun.) The willingness to participate in nudity is NOT an expectation of this project.  We understand that many people aren't comfortable with it for many reasons.

However, these locations present unique nude in nature opportunities for those so inclined.  Here's are some short essays explaining our position on the subject: In Defense of the Artistic Nude and Why Nude?

Frankly, we don’t really know what to expect but we're looking forward to finding it!