Great Plains – America's Lingering Wild

Exhibition Content:
50 color photographs, 5 objects, checklist

Wilderness is the raw material out of which man has hammered the artifact called civilization… To the laborer in the seat of his labor, the raw stuff on his anvil is an adversary to be conquered. So was wilderness an adversary to the pioneer. But to the laborer in repose, able for the moment to cast a philosophical eye on his world, that same raw stuff is something to be loved and cherished, because it gives definition and meaning to his life. – Aldo Leopold

Less than 200 years ago, the Great Plains of North America were perhaps the greatest grassland ecosystem on Earth. Then, in the blink of an evolutionary eye, much of their grandeur was gone.

As America grew west, the plains’ native grazers, top predators and indigenous cultures were systematically wiped out. The prairie was plowed up and chopped up, fenced in, overgrazed, paved and otherwise degraded. Today, this fragmented landscape is the most endangered and least protected ecosystem on the continent. But all is not lost on the prairie.

To many people, the Great Plains are an empty stage. To an ever-growing group of others, the plains are a dynamic but forgotten landscape—overlooked, undervalued, misunderstood, and in desperate need of preservation. This project leads the way forward, inspiring, informing, and enabling America and Americans to recognize and recapture the wild spirit and soft splendor of this great landscape.

Michael Forsberg has spent the last three years working on a book project titled: "Great Plains - America's Lingering Wild." He has traveled close to 100,000 miles and covered a huge swath (12 states, two Canadian provinces, one Mexican province) of the enormous Great Plains. This exhibition will surely serve as an dramatic portrayal of Michael's best work on this project, indeed as remarkable witness to the state of the Great Plains today and hope for the future.

The book is an attempt to put a face to the biodiversity and native landscapes that still stubbornly persist in the heart of the continent and discuss the myriad conservation challenges that lie ahead in what was once one of the greatest grassland ecosystems on earth.

This book will be divided in to three geographic regions – Northern Plains, Southern Plains and the Tallgrass Remains. Authors, in addition to Michael include: Author and writer Dan O’Brien writing essays for each of these sections, connecting the natural history of the land with man’s use of it. David Wishart, Great Plains scholar and Geography professor, will write an introduction and authoritative chapter openers. Finally, Ted Kooser, U.S. Poet Laureate 2004 - 2006, will be writing the forward to the book.

The Great Plains project has been underwritten by a grant from the Nature Conservancy, and by the Grasslans Charitable Foundation. The book will be published in fall 2009 by the University of Chicago Press.

Why Michael calls himself a Conservation Photographer:

When I began as a photographer, I was taking pictures mostly for myself. When we had children my mindset changed, and now I do the work mostly for them. Because I don't want my kids or anyone else's to grow up one day and only be able to appreciate the wonders of nature in a museum or read about it in a book or see it in a zoo. I feel we are blessed to be stewards of this planet, but in many cases we have forgotten that with this privilege comes responsibility. Photography can be a powerful witness to our shortcomings, but also to show that beauty and hope still exists in the natural world. It can help communicate to people why something matters. Conservation photography is an active and powerful tool to begin this process, to start the conversation, to call for action. Time is short. - Mike Forsberg

Michael Forsberg was born and raised in Nebraska. He has a degree in Geography and was a former staff photographer and writer for NEBRASKAland magazine before opening the Michael Forsberg Gallery in his hometown of Lincoln. His work has been recognized in the POY and Wildlife Photographer of the Year competitions, and through conservation awards given by The Wildlife Society and NANPA, among others. He maintains membership with the International League of Conservation Photographers, NANPA and ASMP. His first book, “On Ancient Wings - The Sandhill Cranes of North America,” was self-published in 2004, has since sold almost 15,000 copies and won numerous awards. Mike lives in Lincoln, Nebraska with his wife Patty, two daughters Elsa and Emme, and three unruly dogs.

Also available:
- Hard cover book, available for sale
- Speakers available for additional fee (photographer and/or book authors)

Photographs included:
40 - 20"x30" photographs and 10 - 30"x50" photographs

For more information:
E-mail Patty Forsberg at patty.forsberg@gmail.com or call 1-888-812-3790