Witness Marks: Dispatches from Rural Oregon
In the Central Oregon high desert, the population density falls as low as one person per square mile, making the region one of the least populated areas in America. This project, titled Witness Marks, explores life in rural communities that face challenges of isolation, declining populations, and limited resources.
Witness Marks is a term used in carpentry and construction. It describes a notch, groove or scratch which indicates where a fixture has previously been, leaving an indentation that can be used as a guide for future assembly. Stretches of abandoned homes, schools, and businesses show the framework for what could have been a prosperous way of life in central Oregon. These skeletons represent a time where the American West held the potential to be a place of growth and opportunity.
The towns that do have residents are separated by hours of open road and vast landscapes that call for reflection on the self-sufficiency and resilience it takes to live in this part of the country. Although geographically distant, the towns are held together by community. Witness Marks aims to document this increasingly rare way of life in a manner that challenges stereotypes and misconceptions about both the American West and rural working-class communities.
