James R. Swensen on Dorothea Lange, Russell Lee, and the WPA Photographers in Utah

Award-winning author and scholar of WPA-era photography, James R. Swensen discusses his new exhibition, Fields of Labor and Recovery: A Photographic Portrait of Utah from the Great Depression to WWII, 1936-1942. The show at the BYU Museum of Art provides an opportunity to discuss Dorothea Lange, Russell Lee, and other photographers who were sent across the United States, including to Utah, to document government programs and ultimately created the most comprehensive portrait of America ever attempted. Swensen discusses his detailed research into the lives of the photographers’ subjects, and he notes the importance of seeing patterns of history by looking back to the past, and as he notes, the value of beautiful pictures of ugly things.Music for this episode is “Mountains,” by Robert Cundick, performed by Grant Johannesen, piano.Liked this episode? Send us a text.