Where ART Lives Magazine Volume 2 Number 3 | Page 92

Where ART Lives Gallery Members
Kit Hedman

Prairie Crossroad grew out of the landscape photographs Kit
Hedman shot on the on eastern plains. At a show of his work at
Morgan Community College’s gallery he heard about changes
occurring in the agricultural town of Fort Morgan.
These changes included a growing population of Somali
refugees who had come to work in the meat packing plant. This
very different ethnic and religious group created some friction,
not only among the sugar beet farming descendants of the
original settlers from German-Russia, but among local
Hispanics as well. The story he was told was that the Somalis
working on the killing floor at the packing plant had caused a
drag on production because they insisted upon their religious
requirement of praying over each animal before it was put
down. This caused him to want to learn more. The problem was
solved by the prayer being played continuously over the public
address system on the killing floor. Inspired by this clash and
technical resolution of a cultural difference, Hedman began
photographing portraits of both the local people and the recent
arrivals from many other countries.
Hilary DePolo, a poet, was inspired to write poems about the
same people Hedman photographed. She interviewed each
person, sometimes meeting entire families. From her notes she
created a unique and insightful poem for each portrait.
The book was put together after 2 years of work. Hedman and
DePolo continue to meet new subjects as word of their
significant work spreads through the rural community.
This
book is now available on Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/Prairie-Crossroad-exploration-photography-diversity/dp/0997236302/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1461954398&sr=81&keywords=prairie+crossroads
www.kithedmanfineartphotography.com
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