Artist Statement
My work has been shaped by my background growing up in a rural community in Iowa. Industrial farming is a common practice where I lived. It wasn’t a world that I was quite a part of until I began working as a mower at an industrial hog farm during the summers when I was in college. Growing up in Iowa, I was taught from a young age about agricultural practices and where our food comes from. There was a general knowledge of industrial farming in rural communities even without working on a farm. I worked on an industrial hog farm for four years mowing their operations. My work depicts my experience working on an industrial hog confinement for four summers in Iowa. I navigate this industry in my work through my memories, through the things I saw and experienced and I focus on the things that impacted me. This collection of work depicts the workings of industrial hog farming and the complications of operating a large-scale farm. Much of this is not seen by many. Through my work, I shine a light on the realities of an industry that are usually invisible.