A Prairie, Not A Promise

Alanna Styer

Power Plant Gallery

Multiple road trips to county fairs, family gatherings and holidays culminate to reveal the tension of living in the middle. A Prairie, Not a Promise documents the lingering effects of the pastoral dream and industrial boom in the Midwest. This year long journey traces the edge of the Heartland myth juxtaposing the idealized promise land against the reality that, for many, it never existed.   

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Alanna Styer (b.1993) is an interdisciplinary documentary artist and activist, who engages with omitted histories and cultural change. Her work focuses on the understandings of community, storytelling, and trauma, as they relate to land and place. She earned her BFA in Photography from Watkins College of Art, Design and Film. She has shown in solo and group exhibitions across the United States

alannastyer.com | styer.alanna@gmail.com

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In keeping with Duke University’s COVID-19 plan which includes instituting a series of social distancing practices to protect the health and continuity of the community, the public events, performances, and screenings for the MFA in Experimental and Documentary Arts Spring Thesis Exhibition have been postponed to the Fall 2020 semester. Updated information and schedule details will be posted here, and additionally at mfaeda.duke.edu and across MFA|EDA, Duke Arts, and exhibition venue social media platforms.