Unplowed Realities

September 10- November 19, 2026

Reception: Sept. 18, 5:30-7pm

Artists: Joan Brace O'Neal and community activist, experimental farmer and creative George Shenk and photographer JuanCarlos Gonzales

Unplowed Realities  Unplowed Realities examines farms, land, and animals as interconnected systems of survival, care, and sacrifice. The exhibition considers our relationship to land, food, and the economy at a moment when small farmers face mounting pressures to sustain their livelihoods. Unlike industrial-scale operations, small farms prioritize diversification, stewardship, and local food systems, emphasizing resilience, ecological balance, and community nourishment.

Through the portrait genre, Joan O'Neal engages the concept of the animal gaze, positioning farm animals as subjects rather than resources. Her attentive depictions of cows invite reflection on empathy, labor, and shared vulnerability across species, revealing ethical and visual parallels between animal and human lives.

George Shenk explores how small farms sustain food, land, and animal care, revealing the vital connections between agricultural labor, ecological health, and community well-being.

In Vermont—a state with a strong local food identity and commitment to environmental sustainability—photographer JuanCarlos Gonzales shares how women smallholders play a central role in shaping food systems and sustaining rural communities. By highlighting their labor, the exhibition underscores the interconnections between ecological health, gender equity, and community resilience, revealing how care circulates in regenerative ways within small-scale agriculture.

Together, these works challenge viewers to reconsider how we value land, labor, and life, asking us to see care—not only for the land and food systems but for all living beings embedded within them—as essential to both ecological and social well-being.

Image above: Joan Brace O'Neal