Photographer
Prescott, AZ
October 2003, four weeks
Deborah Ford uses photography to explore and interpret form and meaning in nature. Much awareness of the environment and its issues revolves around “doom and gloom” problems, which build fear and cynicism and ultimately apathy or at least the feelings that individuals can do very little towards ecological preservation, restoration and a sustainable way of life). As an artist, Ford is committed to transforming the way individuals interact with the world around them, while providing a means to interpret and share these interactions giving way to community connections and hopefully, a greater sense of place (or affinity of the local). Photography is a powerful tool in the magical powers that viewers attribute to it, and the persuasiveness of its descriptions and interpretations. Using the camera, Ford attempts to explore personal, cultural, and ecological issues and connections and to use photography as an interpretive and communicative voice for sharing local stories of nature with others in the community. Having grown up in rural Minnesota, Ford used the residency to continue to work in the Minnesota landscape and explore the connection of the lands beauty, fragility, and wonder.