The American Bottom

The American Bottom, a name derived nearly 100 years ago, defines the region that skirts the Mississippi River from Alton, Illinois south the the mouth of the Kaskaskia River. This approximately 70 mile stretch of lowland country encompasses an incredible diversity both unusually complex and directly present. As I explore this rich and complicated landscape, I am continually amazed at the raw presentation of the space. This is a landscape powerful and resilient; a landscape continually ripped bare, impacted by natural as well as human-made forces. This is a landscape as open and enigmatic as its history. This is a landscape that continues to evolve, and my ongoing work seeks to observe and be in this space as a way to reflect upon our 21st century position in relationship to our surrounding environments.