‘Monuments of a disappearing past’: moody midwestern nights – in pictures | Art and design

“Since I was not born in the area, I was always an outsider, yet in a way still a part of the community. My series Small Places is a way for me to better understand and honor a part of my life that passed when I moved back to the city.” Jodi’s Barbershop & Hairstyling, Thomasboro, Illinois, 2023, population: 1,034 Photograph: Jim Hill “This work is about survivors – those buildings and neighborhoods that have somehow persisted amidst the constant pressure of economic decline, urban revitalization, demolition and the continuing loss of the midwest’s unique identity.” Robin Bailey, White Front Cafe – Toronto, Ohio, 2024 Photograph: Robin Bailey “Since 1982, the US has lost approximately 80% of its dairy farms and 90% of its hog farms, accelerating a trend toward fewer but much larger farms. With farm production becoming more consolidated and big-box retailers in the county seats, this drives local merchants out of business. The small towns in the region struggle to reinvent themselves amid an agricultural bounty.” Front Street, Brooklyn, Iowa, 2023, population: 1,502 Photograph: Jim Hill “Black and white also allows these images to achieve an iconic quality as monuments of a disappearing past while preserving a
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