Daniel Farnum

Bio

Daniel Farnum's work has been exhibited at Focus Gallery, Photo SF, and the Emerging Bay Area Artists exhibitions in San Francisco. He has also shown work in Michigan galleries as well as through the Humble Arts Foundation in New York. Daniel was selected to participate in Review Santa Fe and has received two awards from the Paul Sack Architectural Photography Contest. He recently received a professional award from the Visions exhibition, which was juried by Keith Davis, curator of the Photography department at the Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art. Daniel earned his BFA in photography from the University of Michigan in 2003 and an MFA in photography from the San Francisco Art Institute in 2006. Daniel is currently a professor in the Fine Art Department at the University of Missouri.

For more information about Daniel Farnum, visit www.danielfarnum.com.

Statement

During the last thirty years, the suburban neighborhoods of the greater Phoenix area have rapidly spread into the vast desert. The Gila River Indian Community is located on the fringe of the expanding city and just beyond South Mountain. By investigating the manipulated, natural and urban landscape of Phoenix, I explore how the native land near this community has been used and altered by the population boom of the Southwest.

During my exploration, I focus on desert locations on and near the Gila River Indian Community, as well as in older existing neighborhoods in central Phoenix. The diverse land in these areas contains tourist developments, natural land, suburban sprawl, low-income neighborhoods, vacant lots, and areas of new construction. The physical land and dirt is similar in all locations, although land usage and structures reveal cultural inequities.

My personal interest in this landscape lies in my familiarity with under-represented populations in Phoenix. My girlfriend was a Teach for America corps member in the low-income neighborhoods of South Phoenix. Through my frequent visits to the city and personal knowledge of social and economic divides, I became invested in exploring the land and photographing the affects of urban expanse upon native people.