The Unchosen Ones (2016, 2020)

My visual research has resulted in a series of portraits of young people posing with the animals they have raised, cherished, and groomed for entry into a best animal competition at a Minnesota county fair, with dreams of the glory of moving on to State Fair victory. No victory is shown with my series, The Unchosen Ones, however. These animals and their young owners were not deemed champions; they came in second or third or did not place at all. Here, on the margins of the main events, these disappointed children with their beloved animals illustrate a small backstory, preserving a moment of failure, loss, love, and hope, as only photography can.

The Unchosen Ones portrait project was born on the sidelines of county fair animal contests in Minnesota in 2016. The project consists of 73 portraits of non-winning 4-H youth and animals created at 10 Minnesota county fairs in 2016. These county fairs lead up to one of the largest expositions in the world, the Minnesota State Fair, which set record attendance in 2019.

The Unchosen Ones project has evolved into a study of adolescent development of 4-H youth in rural America.  The social documentary project explores the growth that has come from defeat, focusing on character development. Inspirations for this series include August Sander, Diane Arbus, Mike Disfarmer, and Robert Frank as influences, as well as contemporaries such as Alec Soth, Rineke Dijkstra, and Peter Feldstein.

In 2016, moments before the camera shutter clicked, participants were asked: “Show me what next year’s grand champion looks like.” In 2020, we see how “hope” has manifested over four years.