American Exurbia

Between 2001-2005 I photographed mothers and children in their homes, in what were newly developed  “exurbia” communities in New Jersey and Connecticut. I was teaching at a Community College alongside newly constructed gated communities that had once been farms. The election of George Bush was said to have been won by these new exurbia’s. My interest in photographing the women and children within these places, lay in my fascination with the development of identity and my interest the continuity of a US phenomenon of “seeking security” from perceived fear of danger. I came to know the collaborators in my photographs through the College, people who worked there, and also by talking to strangers at donut shops or supermarkets as I drove to and from work. These photographs exist as an exploration of a U.S. pattern of self segregation built upon a painful history of race and class and the impact this has on our future..