MINNESOTA IRON RANGE,
2016 - 2021
I am intrigued with a “sense of place” – recently with the Minnesota Iron Range where I lived and currently own a small cabin. There is a feeling of collision between past and present on “the Range”: a tension between the way it was during the mining era and the way it exists today. Surrounded with history, the landscape speaks to me as I explore the details of the old mines and mining towns that suggest metaphors for the space and the people living there.
My photography often demonstrates an interest in polarities – in the juxtaposition between the protected and the vulnerable, the old and the new, the relaxed and the methodical. I am fascinated with artifacts and their relationship to humanity. Intrigued with making connections, I enjoy the cultural codes they create.
The title of the 2018 exhibition, Range of Color, references the mixture of colors found on the Range including objects in decay, in the earth or water, or on mining sites. Color also references the features that lend a unique quality or character to the Range. In that context, other shades of meaning are implied.
Finally, receiving a 2018 grant from the MN State Arts Board gave me the opportunity to continue to explore the Iron Range and reflect on my perception of the environment, history and character. I am grateful to all of those who assisted me in this process - both on the Range and closer to home.
Nancy Stalnaker Bundy is a fiscal year 2018 recipient of an Artist Initiative Grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board. this activity is made possible by the voters of Minnesota through a grant from the Minnesota State Arts Board, thanks to a legislative appropriation by the Minnesota state legislature; and by a grant from the National Endowment for the Arts.
