Terra Fondriest
The internet provides us with intimate views into different ways of living; directly into our living rooms via our computers, smartphones, etc. I began to follow Terra's work by stumbling onto her Instagram account and was instantly interested in the way she tells the stories of those who surround her as well as her own. I can relate to rural living due to my background of growing up on our family farm in Oklahoma, and to our proximity of shared state lines, but her unique point of view and the true insight she brings to the individuals she photographs keeps me coming back to see more. I am always sincerely interested as she gives a refreshingly honest and personal view to everything she photographs. Please do be sure to go check out more of her work on her website and follow along with us on her Instagram account too!
Terra Fondriest is a documentary photographer living in the Ozarks of Arkansas with her husband and 2 children. After halting her adventurous former worklife for both the US Forest and Park Services, she began her journey as a mother in 2011 at the age of 27. Terra started documenting her growing children at their remote home in the hills and she realized her passion for storytelling.
In 2017, she became inspired to move beyond photographing her family and start telling the stories within her community. This was the beginning of her Ozark Life project where she is exploring the people and culture of the Ozark hills. Terra is the creator and instructor for Buffalo National River's popular Photography Workshop and is a member of the highly esteemed 'Women Photograph', where she has been awarded a mentorship for 2018-2019. She is also a frequent contributer and curator for the EverydayRuralAmerica project.
Artist Statement
The Boston Mountains, here in the heart of the Arkansas Ozarks, are my home. I am surrounded by rural friends and neighbors that have become like family to me. This project that I'm calling Ozark Life began with me photographing my children and our relationship to the land here and has evolved into this larger vision of photographing my community. What do our big life events look and feel like, and what about our everyday? I seek to create a visual diary of what it's like to be living in the Ozarks at this point in time by documenting not only my family, but those around me as we go about our lives here in this distinct region of the US.