The Heart of America
A Wright Morris-inspired photography contest
January 15-May 1, 2012
Exhibition May 1 to September 30, 2012
 
 Nebraska-born author Wright Morris is regarded by many as one of America’s most gifted writers. But although he is best known as a writer he was also a multi-talented artist who experimented with new means of expression. In several of his novels, including National Book Award winners The Field of Vision and Plains Song, Morris, uses photography to extend and amplify the texture of his narrative prose.
While his remarkable body of work covered a vast swath of the country and most of the 20th Century, Wright Morris is most known for his exploration of the connection between the land and the character of the people it creates. Although he refused to be characterized as a regional writer, much of his best work is a detailed examination of the ethos of the Great Plains. What is America? For Morris the answer lies somewhere among the farms and small towns of the American Midwest, a place he sees as containing the roots of America which flower in the East.
Morris suggested it was the vastness of the sky, the bite of the winter wind, the never-ending struggle for rural people that made them unique and special. Did one live on the plains in spite of the terrible conditions? “No,” argued Morris, “one lived there because of it. Only where fools rush in are such things as heroes bred.” He reaches back to the pioneer legacy as a connection point, but in the end it’s the land itself that defines the character of the people. “There was never a people who tried so hard — and left so little behind as we do. There never was a people who traveled so light — and carried so much.”
About the contest
 Heart of America is a juried fine-art photo exhibition inspired by Nebraska writer/photographer Wright Morris. It is a project of the Holdrege Area Public Library in conjunction with the Nebraska Arts Council and generous contributions from the Phelps County Community Foundation, the Phelps County Visitors Bureau and Mr. Harry Dahlstrom.Amateurs and professionals will be judged separately and awards will be presented in four categories:
- Color
- Black and White
- People
- Best modern interpretation of the Wright Morris aesthetic.
Entries will be made via email in digital format and judged by a professional panel of judges. Winners will receive matted prints of their entries as well as an award and public recognition. All winners will be on display at a variety of venues in Holdrege during the summer of 2012. A Call for Entries will be announced January 15, 2012 and made available here.
For more about Wright Morris
The Holdrege Area Public Library holds a number of Wright Morris titles and more are available through inter-library loan. An excellent introduction to Wright Morris can be found at UNL’s Center for Great Plains Studies and at Creighton’s Nebraska Center for Writers. A series of Wright Morris photographs for sale can be viewed at Lee Gallery.
Wright Morris reception
A Wright Morris reception at the Holdrege Library in February will include a lecture and feature original works by Wright Morris from the collection of the Museum of Nebraska Art. Watch this page for further details. |