Former state poet, Lincoln photographer collaborate on unique, rural exhibit

LINCOLN — Photographer Michael Farrell and former State Poet Twyla Hansen have collaborated on a unique exhibit seeking to provide “clear-eyed views” of rural Nebraska.

“Seen in Otoe County” is a collection of 61 photographs accompanied by 30 poems in an exhibit that opened Friday at the WallSpace-LNK gallery, at 1624 S. 17th St. in Lincoln.

Large-format, black-and-white landscapes captured by Farrell of rural scenes are paired with poems penned by Hansen, who is an organic farmer as well as a poet.

Farrell said he asked Hansen, a longtime friend, to respond in poetry to photos he had produced in recent years from the backroads of Otoe County. The result is the exhibit, as well as a book.

“While all of the images reproduced in this book were made in Otoe County, Nebraska, they could just as well have been seen in many of our country’s rural areas,” Farrell said. “And the issues we see here in the heart of the heartland are also found throughout the country.”

For exhibit hours or other information, access the website. https://wallspace-lnk.com