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Rural Route

I exhibited Rural Route at the Manitoba Museum and at several other venues in Manitoba in 1987 – 88.  My friend and mentor, Steve Prystupa, not only championed, but wrote a kind introduction for, the exhibit. I have attached an excerpt below as well as a quote by Elizabeth Martin from The Hunger Machine, a 1986 CBC documentary.

 

“The artist celebrates the vitality of rural people but he is also keenly aware that he is capturing a passing way of life. The family farm is under siege today more than ever before with declining grain markets, mounting bankruptcies and large scale rural-urban migration. If current trends prevail, more than half of our family farms may disappear within a decade if not sooner. And if the family farm goes, what will be the fate of the rural town?”

Steve Prystupa, Curator of Multicultural Studies, Manitoba Museum 1987

 

“I think there is a growing idea that family farmers are like white baby seals. We need to put them in a museum and think about them fondly, but they are of the past. That is a romantic view that does not reflect reality, that family farmers are highly efficient producers, that they are the backbone of a rural community’s economic viability.”

Elizabeth Martin, California Institute of Rural Studies 1986

 

Notes …  Clicking on an image will give you a full screen view. Comment section comments may not be posted immediately but are appreciated, do not panic. Contact and subscription information is at the bottom of the home page.

 

Roadside, Swan River Mb

1982

Abandoned railroad trestle, Bruxelles Mb

1980

Fence line, Swan River

1985

Spring thaw, Bowsman Mb

1983

Untitled, Notre Dame de Lourdes Mb

1981

Roadside, Notre Dame de Lourdes Mb

1981

Farmyard, Swan River Mb

1984

Garden, Swan River Mb

1980

Haystack, Bowsman Mb

1980

Woodpile, Swan River

1985

Hydro poles with planters made from tires, Swan River Mb

1980

Burning corn stalks, Swan River Mb

1984

Cow path through pasture, Bowsman Mb

1985

Haystack, Swan River Mb

1985

Roadside, eggs for sale, Swan River Mb

1986

Horse trough, Swan River Mb

1984

Greenhouse, Bowsman Mb

1979

Drying onions, Swan River Mb

1981

Tomato plants in greenhouse, Swan River Mb

1982

Untitled, Swan River Mb

1981

Untitled, Swan River Mb

1985

Garden, Bowsman Mb

1985

Farmyard, Swan River Mb

1980

Farmyard, Swan River Mb

1985

Farmyard, Bowsman Mb

1985

Farmyard, Rush Lake Sk

1978

Arrow, Swan River Mb

1979

Untitled, Swan River Mb

1984

Untitled, Bowsman Mb

1980

Untitled, Bowsman Mb

1979

Untitled, Bowsman Mb

1985

Untitled, Swan River Mb

1981

Untitled, Charlottetown Pe

1979

Untitled, #2 Hwy Mb

1982

Untitled, Swan River Mb

1985

Untitled, Bowsman Mb

1985

Untitled, Bowsman Mb

1984

Bear, Swan River Mb

1981

Untitled, Swan River Mb

1985

Untitled, Swan River Mb

1986

Untitled, Swan River Mb

1986

Untitled, Notre Dame de Lourdes Mb

1980

Heat lamp in chicken house, Swan River Mb

1985

Untitled, Notre Dame de Lourdes Mb

1980

Cleaning chickens, Swan River Mb

1985

Chicken feeder, Swan River Mb

1985

Untitled, Swan River Mb

1983

Untitled, Swan River Mb

1982

Untitled, Swan River Mb

1982

Chopping block and chickens heads, Swan River Mb

1985

Untitled, Swan River Mb

1982

Untitled, Swan River Mb

1982

Farm house, Swan River Mb

1985

Untitled, Swan River

1986

Planting potatoes, Swan River Mb

1984

Untitled, Swan River Mb

1982

View from kitchen window, Swan River Mb

1983

Untitled, near Charlottetown Pe

1979

Untitled, Bowsman Mb

1983

Untitled, near Morden Mb

1982

Untitled, near Charlottetown Pe

1979

Digging potatoes, Swan River Mb

1980

Lunch break during harvest, Swan River Mb

1984

Marie with cutworms, Swan River Mb

1981

Inga’s 65th (pension) birthday party, Swan River Mb

1985

Kay and Ed, Kay’s wedding dress, Swan River Mb

1986

Untitled, Swan River Mb

1983

Untitled, Bowsman Mb

1983

Arthur, Swan River Mb

1982

The rooster that layed an egg, Swan River Mb

1985

Untitled, Swan River Mb

1986

Jack preparing potatoes for planting, Swan River Mb

1979

Caroline and Lady, Swan River Mb

1983

Leila and grandchildren, Swan River Mb

1984

Annie and Albert, Swan River Mb

1984

Henry and Johnny, Swan River Mb

1984

Ed, Tom, Mary and Arrow, Swan River Mb

1979

Benny, Raymond and Roland, Swan River Mb

1985

Melvin and Leif, Swan River Mb

1982

Untitled, Swan River Mb

1985

Untitled, Swan River Mb

1981

Untitled, Swan River Mb

1985

28 Responses

  1. That was a great show Rob. Sherry and I have a copy of the ‘three pigs of unknown size’ (or as you refer to it, ‘Untitled Swan River Manitoba 1986’) hanging in our living room. Everytime my sister sees it, ahe turns around and remarks ‘Its Pigs? ‘ Always puts a smile on my face.

  2. Great exhibit, Robert. Beautiful compositions and light. I love how it takes you on a visual journey from the land or homestead, to the animals, to the people. Wonderful presentation.

  3. Beautiful work, Rob, as always! I remember seeing, and living many, many moments like these, with both side of my family having rural origins. A more earth-grounded, less sanitized world. Much healthier, connected, in a lot of ways. (yep…thass the ole guy talkin’ 😉
    So glad you documented and shared these.

  4. Beautiful Rob:):) love the quote on The Family Farm – we need them back. The woodpile photo – father-in-law Bob farmed in Spy Hill in the 20s, asked him why the mound instead of a row stack, Bob said they would walk the mound in winter and easily split chunks too large for stove – saved one move in the day long labour. I liked that. Good memories from Mr. Barrow’s photos!

  5. Rob – thank you ever so much for capturing some of the images of my youth on those wonderful visits to “the farm” wherein my uncountable cousins shared their world with me. Loved it and will share with my family.

  6. This exhibit, beyond the quality of the images, is a delight as it has tapped a wellspring of mental images from my first 19 years in the rural/small environment of Plum Coulee. So many amazing characters, such simple pleasures, a life much less complicated (if naive), some less pleasurable, rough interactions. But riches abounded.

  7. Thanks Rob for capturing these images that speak so eloquently of the rural life we grew up in. At the time I didn’t know those days were numbered but you must have sensed it. Thanks for bringing back those memories.

    1. Thank you Wendy … as well as document, I hoped these photographs would “evoke” Thank you again

    1. Thank you Harry “the east rushes west and the west rushes down” – Wallace Stevens

  8. Impressive as always. Invaluable. How will Manitobans access your archive in the future?

    1. Thank you Robert, I have some work in the National Archives and have donated materials and research from a project on a Doukhobor photographer, Peter Bloudoff, to the Sask Archives and I am currently getting the materials and research from another project on a Black photographer, William Beal, ready for donation. I haven’t made any decisions on any thing else. This website is actually a kind of sorting tool.

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