Lori Nix and Kathleen Gerber have lived most of their lives in the rural Midwest. Childhoods spent playing in open fields and witnessing countless storms and natural disasters have left them with a deep affection for the American landscape. This shared love of the land and sky in its endless variations, and a fascination with the absurdities of life, has developed into a series of constructed environments that form the basis of their photographs. Nix and Gerber’s first series, Accidentally Kansas (1998-2000), recreated tornadoes, floods, insect infestations, and other bizarre events that punctuated their childhoods in the Midwest. Devastation and loss were treated with a light handling, resulting in scenes that were more tall tale than true story.
