"Sheep in Hoods"
Sepia-Toned Gelatin Silver Photograph, Signed
2010
Edition 10 of 15
8" x 8" (unframed)
17" x 17" (framed)

About the Piece
"Corn Dogs and Blue Ribbons" is a portfolio of photographs taken at fourteen summer fairs in New England ranging in size from small 4H fairs to giant 'expos.' Passing through the gates of my first fair as an adult, I found myself amazed at the complicated balance of startling innocence and huckster sleaze.

Everything is for sale; from whirlpool baths to cotton candy to religious salvation. All of these disparate elements seem to exist in harmony against a backdrop of gleeful screams, bells and whistles, and the aroma of fried dough mixed with the pungent essence of livestock and exotic poultry. I was delighted by the open and generous sharing of information from all ages of the 4H community. The deep connection with their animals was particularly intriguing and enviable to me.

This portfolio represents my emotional and somewhat wistful visual record of this long-standing American tradition. I photographed with black-and-white film using basic, plastic "toy" cameras because I purposely wanted to lose sharp detail and instead capture a broad stroke, the distillation of the experience. The fairs have changed so little over the last century, so I felt that I wanted to capture these timeless activities, going beyond documentation-to instead illustrate the memory, the then-or-now of it. I wonder if organizations like the Future Farmers of America and 4H continue to educate, nourish, and interest tomorrow's students in an agricultural career. Will the future of these summer fairs rely on a continuing shift away from agriculture to entertainment, concerts, rides, and games of chance? And food . . . specifically fried food, french fries, fried Oreo cookies, fried cheesecake? "We'll fry anything," one sign read.

About the Artist
Meg Birnbaum lives and works in the Boston area. She is a photographer, graphic designer, and educator. She has had solo exhibitions at The Stonewall Museum & Archive in Fort Lauderdale, Florida; Gallery Tanto Tempo in Kobe, Japan; Corden Potts Gallery in San Francisco; The Lishui International Photography Festival in China; the Museum of Art Pompeo Boggio in Buenos Aires, during the biennial Encuentros Abiertos-Festival de la Luz; the Griffin Museum of Photography in Massachusetts; Flash Forward Festival in Boston; the Davis Orton Gallery in Hudson, New York ; and Panopticon Gallery in Boston. Meg teaches portfolio-building classes at the Griffin Museum of Photography. She a member of the Griffin exhibition committee and designs their catalogs, signage, and website. Her work is held in the permanent collection of the Museum of Fine Art in Houston, the Lishui Museum of Photography in China, the Meditech Corporation, and in private collections.

https://www.megbirnbaum.com/