The Journal

Issue date: 9/2/04 Section: Culture

Lowell Handler points out a photographic detail as wife Jane Smith tells the story of her hometown. "Vanishing" can be viewed in the May Gallery until Oct. 1. [Click to enlarge]

The scenario may be familiar to students from small towns in Missouri and Illinois. What was once an idyllic farm community has become a place where no one wants to be. One grocery chain takes the business of all the other stores, and all the young people flee to a large city. The newest exhibit in the May Gallery features images from a decaying town, and the photographer believes his body of work is just one example of the plight for many towns in the area.

"The Vanishing: Photographs from a Small Midwestern Town" shows viewers run-down businesses, abandoned homes and the stoic suffering of those who chose to stay. The town portrayed in the exhibit is Madison, which is 170 miles northwest of St. Louis. The population declines every year, and the last census showed a residency of 586, with a median income of under $30,000.

The photographer, Lowell Handler, chose the town because he had access to its personalities and insight into its history. Handler's wife, Jane Smith, who wrote text to accompany the photos, was born and raised in the town.

"We have a collaboration in our relationship and profession," Handler said.

One practical objective of the display is to correct the media's romanticized image of the Midwest. Handler and Smith charge the media with under reporting the concerns of the area. When the Midwest is referred to, it is shown as the heartland, a place of old-fashioned values and common sense.

"There's been huge depopulation and there's a high level of poverty that's invisible to the rest of the country," Smith said. "The town seems a little more decayed each time I visit."

Yet despite the desolation, some of the photos show a glimmer of hope. One of Smith's favorites shows an isolated house that has been empty for four or five years, yet each winter someone puts up a small Christmas display. A toilet to the side of the house is filled with flowers.

Continued...

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