Jason Vaughn

Driftless

The images in Driftless were made by photographer Jason Vaughn during a period of life that found him wandering for a year in a region of Wisconsin known colloquially as the Driftless Area, named for the rugged terrain formed by a lack of pre-Illinoian continental glacial ice flow (“drift”). Vaughn’s temporary home seemingly describes the landscape as much as its human inhabitants.

While living in a rented apartment off the Mississippi River, awaiting the birth of his second child, and at the beginning of a second life chapter following a tenuous bout with cancer, Vaughn attempted to establish community despite his status as temporary visitor. During this in-between state his daily walks not only nurtured his art practice but also allowed for moments of clarity and belonging to seep into that practice.

Continuing in this spirit of a shared yet transient experience, the final image edit was given to author and journalist Brad Zellar, to lend his own verbal meanderings to the images, embedding a dueling but complementary narrative to the book. An otherwise charged photograph of birds mid-flight, no doubt bound for a warmer and more hospitable climate is subdued and balanced by the caption “hey, options.” Amongst his words, casual, yet world weary, we find a sense of sophisticated levity, fostering feelings of the hope over despair.

While creating the images for Driftless, Vaughn intimates that living next to the river allowed him to contemplate the human experience in a new way and to meditate on “the process by which people can drift through a space, sometimes becoming lodged, sometimes becoming permanent, and sometimes breaking free and moving to a new location.”

As a duo, Vaughn and Zellar assist one another in weaving a narrative until their voices seem one.  Each fleeting moment adds a layer of meaning, transforming, over time, from a conversation to a shared story.

hide

hide is a project that began as a commentary on Wisconsin’s hunting tradition, using deer stands as a metaphor for the changing values of the sport.  When my sudden cancer diagnosis interrupted the project, hide took on a much deeper, more personal meaning.

I was inspired on my drives through Wisconsin by deer stands, and began having conversations with hunters about the tradition of hunting in their families.  Some people described building the stands as something permanent that could be passed to the next generation, especially sons who would inherit the land.  I was anticipating the birth of my own son and thinking about my legacy to him, so this idea resonated strongly with me.  I also heard hunters emphasize that their pastime is not about violence, but more about oneness with nature and time spent with their children in the stands.  I wanted these photographs to capture the serenity of that sentiment, and to suggest the dignity that was associated with hunting when it was seen as a means of feeding large families.  Finally, I wanted to look at the issue from a historical standpoint, and the impermanent nature of some of the stands illustrates the fading hunting tradition in Wisconsin, which has declined in recent years.

When I was diagnosed with leukemia in 2011, my work on hide was put on hold.  I was 32 years old and had a 3-month-old baby at home.  Having to face mortality so unexpectedly made me come back to the project with a new perspective on the ideas of permanence and impermanence.  Ultimately, hide became my reflection on legacies and family, my homage to the state that has become my home, and a narrative about accepting change.

Jason Vaughn is a fine art documentary photographer based in Wisconsin.  His first major series, hide, is a typological study using Wisconsin hunting stands as a reflection on legacies and family. 

In 2011, while working on hide, he was diagnosed with leukemia at age 32. After a yearlong hiatus, he completed the series in 2014.  It has been met with great acclaim and featured in the New York Times, Slate Magazine, and Artforum, among others.  Photographs from hide were included in the Madison Museum of Contemporary Art Wisconsin Triennial and the State of the Art exhibition at the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art.  For this show, curators visited over 1,000 studios in a search for "the most compelling American art being created today."  hide was recently published by Trema Förlag with a special edition by Paul Schiek to be released through TBW books this summer.

Driftless images are available as 12¾ x 16, 16 x 20", and 24 x 30" pigment prints made in editions of 5, 5, and 5. Pieces range in price from $900 to $1500, depending on size.

hide images are available as 24 x 30" pigment prints made in an edition of 8 for $2000.

Please call: (312) 266-2350 for prices of specific pieces.
Prices are print only unless otherwise indicated.