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Photos feature Iowa farm life
News · January 18, 2018
Opening on Jan. 20, is the exhibition “Farm Life in Iowa: Photographs by A.M. Wettach,” on loan from the University of Iowa Museum of Art.
Wettach’s photographs documented rural existence from 1925 to 1960 – 35 of the most revolutionary years for farming as a way of life in Iowa.
A.M. “Pete” Wettach (1901-1976) worked as a freelance photographer based in Mount Pleasant, Iowa. His photographs recorded changes in farming practices while honoring the values of family and self-sufficiency. Wettach’s unique interpretation of the family farm comes from his documentary style and keen compassion for his subjects.
For many, the family farm is more than just a nostalgic icon. Almost four out of 10 Americans have at some point in their lives lived or worked on a farm, and half have friends or relatives who were farmers. For Iowans, who live in a state where eight percent of the land is still farmed, Wettach’s photographs are invaluable historic records and part of a common visual memory linking the past to the present.
Farm Life in Iowa will be on display at the Hoover Museum from Jan. 20 – March 18.
This exhibit was curated by University of Iowa Senior Curator Kathleen A. Edwards and organized by Legacies for Iowa: A University of Iowa Museum of Art Collections-Sharing Project, Supported by the Matthew Bucksbaum Family. The photographs in the exhibition were printed by Steven Tatum from negatives in the A.M. Wettach Collection, State Historical Society of Iowa, Iowa City.
The Hoover Museum is located ¼ mile off Interstate 80 at Exit 254 in West Branch, Iowa and open daily from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m.
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